Detainee says China has secret prisons for Uyghurs in Dubai

China has secret prisons in the UAE, a former prisoner has claimed.

Chinese national Wu Huan said she and two Uyghur Muslims were held by China in Dubai. She was imprisoned for eight days in the secret prison.

If her claims are correct, this may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders, the Associated Press reported.

The 26-year-old was on the run to avoid extradition back to China because her fiancé was considered a Chinese dissident.

Wu told AP she was abducted from a hotel in Dubai and detained by Chinese officials at a villa converted into a jail, where she saw or heard two other prisoners, both Uyghurs.

READ: UAE, Saudi, Egypt deporting Uyghurs to China, report says

The woman added that she has been interrogated and forced to sign legal documents incriminating her fiancé for harassment and rape.

She was released on 6 June and is now seeking asylum in the Netherlands.

According to AP,  if Wu’s testimony is correct, this would reflect how China is increasingly using its international clout to detain or bring back citizens it wants from overseas, whether they are dissidents, corruption suspects, or ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs.