‘I was tortured and the UK is betraying us’: Uyghur survivor speaks up

Sayragul Sauytbay

A survivor of China’s detention camps has launched a fierce attack on Keir Starmer, accusing his government of abandoning human rights in favour of closer ties with Beijing. The row centres on approval for a controversial Chinese “mega-embassy” in London — a decision now fuelling anger among activists and survivors.

For those who fled repression, the move is not diplomatic — it is personal.

From Camp Survivor to Global Accuser

Sayragul Sauytbay says she witnessed systematic torture inside China’s Xinjiang detention network. An ethnic Kazakh who fled in 2018, she describes beatings, electric shocks and sexual violence as routine — carried out beyond scrutiny in so-called “black rooms”.

Her testimony has helped shape international accusations of abuse against Xi Jinping’s government. Beijing denies wrongdoing, insisting the camps are vocational centres designed to counter extremism.

‘Britain Has Lost Its Voice’

Sauytbay’s criticism of the UK is blunt. She accuses Downing Street of “disrespecting human rights” and undermining its own claims to defend democracy by engaging more closely with China.

The government, however, has signalled a reset — with Starmer arguing for a “pragmatic” relationship with the world’s second-largest economy. The embassy approval, and a high-profile visit to Beijing, underline that shift.

The Human Cost Behind the Policy

Behind the diplomacy lies a harsher reality. Sauytbay recounts being detained, forced to teach in camps, and punished for minor human contact with detainees. One incident — comforting an elderly woman — ended in hours of torture.

Her account reflects broader claims that more than a million Uyghurs and other minorities have been held without trial. Rights groups say many were targeted for ordinary behaviour — religion, travel, identity.

Escape — But No Safety

After months in detention, Sauytbay fled to Kazakhstan, then on to Sweden. Even there, she says, the threat has not vanished.

She warns China’s global reach extends beyond its borders — using pressure and influence to silence critics abroad. For her, Britain’s warming ties signal something deeper: a shift that risks emboldening that reach.

A Test of Principle Under Pressure

The controversy lands at a critical moment for UK foreign policy. Economic engagement with China offers opportunity — but at reputational cost.

For survivors like Sauytbay, the calculation is stark. If democracies compromise on human rights, she argues, they weaken the very values they claim to defend — and leave victims with nowhere left to turn.

‘I was tortured in a Uyghur camp. A new Chinese embassy is a betrayal’