Daughter Appeals to Trump for Mother's Release from Chinese Prison After Eight Years

An American woman is placing her hopes in President Donald Trump to secure the release of her mother, who has been imprisoned in China for eight years on what the family maintains are fabricated terrorism charges.

Ziba Murat’s mother, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, disappeared from her home on September 10, 2018, at the age of 56. The retired physician’s vanishing came just six days after her sister, Rushan Abbas, spoke publicly about the treatment of Uyghur people in China. The family would spend nearly two years searching for answers about her whereabouts.

In December 2020, Chinese government officials confirmed during a press conference that Dr. Abbas had been convicted of taking part in organized terrorism, aiding terrorist activities, and seriously disrupting social order. She received a sentence of 20 years in prison.

“We are doing everything we can to bring this in front of President Trump, and I know that if he knows about this case, he will care about this case,” Murat said in an interview this week, as the President prepared for a high-profile summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “I hope we are pulling the right levers and President Trump can bring her home.”

The timing of Dr. Abbas’ disappearance has led the family to conclude that her detention represents retaliation for her sister’s activism. Rushan Abbas leads Campaign for Uyghurs, a nonprofit advocacy organization working on behalf of the Muslim minority population in China, which has faced severe oppression under the Chinese Communist Party.

“Her disappearance came six days after her sister, my aunt Rushan Abbas, spoke about what’s happening to the Uyghur people back home, and then the Chinese government picked her up six days after,” Murat explained. “We didn’t see it coming, honestly, because she is a retired doctor. She’s not a political person. She’s not an activist. She’s just a grandma.”

The case has gained attention at the highest levels of American government. House Speaker Mike Johnson has advocated publicly for Dr. Abbas’ release, and Murat attended the 2024 State of the Union address as his guest, bringing additional visibility to her mother’s plight.

Yet progress remains elusive. The secretive nature of the Chinese government, combined with ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade disputes and intellectual property theft, has complicated efforts to secure Dr. Abbas’ freedom.

Murat now hopes that the bilateral summit between President Trump and President Xi will create an opening for her mother’s case to receive the attention it requires at the presidential level. The daughter believes that if the President becomes familiar with the details of her mother’s imprisonment, he will intervene on the family’s behalf.

The case of Dr. Gulshan Abbas represents one among many concerning the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China, where reports of systematic oppression have drawn international condemnation. For Murat, however, the statistics and policy discussions come down to one fundamental reality: a retired doctor and grandmother who has been separated from her family for eight years on charges the family categorically denies.

As the summit proceedings continue, one American family waits to learn whether diplomatic engagement will finally bring their loved one home.