Ilham Tohti
In 2014, Uyghur academic Ilham Tohti received a life sentence after being convicted of “separatism” in 2014 for criticizing party policies in Xinjiang.
Prior to his arrest, Ilham was an Associate Professor of Economics at Minzu University of China (formerly Central Nationalities University). Ilham also ran a moderate Uyghur Online website to discuss social issues involving Uyghur-Han Chinese relations, in articles published in both Chinese and Uyghur. The Chinese government shut down the website several times prior to Ilham’s formal arrest in January 2014, citing the politically sensitive nature of its content.
Scrutiny of his work had intensified following deadly 2009 ethnic riots in Xinjiang’s capital and again after Beijing declared a “people’s war on terror” in 2014 after a spate of attacks linked to the region.
"Ilham is suspected of breaking the law," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing following Ilham’s arrest. "The public security organs have detained him in accordance with the law. The relevant departments will now deal with him in accordance with the law."
Following a two-day trial, Ilham was given a life sentence. The day after he was sentenced, he wrote from prison, “Even though I have departed, I still live in anticipation of the sun and the future. I am convinced that China will become better and that the constitutional rights of the Uyghur people will, one day, be honored.”
According to Tohti’s daughter, Jewher Ilham, his family doesn’t know which prison he is being kept in and have not been allowed to visit him since 2017.
Key Reading
Present-Day Ethnic Problems in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region: Overview and Recommendations by Ilham Tohti (2013)
This document is a translation of a subsequently-censored article written by Ilham Tohti in response to a 2011 request from high-level officials in the Chinese government. In it, the author examines nine areas of social, political, economic and religious life in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, analyzes the underlying causes of ethnic tensions there, and offers recommendations for reducing ethnic strife and protecting the basic rights of Xinjiang’s citizens.
My Ideals and the Career Path I Have Chosen by Ilham Tohti (2011)
This autobiographic essay by Ilham Tohti explains his personal ideas and his desire to devote himself to Xinjiang’s social, economic and cultural development and harmonious ethnic coexistence.
Ilham Tohti’s Statement after Receiving a Life Sentence for Allegedly “Separatist” Crimes by Ilham Tohti (2014)
The day after he was sentenced to life imprisonment, Ilham released this statement via his lawyer.
We Uyghurs Have No Say: An Imprisoned Writer Speaks by Ilham Tohti (2020)
Since being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014, nothing has been heard from Ilham Tohti. This book presents a collection of his own words on justice, the history of Xinjiang and the plight of China’s Muslim minorities.