To whom it may concern,
What follows is public testimony data exported from the Xinjiang Victims Database (shahit.biz) on Sat, 02 Oct 2021 00:50:34 +0000.
A total of 594 victims with the following criteria is considered:
List: From prolonged detention to prison The vast majority of testimonies presented come with supplementary materials - video, audio, pictures, and documents - the links to which are included here and which also may be consulted by accessing the testimonies via the original interface at www.shahit.biz.
In compiling this information, all efforts have been made to faithfully and accurately convey that which has been put forth by the testifier. In many cases, the information was imported from public sources. In others, it was submitted to us directly by the testifier.
Despite our best efforts and most professional intentions, it is inevitable that some human error is nevertheless present. Many testimonies were inputted by non-native English speakers and still require proofreading. Finally, the majority of these testimonies have not gone through rigorous corroboration and as such should not be treated as fact. We hereby leave the way in which this data will be used to the reader's discretion.
Sincerely,
the shahit.biz team 2. Perhat Tursun (帕尔哈提·吐尔逊)
Chinese ID: 653001196901????O? (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): nationalism, patriotism|--- Health status: --- Profession: art & literature
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|4|7: Darren Byler, an anthropologist at the University of Colorado. (friend)
Testimony 2|6: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3: Tahir Hamut, an Uyghur poet and filmmaker, now residing in the United States. (friend)
Testimony 5: Radio Free Asia Uyghur, the Uyghur-language service of Radio Free Asia.
Testimony 8: Joshua Freeman, a historian of China and Inner Asia, as well as a translator of Uyghur poetry. (friend)
Testimony 9: Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, an investigative journalist covering China. (acquaintance)
About the victim
Perhat Tursun is a leading Uyghur fiction writer, poet, and cultural critic. His writing focuses on urban alienation, Uyghur traditions, and problems of human existence.
At age 24, he wrote the "Art of Suicide", a controversial novel that was included in the list of the hundred best works of Uyghur culture, something the author himself was unhappy about (as most of the other works in the list were "propaganda bullshit"). His wife reportedly left him following the controversy, and he would have difficulty getting published for some time. Despite the criticisms of his book, however, Perhat has stated that he does identify as Muslim, but that his belief came "from a sort of philosophical universalism rather than a pure acceptance of creed".
He received his PhD degree from China's Minzu University in 2011, in the field of Chaghatay language and Uyghur folklore.
Victim's location
He had been living in Urumqi before. However, the current location is unknown, especially as he is reported to have been sentenced.
When victim was detained
Detained on January 30, 2018. News that he had been sentenced were received in early October 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to Abduweli Ayup, he was targeted for being one of the scholars to have signed Memtimin Elyar's 2005 petition for the protection of Uyghur-language education.
Victim's status
Sentenced to prison.
It's been said that he's been sentenced to 16 years, but this has yet to be verified.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
News of his detention first circulated via social media - Tahir Hamut, one of Perhat's closest friends, learned from a mutual acquaintance that Perhat had been "hospitalized". This was later confirmed during visits by international researchers in Urumqi.
The reason for his arrest as given by Abduweli Ayup is speculative.
Additional information
Foreign Policy feature: https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/01/china-xinjiang-islam-salman-rushdie-uighur/
This victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Mentioned in Abduweli Ayup's op-ed for PEN/Opp: https://www.penopp.org/articles/abduweli-ayup?language_content_entity=en
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/erkin-tiniqlar/perhat-tursun-01312020235722.html
Featured in SupChina: https://supchina.com/2020/02/05/disappearance-of-perhat-tursun-uyghur-worlds-greatest-author/
Mentioned in the New York Review of Books: https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2020/08/13/uighur-poets-on-repression-and-exile/
Some Mandarin translations of his poems: http://archive.is/RMdpA
One of his novels in English: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-backstreets/9780231202916
An article by Zhang Qinghua, a literature professor in Beijing, that mentions Perhat and his poetry: http://archive.is/by09F
More of his poetry in Chinese: https://www.chinesepen.org/blog/archives/138083 https://www.chinesepen.org/blog/archives/137594 https://www.chinesepen.org/blog/archives/137723
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl-XjaQOYLs Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/HamutTahir/status/1095358483166314497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/2_1.jpg article about victim's poetry: https://shahit.biz/supp/2_4.pdf photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/2_5.jpg
Entry created: 2018-09-21 Last updated: 2021-04-17 Latest status update: 2020-02-05 16. Nurbolat Oraz (努尔博拉提·吾拉孜)
Chinese ID: 654126196105011031 (Mongghulkure)
Basic info
Age: 59 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: has problems Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Nazigul Tursynbai, born in 1981, immigrated to Kazakhstan from China in 2007. (relative)
Testimony 2: Baqtiyar Sabetbai, born in 1986, is originally from Mongolkure County but has been a citizen of Kazakhstan since 2018. (nephew)
Testimony 3|4: Razia Nurbolat, born in 1989, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (daughter)
Testimony 5: Lazzat Belqozha, presumably a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6: Dilbar Nurbolat, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (daughter)
Testimony 7: Bekinur Naqysbek, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Nurbolat Oraz was a state-approved imam of a mosque in Aqdala Township's Taltysai Village. He had worked as an imam in Adqala for 18 years.
