An American woman whose mother has been imprisoned in China for eight years is asking President Donald Trump to request her release during his high-profile summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The case highlights the ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing over human rights and the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Chinese detention.
Doctor Vanished After Sister’s Activism
Dr. Gulshan Abbas disappeared from her home on September 10, 2018, just six days after her sister, Rushan Abbas, spoke publicly about the persecution of Uyghur people in China. Abbas was 56 years old and working as a retired doctor when Chinese authorities took her. Her daughter, Ziba Murat, told reporters that her mother was not political and had no activist background—she was simply a grandmother living her life. The timing of her disappearance suggests direct retaliation against her sister’s advocacy work.
Chinese officials did not confirm Abbas’s fate until December 2020, more than two years after she vanished. At a press conference, they announced she had been convicted of terrorism-related charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Murat describes these charges as completely fabricated, noting her mother had no involvement in any political or terrorist activities. The family spent those two years not knowing whether Abbas was alive or where she was being held.
House Speaker Joins the Fight
House Speaker Mike Johnson has taken up Abbas’s case as a priority, using his official position to advocate for her release. The Louisiana Republican invited Murat to attend the 2026 State of the Union address as his guest, giving the imprisoned doctor’s case national visibility. Despite this high-level attention, progress has been slow due to China’s secretive legal system and deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing over trade disputes and intellectual property theft.
Murat expressed hope that the Trump-Xi summit could break through diplomatic barriers. She said in an emotional interview that she believes Trump will care about her mother’s case once he learns the details and is doing everything possible to bring it to his attention during the bilateral meeting.
Grandmother Missing Childhood Memories
The human cost of Abbas’s imprisonment extends across three generations of her family. Murat’s daughter was only three months old when her grandmother disappeared and is now eight years old without ever meeting her. Recently, while reading a children’s encyclopedia about family trees, the young girl asked her mother where grandma was, having overheard conversations and seen pictures at her aunt’s house. Murat told her daughter that grandma is far away, but the child is beginning to understand the truth.
Twenty-four members of Abbas’s family are United States citizens. Murat described the painful experience of raising children without their grandmother present for birthdays, holidays, and everyday moments. Her sister gave birth just four weeks after their mother’s disappearance, meaning that grandchild has also never known Abbas. The family continues to hope that diplomatic pressure will finally bring their loved one home.