“One would hope that humanity has outgrown such prehistoric and barbaric practices. And yet, here we are, ending the year 2020 and growing closer to a new decade, still fighting to abolish slavery as if it were a new concept,” Abbas was quoted as saying by ANI, pointing towards “China’s genocide against Uyghurs”. 

She made the comment at a time when the world observed International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.

Who are Uyghur Muslims?

Uyghur Muslims are a Turkic minority ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. It is now widely publicized that their human rights are crushed by China and they were sent to "re-education camps" by the communist regime in Beijing.

The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

An American representative at the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said in 2018 that the committee had received many credible reports that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs in China have been held in "re-education camps" by the Chinese authorities.