Address: Taltysai No. 1 Village, Aqdala Municipality, Mongolkure County, Xinjiang (新疆昭苏县阿克达拉乡塔勒赛一村).
Chinese passport number: G-48710743.
Victim's location
"Zekti Prison" in Kunes County. [This is presumably the new Kunes Prison, which is just south of Zekti. Zekti Municipality itself does not appear to have any detention facilities.]
When victim was detained
Nurbolat was detained on August 9, 2017. He was later released on September 1, 2017 and then arrested again in November 2017 and allegedly taken to a camp. It was later heard, though not confirmed, that he had been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the victim's daughter, Razia, he was detained for sending his daughters to Kazakhstan.
The victim's nephew, Baqtiyar, has stated that his detention was due to his being an imam.
Victim's status
Rumored to have been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
He has health issues, having recently had a pulmonary segmentectomy. He has difficulty breathing.
[There is a high likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor at the prison, as this has been documented at Kunes Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
This victim is included in a list of Mongolkure victims provided to Qazaq Uni (https://qazaquni.kz/2018/09/28/90575.html), and also available at: https://shahit.biz/supp/list_005.pdf
A person with the victim's name was an investor in a sunflower oil manufacturing company, but it is unclear if the investor is the victim: https://archive.vn/vpsMh
A person with this name is also listed as an investor in a beet cooperative: http://archive.is/B2z7s [given that this is in the same village as the victim's residence, it is most likely that this is the victim]
Victims among relatives
Bagnur Sabetbai (14), Nurbaqyt Auqadi (15), Bubinur Shaken (13)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ENXPp3OQoM Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgXweRMmZA4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozS6KWZtv1o Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE_0PxEmwsA Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikY4jf4NdoQ Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdROL93vokM photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/16_1.png household registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/16_7.png
Entry created: 2018-09-27 Last updated: 2020-08-24 Latest status update: 2020-05-11 39. Sadir Eli (沙地克·艾力)
Chinese ID: 653021197109010219 (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tumshuq Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Mehmut Enwer, originally came to Australia as a refugee in 2005, now an Australian citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 2|4: Adile Sadir, now living in Boston, where she is the owner of an Uyghur restaurant. She obtained a bachelor's degree from UMass Boston. (daughter)
Testimony 3|7|8: Mariye Muhemmed, originally from Atush but now residing in Boston, where she helps operate an Uyghur restaurant. (wife)
Testimony 5: Adile Sadir, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (daughter)
Testimony 6: Adile Sadir, as reported by WGBH. (daughter)
Testimony 9: Sheyide Eli, originally from Kashgar, but now residing in the United States. (niece-in-law)
Testimony 10: Kewser Wayit, a resident of the United States. He is originally from Atush. (acquaintance)
About the victim
Sadir Eli is originally from Atush. After obtaining a higher education, he would work at the Atush People's Bank, before going into private business. His official Chinese ID reports his name as "Sadiq", but this - according to his daughter - is a bureaucratic mistake.
Address: Apt. 403, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 16, 181 Tuanjie Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区团结路181号16号楼2单元403号).
Victim's location
Third Division Tumshuq Prison.
When victim was detained While there is slightly conflicting info in the different testimonies, there seems to be a rough consensus that he was detained in June 2018. His daughter adds that he called her a day before the arrest to give her the number of a person to contact in case something happened to him. They later learned that he was transferred to prison in September 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to his daughter, the reason given for transferring him to prison was that he fasted during Ramadan 2018.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 20 years. The last time his relatives are known to have visited him was in December 2018.
[It is likely that the victim has been subjected to forced labor at the Tumshuq Prison, as the existence of "labor-skills workshops" has been documented at the facility.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Through relatives in the region. Mehmut Enwer adds that he heard about the detention of his relatives from relatives in Kazakhstan.
