Celtics’ Enes Kanter blasts China’s human rights record, calling out leaders and athletes

Boston Celtics halfway Enes Kanter doubled down connected his denunciation of the Chinese authorities by posting a video drafting attraction to the quality rights abuses suffered by the Uyghur radical and different Muslim minorities, past extended his disapproval to Middle East leaders and existent and erstwhile Muslim athletes, including Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and erstwhile boxing champion Amir Khan, by equating their soundlessness to complicity.

Kanter, who earlier this week spoke retired connected what helium called “cultural genocide” successful Tibet and called China’s leader, Xi Jinping, a “brutal dictator”, shared different video connected Friday focusing connected Uyghurs successful the country’s Xinjiang region.

“Right present arsenic I talk this message, torture, rape, forced abortions, sterilizations, household separations, arbitrary detentions, attraction camps, governmental reeducation, forced labour … this is each happening close present to much than 1.8 cardinal Uyghurs successful the Xinjiang portion successful northwestern China,” said Kanter, who wore a ‘Freedom for Uyghur’ T-shirt arsenic helium spoke into the camera.

“The Chinese authorities has been taking sweeping measures to crackdown connected the Uyghur radical simply due to the fact that they clasp their ain religion, their ain culture, language, past and identity,” helium continued. “The Uyghur portion has go an open-air situation and surveillance authorities wherever freedoms are non-existent for the Uyghur people. The Chinese authorities has sent Uyghurs on with Kazaks, Tajiks and different Muslims groups to attraction camps for simply applying for a passport, for texting idiosyncratic overseas oregon for believing successful thing that does not align with the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda.”

Kanter went connected to azygous retired Pakistani premier curate Imram Khan, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, saying: “It’s shameful and bittersweet however you person decided to prioritize wealth and concern with China implicit quality rights. You telephone yourself Muslims, but you are conscionable utilizing that for show. You simply bash not attraction astir people.”

Additionally, Kanter called retired a fig existent and erstwhile salient Muslim sports people, including Salah, Khan and NBA fable Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“Why are you staying silent?” helium asked. “Say something. Do something. Speak up. Your soundlessness and your inaction is complicity.”

Kanter ended the three-minute video with a pointed code to Xi.

“Heartless dictator of China, Xi Jinping, and the Communist Party of China, I’m calling you retired close present successful beforehand of the full world. Close down the enslaved labour camps and escaped the Uyghur people. Stop the genocide now.”

On Thursday, the NBA’s Chinese broadcast partner, Tencent, erased each highlights and livestreams of Celtics games aft Kanter attacked authorities argumentation successful Tibet. That video prompted a rebuke from China’s overseas ministry which accused him of “clout-chasing”.

Kanter, who is Turkish, has been a semipermanent professional of his country’s authoritarian leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This week’s comments came aft Kanter met Tibetans astatine a assemblage halfway successful New York.

Previously, Kanter, who was selected with the No 3 wide prime successful the 2011 NBA draft, said helium was near disconnected Turkey’s nationalist squad for EuroBasket 2015 owed to his governmental beliefs, a assertion denied by nationalist squad coach, Ergin Ataman.