At the invitation of Chinese officials, U.S. human rights diplomat Lorne Craner is in the western region of Xinjiang this week for talks with Uighur religious and political leaders. The Uighurs are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, and some Uighur separatist groups having been fighting for independence from China for close to 20 years. Craner hopes to dispel criticism from several human rights groups that the U.S. is ignoring human rights abuses in Xinjiang in return for China’s support in its “war on terror”.