Additional information
Coverage by Boston's WGBH: https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2019/05/23/local-uyghur-restaurant-owner-speaks-out-i-should-fi ght-for-my-father
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/lager-guwahliq-03282019165430.html
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR016
Sadir Eli's trade company (registered in Atush City): http://archive.is/cXWEu
Victims among relatives
Osmanjan Eli (37), Enwerjan Eli (38), Sabitjan Mantimin (36), Ghapparjan Memeteli (34), Bilal Ghapparjan (35), Reshide Memet (44), Asiye Memet (3021), Ismayil Memet (42), Hajimuhemmed Musa (40), Hanzohre Musa (43), Sarigul Rozi (3052), Ibrahim Mamut (3019), Rozi Himit (3051), Elijan Mamut (23), Mehrigul Abla (3046), Abdugheni Abla (3047), Abdusemi Abla (3048), Mahmut Edat (3049), Abdukerim Edat (3050), Burhan Memet (3004), Memet Burhan (3018), Ibrahimjan Muhemmet (41), Mamut Abidin (3022), Hesen Mamut (3023), Husen Mamut (3024), Yusupjan Abidin (4971), Abidin Ayup (4973), Aygul Eli (8974), Abdukerim Abla (9152), Kerim Osmanjan (3002), Ibrahimjan Niyaz (3003), Ayshem Abliz (3020), Abduweli Mijit (14393)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9R82X-gEXE Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZpLe1oPud0 Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3FVs6lQ0nA Testimony 1: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/matt.anwar.94/posts/1652 15541056462&width=300 Testimony 2: https://web.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://web.facebook.com/adila.sadir/posts/216886772 9847618&width=500 Testimony 9: https://twitter.com/sydaaaAli/status/1302676766339862528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 10: https://twitter.com/KewserWayit/status/1350956733401870339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/39_1.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/39_5.jpg company info (Mandarin): https://shahit.biz/supp/39_6.png daughter shows victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/39_7.jpg
Entry created: 2018-10-08 Last updated: 2020-08-31 Latest status update: 2021-01-07 53. Ertai Sultanbek
Chinese ID: 654122196711141017 (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): nationalism, patriotism|--- Health status: --- Profession: art & literature
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Testimony 1+2+13+14: Victim's sister Nurgul Sultanbekqyzy, born on May 8, 1970, married with four children; lives in Shonzhy county. ID: 037958347. Victim's older brother Zhenisbek Sultanbekuly, born on January 10, 1964, Kazakhstan ID: 026262567. Has a son and a daughter; lives in Shelek village of Almaty Region. They moved to Kazakhstan from China in 2005 and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2007.
Testimony 10: Gulmahan Koksubai, born on November 17, 1982; ID number is 033276429
Testimony 11: Anarhan Izbasar, born on February 20, 1976.
Testimony 12: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, ID number is 037200317.
Victim's relation to testifier
Testimony 1+2+13+14: brother
Testimony 10: unclear
Testimony 11: unclear
Testimony 12: unclear
About the victim
Ertai Sultanbekuly is a Chinese citizen, has two children. He taught Kazakh language and literature at a school in China. He is a poet as well. He published a book in 2001 called "I'm with you". He is an amateur composer and he writes lyrics for songs. He wrote a poem "The monologue of Uncle Nur" about Nursultan Nazarbaev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which was published in "Egemen (Sovereign) Kazakhstan" newspaper on August 30, 2007. March 29, 2008, issue of Yili newspaper releases an article about this in Chinese language and praises him of getting a Thank you letter from President Nazarbaev. He is very kind and helpful person and has earned the respect of the people around him let alone his relatives.
Address: 67 Division(tuan), Shapshal (Chabuchaer) County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Testimony 2: he lived in Jirenbulaq Township in Chapchal County.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Presumably May 25, 2018 as he has been out of touch since.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
His poem devoted to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Thank you letter from the President might be the reason.
Victim's status
Update: He has allegedly been sentenced to 8 years.
Testimony 14: sentenced to 12 years
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
He sent a message to one of his relatives in Almaty via WhatsApp wondering if receiving a Thank you letter from the president Nazarbaev was his fault. The message was addressed to Duken Masimhan, a Kazakh scholar moved to Kazakhstan from China - "Two countries are in a good relationship, isn't it? If it is possible I would like the message to be sent to Mr. Nazarbaev" it ends.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1 (1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW_6I2P303s Testimony 1 (2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mdb-mGM964 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtVeKyivJyg video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKxUNCGy-xw video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcW_VULUiYQ video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 11+12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlsuS_GBGcY Testimony 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBScbWDg6Ok
Entry created: 2018-10-10 Last updated: 2020-10-05 Latest status update: 2019-01-14 86. Nabigaly Asqarbek (那比哈力·阿斯克别克)
Chinese ID: 654125197310242611 (Kunes)
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Zaidyn Orazaqyn, born in 1979, is a resident of Kazakhstan, having migrated over in 2017. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 2: Rahymgeldi Zhanatali, born in 1988, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 3|4: Tursynbek Sauletbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 5|7: Zhadyra Askerbek, born in 1987, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
Testimony 6: Azatbek Muqai, born in 1964, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (friend)
Testimony 8*: Serikzhan Bilash, as reported by Gene A. Bunin.
Testimony 9: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (relative)
About the victim
Nabigaly Askerbekuly was Imam of the Narat Central mosque. He was the member of the county level standing committees of the people's congress. He had been working as an imam since 1998. He was one of the three imams approved by the authorities to teach religion to the youth.
He was a respected religious figure from that region and used to attend high-level official meetings. He has many photos where he shakes hands with Chen Quanguo, the Communist Party secretary of the XUAR.
Born in 1973. Chinese passport: G32384773.
RFA (Testimony 9): In 2015, he was commended as a "Model Religious Person" by Xi Jinping. According to a source in Kazakhstan, the local government fabricated a video that shows Nabiqaly living peacefully at his home, even though he is still detained.
