All Reading
This section contains a curated list of useful articles, investigations, books and other reading materials. The list is updated on a weekly basis and suggestions for additions are welcome.
Starting Points:
Uyghur scholar’s prison guard gets 7 years for revealing ‘secrets’
The Uyghur prison guard was sentenced to seven years in jail for divulging information about the condition of prominent Uyghur political prisoner Ilham Tohti.
World leaders must act to end decade of injustice for jailed Uyghur academic
The international community must take concrete steps to help secure the release of Ilham Tohti, Amnesty said ahead of the 10-year-anniversary of his conviction on baseless charges of “separatism”.
Urgent Appeal for the Immediate Release of Ilham Tohti
Ilham Tohti, a renowned Uyghur intellectual, has spent a decade unjustly imprisoned for his peaceful advocacy. His calls for understanding and dialogue between Uyghurs and Han Chinese were met with a life sentence on baseless charges of “separatism”.
China is borrowing Nazi’s ‘genocide tourism’ practices in Xinjiang: scholar
Beijing wants visitors to believe the Uyghurs are thriving – and control what they see, a Swedish expert writes.
Uyghur entrepreneur serving 18 years for charitable contributions
Elijan Ismail was sentenced for “inciting separatism” because the recipients of his donations included families of political prisoners.
Uyghur Race as the Enemy: China’s Legalized Authoritarian Oppression & Mass Imprisonment
This report explores how China’s systematic, large-scale imprisonment of Uyghurs not only amounts to a crime against humanity, but also dangerous lawfare at mass scale.
Uyghurs sentenced to cumulative 4.4 million years in prison: study
China’s repression could lead to a ‘total ethnic incapacitation for the Uyghur people,’ author says.
7 brothers from prominent Uyghur family confirmed jailed in Xinjiang
China arrested them on flimsy charges during mass incarcerations that started in 2017.
Former Uyghur official confirmed serving jail sentence for ‘two-faced’ actions
Having appealed to Chinese soldiers not to shoot two Uyghur officials during a violent incident in Xinjiang a decade ago, Ahat Sayit was arrested in 2017 and later sentenced to 20 years.
Uyghur woman re-sentenced for teaching youth the Quran
Heyrinisa Memet had been previously sentenced during a crackdown in 2014. Within days of her release, she was sentenced again on June 11 for activities which took place back in 2014.
Uyghur Stories: How Yalkun Uluyol Lost His Father—and Thirty Family Members
In the absence of police reports or court hearings, he only discovered his father’s fate - 16 years in jail - after two years of searching.
Learning From the Deportation and Imprisonment of Uyghur Imam
Eighteen years ago, Canadian citizen, imam, and Uyghur human rights activist Huseyin Celil was deported from Uzbekistan to China, where he received a life sentence for his support of Uyghur rights.
Uyghur publisher jailed for books on Uyghur independence, identity
Believed detained for publishing books about Uyghur cultural identity, Erkin Emet was sentenced to prison in 2018; his whereabouts and the length of his sentence is unknown.
Uyghur migrants see no release after a decade in Bangkok cells
After fleeing China’s persecution and entering Thailand 10 years ago, more than 40 Uyghurs remain incarcerated indefinitely in overcrowded detention centers for illegal entry.
Uyghur imam, 96, dies in prison
Sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017, the religious leader died in prison, and authorities did not turn his body over to his family, his granddaughter told Radio Free Asia.
‘He disappeared for a year’: The survivors of China’s prison camps in Xinjiang – in pictures
In this photo gallery, some of those freed from re-education camps in Xinjiang - Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other minorities - talk about trying to rebuild their lives in neighbouring Kazakhstan.
Jailed Uyghur academic Ilham Tohti nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Citing his role as “the true symbol of the Uyghur people's fight for freedom” under Chinese rule in Xinjiang, more than 180 high-level officials and experts have nominated Ilham Tohti to receive the prize.
Answers for imprisoned Uyghur case revealed after three months
After his niece Nefise Oghuz posted videos calling on China to release him, she eventually received several different answers for why he was in prison and the duration of his sentence.
Uyghur educator, poet confirmed to have died in prison in Xinjiang
The body of a Uyghur educator, researcher and poet who died in prison in Xinjiang in late August was taken by authorities directly to a cemetery for burial instead of first being returned to his family.
Uyghur filmmaker tells court he was tortured into confession
The trial comes amid the ongoing arrest and jailing by Chinese authorities of Uyghurs who have studied or traveled abroad, and who have been accused of engaging in terrorist or separatist activities.