Samir Zubairi Confirms Arrival of "Dozens" of Uyghur Refugees in Canada

According to the Montreal Gazette, the first group of Uyghur refugees has recently arrived in Canada as part of a parliamentary plan to accept 10,000 Uyghur refugees. MP Samir Zubairi, who initiated the motion, confirmed their arrival over the past few weeks.

While Zubairi did not specify the exact number of refugees, he has met with some of them and shared a photo on social media with three arrivals, whose faces were obscured for protection. This resettlement effort stems from Canada's recognition of China's treatment of Uyghurs as "genocide," with human rights organizations reporting over a million Uyghurs detained in "re-education camps."

Zubairi expressed frustration with the slow implementation of the resettlement plan, which was approved in February 2023 with a commitment to accept 10,000 Uyghur refugees by the end of 2025 from third countries like Turkey. Until this recent group, only one Uyghur refugee had reportedly been resettled under the program.

The Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project warns that tens of thousands of Uyghur refugees in Central Asia and Turkey risk deportation to China. Zubairi called the refugees' arrival a "historic moment" and emphasized that this is "a humanitarian issue" rather than a partisan matter.