Address: Narat Township, Kunes (Xinyuan) County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China [a news article from 2018, https://archive.vn/D3acW, says that he was the imam of the mosque in Narat Village, specifically]
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: He was detained twice. Firs time in September 2017, was released in December and detained again in March 2018.
Testimony 2: He came to Kazakhstan on March 24, 2017 to attend his brother's funeral and he was put into a camp on April 17, 2017. He was released after being detained for 20 days and was under house arrest till March 2018 when he was sent to a camp again. That day the police came to his home and beat him and took him to the camp forcefully.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: Unclear, some say because of the religious content on his phone.
Testimony 2: Accused of visiting Kazakhstan and reading Quran while he was in Kazakhstan. He had also met the high officials to say they went too far when the central mosque in Narat was destroyed and replaced with an entertainment venue.
Victim's status earlier: He was allegedly released from the camp in October 2018 but the relatives could not contact him personally to prove the news.
[G. A. Bunin (Testimony 8): Serikzhan Bilash told me in January 2019 that he has not been released.]
Testimony 7: He was released from the camp in December 2018 and then was no news from him until March 2019. In March, his wife contacted his relatives in Kazakhstan and informed them that he was given 3 years in prison and asked them to stop appealing. He weighed 90 kilos until his detention and now is allegedly become very thin.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
From relatives in the region [this is either mentioned explicitly in most testimonies or may be assumed]
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 9): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-09092019064214.html
2009 Interview with Nabyqaly about his husbandry business: https://archive.vn/UTZEL Mentioned as a "Model Religious Person": http://www.xjmzw.gov.cn/news/ywjs/5110.htm [no longer online] His name is listed among those in Ili who are banned from driving a vehicle: https://archive.vn/XJfCu
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDGnvuYZtck Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEPAKb5N_qc Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb1PhZVo5sw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vROY0sRI78w Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xpDPgS4l3M Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFQMMtkoZhc Testimony 7: https://web.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://web.facebook.com/100012011741023/videos/ 620306575046395/&show_text=1&width=300
Entry created: 2018-10-14 Last updated: 2020-12-30 Latest status update: 2019-12-23 124. Ergali Ermek (叶尔哈力·叶尔买克)
Chinese ID: 654123198810052779 (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: outside China Status: free When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|phone/computer, related to religion, related to going abroad Health status: has problems Profession: religion
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|3|4: Nurgul Muratbek, born in 1976, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (wife)
Testimony 2: Ergali Ermek, a former imam from Korgas, is a survivor of the mass incarcerations in Xinjiang, having spent over a year in detention before being released and allowed to reunite with family in Kazakhstan. (the victim)
Testimony 5: Ergali Ermek, as reported by Taiwan Reporter. (the victim)
Testimony 6*: Ergali Ermek, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (the victim)
Testimony 7: Ergali Ermek, as reported by Radio Azattyq. (the victim)
Testimony 8: Ergali Ermek, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (the victim)
About the victim
Ergali Ermek used to work as an imam at a mosque in Korgas County prior to moving to Kazakhstan in 2012.
Former address in China: 91 Beizhangou Road, Sarbulaq Municipality, Korgas County, Xinjiang (新疆霍城县萨尔布拉克镇备战沟路91号).
Chinese passport: E03048338. Kazakhstan residence permit: 036935288.
Victim's location
In Kazakhstan.
When victim was detained
He went to China on November 9, 2017 and was interrogated for a week in his home town of Sarbulak in Qorgas County. A week later, he was transferred to the Yining City prison and was put into a camp on November 23, 2017.
On April 5, 2018, he was taken to a court hearing and given a prison term of 3 years, with the verdict officially stamped. However, on December 21, 2018, inspectors came and told the detainees that those who had direct relatives in Kazakhstan could leave. Ergali was released on December 24, 2018, and would make it to his home in Kazakhstan on January 20, 2019.
Overall, Ergali says that he stayed in two different camps, one with 1000 inmates and another with 2000. According to a Radio Free Asia report, the camp he stayed at in Korghas had originally been a mosque.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Four "crimes" were given to the victim as he was sentenced: (1) being a pious Muslim, (2) having WhatsApp on his phone, (3) having gone to Kazakhstan, (4) having a wife who wore a hijab.
The NPR report also mentions his having listened to news about mosque destruction in Xinjiang as a reason.
Victim's status
Now back in Kazakhstan. He is struggling with some health issues that are believed to be the result of his detention.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Nurgul mentions that Ergali called her twice from camp using the landline number +869913231002. Ergali's report is an eyewitness testimony.
Additional information
Coverage by the Taiwan Reporter: https://www.twreporter.org/a/xinjiang-re-education-camps-truth (This article talks about him as a citizen of Kazakhstan and also has Ergali reporting that he had to pay 2800 yuan for his studies in camp and an additional 250 for serum injections. He also says that he was tortured in a tiger chair.)
Prior to finally releasing him to what would be 26 days of house arrest, the officials allegedly asked Ergali three questions: 1. Do you want to live in Kazakhstan or in China? 2. Do you want to work in a factory? 3. Do you want to reunite with your family in Kazakhstan?
