House Speaker Mike Johnson Invites Daughter of Uyghur Doctor Imprisoned by Chinese Communist Party to Trump’s State of the Union Address

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has invited Ziba Murat, daughter of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

In a statement, Johnson noted that in 2018, Dr. Gulshan Abbas was forcibly detained and arrested by the Chinese Communist Party in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region days after her family member spoke out about the CCP’s heinous treatment of Uyghur Muslims.

Murat and her aunt, activist Rushan Abbas, have maintained that Dr. Abbas has been imprisoned in retaliation for Rushan Abbas’ public criticism of China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, including reports of mass incarceration and forced labor in the Xinjiang region.

Johnson said: “As we continue to shine an international light upon China’s human rights abuses and call for the release of all those unjustly detained, it is my honor to invite Dr. Abbas’ daughter — Ziba Murat — as my guest at President Trump’s State of the Union address.”

The case has drawn attention from congressional Republicans, including members of the House Select Committee on China.

In October, House Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Michigan, along with Senator Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Representative Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, leaders of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, urged President Trump to personally raise Dr. Abbas’ case during his next meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

President Trump last met with Xi in October in South Korea, where trade was a central focus of discussions. Trump is expected to visit China from March 31 to April 2 for further talks with Xi.

The modern tradition of presidents highlighting special guests during the State of the Union began in 1982 under President Ronald Reagan and has become a bipartisan platform for political messaging.