MOSCOW (AP) — A lawyer for a woman who fled China says the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan has refused to grant asylum to his client, who has spoken out against her work in Chinese internment camps for ethnic Muslims.
Abzal Quspan told The Associated Press on Friday that Kazakh officials rejected the asylum request by Sayragul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh Chinese national.
He said the ruling is not final and that he would be appealing.
Sauytbay had been put on trial by Kazakh authorities for illegally crossing into Kazakhstan and given a six-month suspended sentence.
The case highlights the delicate position that Kazakhstan finds itself. At a time when Kazakhstan has a growing reliance on Chinese investment, there is mounting pressure from the public to protect fellow Kazakhs in China's western regions.