During his time in detention, his father wrote appeals to the authorities demanding his son's release, but would himself get detained for 6 months.
Coverage by Azattyq: https://rus.azattyq.org/a/kazakhstan-medical-assistance-former-prisoners-from-xinjiang/30180666.html
Coverage by Radio Free Asia's Mandarin service: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-09262019084115.html
NPR coverage: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Eyewitness account
[The victim’s first-person account has previously appeared in the Russian Reporter, as reported by Konstantin Salomatin and Shura Burtin. It has been translated and adapted here. Note that this account has now been through three translations/translators (Kazakh to English for the original interview, English to Russian for the original report, and now Russian to English for the presentation here), and as such may include inaccuracies.]
I was a shuttle trader, buying things in China and selling them at the markets here. In November 2017, I went to Khorgas, as usual, and was immediately arrested at the border. For visiting Kazakhstan – one of the countries that Xinjiang residents are forbidden from going to. This despite my already having lived in Kazakhstan for a while. They spent the entire night interrogating me. I was hit with a metal rod. They found a whole bunch of forbidden stuff in my phone – WhatsApp, a photo of my wife wearing a hijab, my having been to the Radio Azattyq [Radio Free Europe] website. As it turned out, any one of these was enough to get you jailed in China.
For two weeks, I was kept in shackles. It didn’t matter what we did – sleep, go somewhere, sit – we were always in shackles, all week long. If you did something wrong, they would shorten the chains. But I was still lucky, relatively speaking – there was a guy there who had been in shackles for a year already.
Twice a day they’d put a black bag over my head and take me to be interrogated. “What do you do? Why’d you come here?” They’d feed us once a day – a steamed bread bun and a bottle of water. All I’d wish for then was one more steamed bun. They starved us so that we’d hurry up and confess to something.
After those two weeks, we were sent to a camp. Before the transfer, they gave me an injection in my right shoulder – a vaccination, supposedly. It still hurts today.
There were ten thousand people at our camp, and there were three such camps in just the Khorgas region alone. The camp was broken up into four areas, and I was in the strictest – intended for the religious, where they kept the so-called “religious extremists”. Many had been given ten-year sentences, some even thirty. They [the authorities] didn’t know that I used to be an imam before. Had they, they would have never let me go, and would have just left me to rot in prison.
The cells were about ten meters long and very narrow. There were 18 people in each cell, with two people forced to share each bed. You’d sleep for two hours, then have two hours to “be on duty”, which you’d spend sitting before being allowed to lie down again. The days we’d spend sitting on plastic chairs for 12-14 hours. You weren’t allowed to budge – only with the supervisor’s permission. Cameras were everywhere.
Going to the toilet was done in groups, with two minutes allotted for the number one and three minutes for the number two. If you didn’t manage in time, they’d pour cold water on you or beat you with electric prods. So many people died from the beatings and torture. The Chinese would dispose of the body immediately and write that the person had died of some illness or other.
[In reply to a question of whether or not he prayed while there:] That was completely impossible when you had a camera in every corner. There were Muslims in the camp who tried to pray five times a day in secret, but they’d be caught, beaten, and sentenced. Each Friday, they’d gather us in the yard and show these prisoners to us: “Ten years for anyone who prays!”
Of course, I did pray, and cry, in my heart. I never believed that Allah would abandon me. Every night, before falling asleep, I would repeat: “Please, God, help me survive this. Please save the Kazakhs from the Chinese.”
When I was sent to the camp, my father in China started appealing to the various authorities, hoping to help me. As a result, he himself was arrested and spent half a year in jail.
I really wanted to get in touch with my family in Kazakhstan somehow, so that they could know where I was and try to do something. For a long time, I couldn’t think of a way, I was completely frightened. But after a year and a half [more likely: half a year], I succeeded. Ripping off a small piece of lining from my prison garments, I wrote a short note and rolled it up. A guy who was supposed to be released soon then sewed it into his clothes. Later, he used his phone to take a photo of that note and sent it over to my wife.
Some higher-ups visited the camp in December 2018. I was summoned and told that I’d be released, seeing as I had family left behind in Kazakhstan. They warned me not to tell anyone anything [about my experiences]. I’d later learn that my wife had made a lot of noise about my case.
But when I got to Khorgas and crossed the border, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten my native tongue. I couldn’t remember how to speak Kazakh. I pretty much couldn’t remember anything of what I’m telling you right now. My memory’s started coming back to me now, but I still don’t remember very much.
Source: https://expert.ru/russian_reporter/2019/10/zavodnoj-mandarin/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L361LQJiajc Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI1n3iHa8YY Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Ww4UYO-7g Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvbFttOMgvA Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/124_5.png photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/124_6.jpg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/124_7.jpg
Entry created: 2018-10-17 Last updated: 2020-04-20 Latest status update: 2019-09-22 133. Bahargul Muhtar (巴哈尔古丽·木合塔尔)
Chinese ID: 654221197305040425 (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: unclear (hard) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Testimony 1+4+5+6+7: Duisenbek Nursydyq, born on November 4, 1974. Kazakh citizen, his Kazakh ID number is 741104399070.
