Pompeo expresses support for Arsenal player in criticism of China's treatment of Uyghurs

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday came out in support of Arsenal player Mesut Ozil for his criticism of China’s treatment of ethnic Uyghur Muslims, saying Beijing can censor the team’s football games but cannot hide rights violations, reports Reuters.

The Arsenal midfielder, a German Muslim of Turkish origin, last week in social media posts called Uyghurs “warriors who resist persecution” and criticised both China’s crackdown and the silence of Muslims in response.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV on Sunday removed Arsenal’s Premier League game against Manchester City from its broadcast schedule.

Pompeo tweeted:

China’s Communist Party propaganda outlets can censor Mesut Ozil and Arsenal’s game all season long, but the truth will prevail. The CCP can’t hide its gross #humanrights violations perpetrated against Uyghurs and other religious faiths from the world.

The United Nations and human rights groups estimate that between 1 million and 2 million people, mostly ethnic Uyghur Muslims, have been detained in harsh conditions in Xinjiang as part of what Beijing calls an antiterrorism campaign.

China has repeatedly denied any mistreatment of Uyghurs.

On Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry said Ozil “had been completely deceived by fake news and false statements.”

READ: China ‘promotes repentance’ in Uyghur prison camps, leaked reports show

Washington has been ratcheting up its criticism of Beijing over Uyghurs simultaneously as it has continued its trade deal negotiations. US President Donald Trump in November signed into law congressional legislation backing protesters in Hong Kong despite angry objections from China.

Earlier this month, the US House of Representatives passed legislation requiring a stronger response to Beijing’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim minority.

What started as demonstrations against a now-withdrawn bill allowing extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China has morphed into calls for greater democratic freedoms and nearly six months of sometimes violent protests in Hong Kong. Beijing has condemned the unrest and blamed foreign interference.

Arsenal on Saturday tried to distance itself from Ozil’s comments after he posted messages on Twitter and Instagram. “The content he expressed is entirely Ozil’s personal opinion,” the official account of Arsenal said in a post on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform.

The controversy is the latest between the sports industry and China. In October, an executive from the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets, expressed support for the pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong, angering Beijing and suddenly putting on shaky ground the NBA’s estimated $4 billion market in China.

READ: China tells Turkey to support its fight against Uyghur militants