Justice Abroad Submits Communications to United Nations Bodies for the Hemdul Brothers, Businessmen Arbitrarily Detained by the Chinese Authorities

JUSTICE ABROAD

“Here When You Need Us”

Justice Abroad’s Michael Polak is instructed by the family of two ethnic Uyghur brothers from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region facing a lengthy period of detention inside one of China’s notorious concentration camps or prisons, despite not having committed any crime.

The brothers, Mehmet Hemdul a 37 year-old entrepreneur (believed not having been sentenced yet) and Rozi Haj Hemdul, a 43 year-old entrepreneur (reportedly sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment) ran a successful real estate development company in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) before being detained by Chinese authorities. They each have four children. Their arrest and detention, which is unlawful under international law, follow the arbitrary detention of an estimated more than a million Turkic Muslims in the Region[1] and it is understood that the brothers have been targeted by the Chinese authorities because of their minority ethnicity (Uyghur), religion (Islam),  and their successful business, respectively, involved in a number of major developments in China as well as the building of a hospital in Ankara, Turkey. In addition to the unjustified imprisonment of the men, their business has had its assets stripped by the Chinese authorities. Radio Free Asia has reported on the brothers’ situation here.

On behalf of both men, Justice Abroad’s Michael Polak has drafted and submitted a Communication to a number of United Nations’ Human Rights Council bodies: the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues; the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

These bodies will examine the circumstances of the brother’s detention and upon finding human rights violations in the case will request that China account for the whereabouts of Mehmet and Rozi Hemdul and to justify the reason for their detention and can call for their release.

Mr Polak states the following ‘ the Hemdul brothers were successful real estate developers who have had their business stripped by the Chinese authorities. They were involved in an international project, the building of a hospital in Ankara, Turkey as well as numerous developments within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Their arbitrary detention, having committed no criminal offence, demonstrates that nobody in the Uyghur community is safe from the Chinese Authorities. We call on the United Nations, and the international community, to demand their release so that they can return to their wives and families.’

Media requests for interviews with Michael Polak or members of the Hemdul family can be accommodated in any language requested and should be made by contacting Justice Abroad by email at contact@JusticeAbroad.co.uk or phone on +44 (0)203 488 2316.

On social media we will be using the hashtag #FreeHemdulBrothers. Justice Abroad can be found on Twitter here, Facebook here, and LinkedIn here.

Notes to Editors

Justice Abroad, www.justiceabroad.co.uk  has been set up to help those trying to find their way through foreign justice systems with all the associated hurdles that presents, to represent those facing gross breaches of their human rights no matter where this takes place, and to advise and assist the victims of crimes as to how to achieve justice.

To help such individuals or families with these dilemmas and many more, three experts, Michael Polak, a barrister with an international practice focussed on the assistance of foreign nationals in trouble around the world, David Swindle , a former Detective Superintendent who has worked on hundreds of murders and complex high profile investigations in the UK and abroad during his 34 years in the police, and David Walters MVO, a former British Diplomat with over thirty years’ experience having served in over a dozen countries around the world, have pooled their extensive experience and contacts together to provide a comprehensive service. In providing this service the team consider all legal, political, and investigatory steps which might assist their clients attain justice.

[1] https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Joint-Letter-to-UN-Secretary-General-Antonio-Guterres-regarding-Xinjiang-1.pdf