Victim's relation to testifier
Testimony 1+4+5+6+7: spouse
About the victim
Bahargul Muhtarqyzy is a Chinese citizen. She has obtained Kazakhstan Permanent Resident card. She moved to Kazakhstan with her family in 2013. She went to China on May 18, 2017.
She has 3 kids: Aisha Duisenbiqyzy, born in Kazakhstan, 4 years old, and Muradil Duisenbekuly and Nuradil Duisenbekuly. They live with their father in Taldyqorgan.
Address: Dorbiljin(Emin) County, Tarbagatai (Tacheng) Region, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Kazakhstan green card: 026686776.
Victim's location
Presumably in Tacheng.
When victim was detained
21 May, 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown Victim's status
G. A. Bunin: at the end of December 2018, I was able to confirm through a source who knows the testifier that the victim has been transferred from camp to what is presumably house arrest.
Testimony 4: After her release, the Chinese government didn’t let her talk with her family.
Testimony 6: she is still "in jail", according to the testifier (April 20, 2019)
Testimony 7: She was transferred to a "jail" in January 2019 from the camp. The Chinese consulate in Almaty phoned the testifier on January 25, 2019 and told him that she was still under investigation. [judging by this information, it is more likely than she is in police custody]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? unclear
Additional information
This story is also mentioned in a story by the Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/08/kazakh-citizens-lured-china-imprisoned-crackdown-musli ms-reaches/):
Duisenbek Nursidik, 45, hasn’t seen or heard from his wife for nearly two years.
After moving with their three children to Kazakhstan in 2013, the couple returned to visit family and settle affairs – Mr Nursidik and his kids had received Kazakh citizenship, and his wife had obtained a residency permit.
Upon arrival, authorities collected biometric data from Mr Nursidik and his wife, and stalled his request to cancel their Chinese household registration. Two security officials then said they needed to interrogate his wife, Muktar Bakhargul.
“I asked why,” he said. “They just said they would contact me later, and forced my wife in a car and left.”
That was May 2017. Since then, Chinese authorities have only said that she was under investigation and transferred to a prison without explanation.
Despite small wins as a single parent – Mr Nursidik has painstakingly figured out how to plait his four-year-old daughter’s hair – he struggles to explain to his children where their mother has gone.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hda28ga_--s Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR_CmSf8paA Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_VmCqhQ4Tg Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9WVU-Q5rEw Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kU3prFqD8s Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpaqcJ0VAls Testimony 7: https://web.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://web.facebook.com/100012011741023/videos/ 620306575046395/&show_text=1&width=300 registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/133_8.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/133_9.png
Entry created: 2018-10-18 Last updated: 2019-06-20 Latest status update: 2019-04-20 143. Erkinzhan Tusip
Chinese ID: 654124196706054050 (Tokkuztara)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|4|5|6|9|10: Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek, a Kazakhstan citizen originally from Tokkuztara County. He is one of the key volunteers at the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3: Nurbaqyt Qozha, born in 1977. Originally from Mongolkure County, but now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 7: Erzhan Aben, a resident of Kazakhstan. (from same town/region)
Testimony 8: Sadyrzhan Anaiat, a resident of Kazakhstan. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Erkinzhan Tusip was an officially recognized imam at a mosque in Tiqaryq Municipality's Aqbastau Village. He taught the basics of religion to 40-50 students.
Address: Tiqaryq Municipality, Tokkuztara County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州巩留县提克阿热克镇).
Victim's location
Qarabura Prison. [Presumably the one in Ghulja City, given the context and other reported victims.]
When victim was detained
Erkinzhan was detained in early April 2018. After 2 months in detention, he was given a 25-year prison term.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim's relative, Nurbaqyt, has stated that his detention was due to his working as an imam. Victim's status
Serving a 25-year prison sentence.
According to Seitmuhamet, he was tortured into giving a confession before being sentenced, and has lost his mind from the physical abuse in detention.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
One of his students and Akbastau resident, Salamat, was also arrested and imprisoned.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1+7+8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzRwFrA6PdI Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pnYPR1mp3g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uM0jAfzl0 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3yLwwuRrXw Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAaVByskGbQ Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpuq4qub1AM Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ifj8e8SeuI Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MqLdKG0_tI UN appeal letter: https://shahit.biz/supp/143_1.pdf
Entry created: 2018-10-19 Last updated: 2020-11-27 Latest status update: 2020-01-09 147. Nursapa Sayizbek
Chinese ID: 6540221956??????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 62-63 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: critical Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3|5|6|7|8|9|10|11: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (son)
Testimony 2: Unknown, but with a verified identity. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Nursapa Sayizbek worked at a mosque in the seventh company of the No. 67 Bingtuan corps, as a government-licensed imam.
