Release 20 Years of Silence: Canada Urged to Act on Detained Citizen Huseyin Celil

Ottawa, Canada

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the enforced disappearance and continued imprisonment of Canadian citizen Huseyin Celil by the People’s Republic of China.

The Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project is calling on the Government of Canada to take urgent and meaningful action. For two decades, Mr. Celil has been held without a single phone call, consular access, and proof of life.

His Canadian wife and children have endured twenty years of silence and have been deprived of the most basic human connection. “This is not a complex diplomatic issue—it is a human one,” said Mehmet Tohti, Executive Director of URAP.

“After twenty years, the denial of even a simple phone call between a father and his children is indefensible.”

Huseyin Celil, a Uyghur Canadian citizen recognized by Canada since November 15, 2005, was forcibly disappeared in 2006. He was later sentenced in China following a process widely criticized for lacking transparency and due process.

China continues to refuse to recognize his Canadian citizenship, thereby denying him consular access in clear violation of international norms, including the principles underpinning the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

URAP emphasizes that this case is not isolated but emblematic of a broader pattern of repression targeting Uyghurs, which has been recognized by multiple governments and international bodies as constituting crimes against humanity and, in some assessments, genocide.

Despite repeated commitments by successive Canadian governments, no meaningful progress has been made in securing access to Mr. Celil or even confirming his well-being.

URAP is calling on the Government of Canada to:

• Secure immediate proof of life for Huseyin Celil.

• Demand consular access in line with international obligations.

• Facilitate a direct phone call between Mr. Celil and his family.

• Elevate the case as a priority in all bilateral engagements with China.

In addition, URAP urges the Prime Minister to take a symbolic but powerful step: invite Mr. Celil’s children to meet in his office and publicly call on Chinese authorities to allow a humanitarian phone call. Such a gesture would reaffirm Canada’s commitment to its citizens and human dignity. “No Canadian family should endure this level of isolation and abandonment,” added Tohti. “This is about compassion, accountability, and the fundamental responsibility of a government to protect its citizens.”

As Canada continues its diplomatic engagement with China, URAP stresses that human rights must remain central—not secondary—to bilateral relations.

“After twenty years, even the smallest act—one phone call—can mean everything.”

Media Contact:

Mehmet Tohti

613-261-2089

secure@urap.ca