Uyghur rights leader targeted in AI deepfake smear campaign, CFU warns

Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) on September 22, 2025 condemned what it describes as a malicious disinformation campaign targeting its founder and executive director, Rushan Abbas. The organization says the smear effort, which relies on AI-generated deepfake content and fabricated claims, aims to discredit Abbas’s advocacy exposing China’s ongoing genocide against the Uyghur people.

According to CFU, the defamatory material has circulated across multiple digital platforms in recent weeks. The group argues that the attacks are part of a broader campaign of transnational repression against Uyghurs in exile, consistent with Beijing’s long-running efforts to silence Uyghur activists.

“For years, Rushan Abbas has been a target of harassment, intimidation, and propaganda,” CFU said in its statement. “Now, with AI tools being weaponized to generate defamatory deepfake content, the tactics are evolving, but the goal remains the same: to weaken international solidarity and undermine the Uyghur cause.”

Abbas herself linked the smear attempts directly to her public work. “These false allegations are a direct result of the impact my advocacy has had in exposing the CCP’s genocidal crimes against the Uyghurs,” she said. “The use of AI deepfakes shows the desperation of those who want to distort reality and erase our suffering. I take such attacks as a badge of honor. No amount of defamation will deter me from speaking the truth.”

The organization also pointed to a recent escalation in targeting efforts. Since the release of Abbas’s memoir, Unbroken: One Uyghur’s Fight for Freedom, she has faced a series of coordinated attempts to undermine her testimony. CFU previously uncovered two fabricated books impersonating her memoir, while Abbas has also reported attempted phone intrusions traced to Hong Kong and China.

CFU urged governments, journalists, and digital platforms to recognize and counter the spread of AI-generated disinformation. “As AI tools are increasingly misused to generate false evidence, safeguards against deepfake propaganda must be strengthened,” the group said.

The organization reaffirmed its commitment to defending Uyghur rights and called on allies worldwide to stand in solidarity against what it called “malicious efforts to obscure the truth.”