Address: No. 5 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps (Jerenbulaq Town), Chapchal County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
In August 2017, Nursapa went to Kazakhstan to visit his grandsons. He returned to China on August 20, 2017, and was arrested on August 24 [though some testimonies say that he was arrested in September].
Nursapa had previously had a cardiac bypass surgery in July 2017, and his conditioned worsened while at camp. Because of his poor health, he was taken out for 2-3 weeks of medical treatment in late 2017, before being taken to camp again.
On October 21, 2018, Nursapa's relatives were informed that he had been sentenced to eight years in prison. Likely (or given) reason for detention
His son believes it is because Nursapa had officiated a marriage at a mosque.
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence. According to his son, he has been subjected to physical labor at the prison.
He is also believed to be in poor health, having undergone a total of three cardiac bypass surgeries.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated. [Likely through friends or relatives.]
Additional information
At one point, the police gathered Quandyq Nursapa's relatives and asked them not to contact Quandyq anymore, telling them that he was a dangerous person. Quandyq says that he's just an ordinary person, that he's not a terrorist, that what he wants is justice for his father, and that he will never stop petitioning until his father is released from prison.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jABA2DziFTs Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kELJhpy-i_o Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uqjdS3Yvq0 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOHJ0F0b5yo Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8_DlfKet6w Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtLTJ8T4ON8 Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8he2r1mj9fc photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/147_1.png
Entry created: 2018-10-19 Last updated: 2020-11-10 Latest status update: 2019-02-03 155. Qayrat Qanat
Chinese ID: 654201198103270838 (Chochek)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (16 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Gulnar Qasymzhan, born in 1952, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (aunt)
Testimony 3: Tolqyn Qali, born in 1970, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Qayrat Qanat (reported Chinese name: 海拉提·哈那提). The only child of his parents.
Residential address: No. 2 Entrance Gate, No. 2 South Dubek Alley, Tacheng City (塔城市杜别克南二巷二号大门)
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained earlier: Arrested on October 2017
Testimony 3: he was given 16 years of prison in August 2019, following a closed trial
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown
Victim's status
Testimony 2: in prison (unconfirmed)
Testimony 3: serving a 16-year sentence, presumably How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear
Additional information
None
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giKJgBZ_1b0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMhjYSDylDo Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jh6TWG4Fmk
Entry created: 2018-10-22 Last updated: 2020-02-25 Latest status update: 2019-12-26 167. Qaliolla Tursyn (哈力尤拉·吐尔逊)
Chinese ID: 652522194905040055 (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: 71 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): challenging authority|--- Health status: deceased Profession: law
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Berikbol Muqatai, a Kazakhstan citizen since 2008. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|16|20|24: Akikat Kaliolla, a musician from Dorbiljin County, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (son)
Testimony 11*|12*: Akikat Kaliolla, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (son)
Testimony 13: Akikat Kaliolla, as reported by Agence France-Presse. (son)
Testimony 14: Akikat Kaliolla, as reported by Global Voices. (son)
Testimony 15|21: Akikat Kaliolla, as reported by Apple Daily. (son)
Testimony 17|23: Akikat Kaliolla, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (son)
Testimony 18: Akikat Kaliolla, as reported by China Aid. (son)
Testimony 19: Akikat Kaliolla, as reported by The Believer. (son)
Testimony 22: Akikat Kaliolla, as reported by National Public Radio. (son)
About the victim
Qaliolla Tursyn was a legal consultant and a retired cadre from the Culture and Sports Department (文体局). Being literate in Chinese, he often helped people file legal complaints.
Address: 3 South Progress Road, Dorbiljin Municipality, Dorbiljin County, Xinjiang (新疆额敏县额敏镇前进南路3号).
Chinese passport: E23021968.
Victim's location According to what Akikat has heard, he may have been in Wusu Prison at the time of his death [as he had been sentenced and this is generally where people from Tacheng with heavy sentences are sent].
When victim was detained
First detained on March 15, 2018 and held in some sort of detention. Akikat reports that his father was allegedly taken to a hospital in handcuffs in April 2018 [before presumably being sent back to detention].
Akikat mentions that his father was held in various detention facilities, including the camp in Turgun Village, before being transferred to Wusu Prison.
That Qaliolla had been sentenced Akikat only learned in late January 2019, when Akikat's wife was told by Chinese consular officials in Kazakhstan that the victim had been sentenced to 20 years in prison [in his interview to The Believer, Akikat says that they got an official letter stating that he had been sentenced in October 2018 - this may be a mistake].
Dorbiljin County authorities allegedly reported that Qaliolla died on December 5, 2020 (another source reports this as December 14), though Akikat does not believe this, thinking that his father had died long before.
Akikat alleges that his father was buried at Wusu Prison, instead of his body being returned to his family.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
At the beginning of March 2018, local authorities in Dorbiljin County beat to death a 43-year-old ethnic Kazakh man named Zhumakeldi Ahai {2841}, after which Zhumakeldi's relatives begged for Akikat's father to write a formal complaint, which the latter did and sent to Beijing. However, the letter was intercepted and the victim arrested.
Victim's status
Reported to have died in custody. The alleged official claim was that he died of coronary heart disease.
(Even prior to his detention, Qaliolla Tursyn suffered from liver cirrhosis, heart disease, and rheumatic arthritis. He had difficulty walking, his teeth had all fallen out, and he had previously had surgery on his leg for a comminuted fracture. According to what Akikat heard, he has been tortured in detention, which is likely to have made these conditions worse.)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Akikat has learned about his father's condition from numerous sources, some of which are firsthand but which he cannot disclose for fear of their safety being compromised [they have, however, been verified by shahit.biz staff]. Some information has been obtained from people having returned to Kazakhstan from Dorbiljin County.
The fact that Akikat's father was sentenced to 20 years was reported to Akikat's wife by the officials at the Chinese consulate in Almaty orally. There is still no written verdict.
In a mid-2020 call with Akikat, his mother told him that while she was in a holding cell - before being officially detained - she heard the authorities beat Qaliolla Tursyn until he screamed. Venera yelled at the authorities, telling them not to hit him, while one of Akikat's older brothers shouted "Stop! You're going to kill my father!"
Chinese authorities in Dorbiljin County have allegedly confirmed Qaliolla's death, but it isn't clear who exactly confirmed the news and how.
Additional information
Because of the victim's complaint letter, his two sons were detained also and sent to camp. His wife was allegedly detained soon after for asking about their detention. All three were released at the end of December 2018.
It is possible that the victim was subjected to forced labor at Wusu Prison [if he was held there], as the Zhongxin LLC (乌苏众鑫农工贸有限责任公司) is based there and labor has been documented at the facility.
Media coverage of the story: https://www.yahoo.com/news/kazakh-families-torn-apart-chinas-xinjiang-crackdown-032511957.html https://globalvoices.org/2019/02/09/i-wont-stop-kazakh-man-seeks-justice-for-family-caught-in-chinas-xin jiang-crackdown/ https://uat-xinjiangcamps.appledaily.com/尋親者/阿黑哈提-哈力尤拉/全文 https://www.chinaaid.net/2018/07/blog-post_40.html https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20201227/25QBOW4MMFB5VC7FO5I2NR4M7Y/ https://www.npr.org/2021/03/03/973198171/family-disappears-amid-chinas-detention-of-mostly-ethnic-u yghurs https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10102019072505.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01072021075222.html
Some court cases that the victim was involved in: https://susong.tianyancha.com/38d4abf8fe0848f293e91a77ba4301ee http://archive.is/DRaLf
Akikat's story in The Believer (https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/):
I’ll tell you a story that describes my father well. I met and fell in love with a girl from Kazakhstan. We planned to move there together and get married. I was living in China and we were both teaching at the music school in Ürümqi where we’d met. She was famous, actually, a famous traveling musician, at least in the world of traditional Kazakh music. I’d admired her long before we met. It was a dream to have such a girlfriend!
Before the wedding, when it came time to celebrate the qyz uzatu, the girl’s farewell, we were still living in China. My father is old—he’s seventy now—and in bad health, so in the end he couldn’t come to Kazakhstan for the wedding. But he attended the first wedding, as we call it, the girl’s farewell, and as a gift for my wife-to-be he brought two small books on China’s Main Law and Criminal Law. Now you should memorize the laws of China, he told her. You are married to a Chinese citizen. Both of you must know the laws of China and Kazakhstan. You see, he was so confident in the law, in the Chinese judicial system, but in the end he experienced the full and exact nature of that system—he got it exactly.
Before he retired, my father had worked for the Ministry of Culture. He was an educated man living in a place where the literacy rate was still low, and Chinese script in particular was not widely known. This was in Tacheng, which Kazakhs call Tarbagatai. In retirement, he spent his days helping people fill out papers in Chinese. Mostly, they were writing complaints. He wasn’t a lawyer but he knew the laws very well, so he helped people file complaints and petitions with local authorities. That’s just how he was.
With us, he was strict but loving. Education was everything to him. After I was born, he never spent a night outside the home. He was at my side while I studied; my brothers too. He sent the three of us to the Chinese-language school. You have to study, he would tell us. You have to learn calligraphy. He taught us both Kazakh and Chinese script. He devoted himself entirely to raising us. When I first showed an interest in music, he bought the family a piano. If he didn’t have the money, he borrowed it. We never heard a word about money in the house. We were always provided for. As I got older, my father bought me music-studio equipment—nothing big or fancy, but it was still an expense. We weren’t rich. Somehow he got the money.
I left home when I was nineteen and drifted, as musicians do: Ürümqi, Beijing, Shanghai. In 2014, I met my wife, and we came to Kazakhstan looking for jobs. My father had never traveled anywhere, but when I told him we were moving, he accepted it. You know your own mind, he told me. It’s your life. As I said, he didn’t attend my wedding, but when my child was born, in 2016, he came, even though he was already in bad health. He had no teeth, and his legs were fractured everywhere. He suffered from cirrhosis, heart disease, arthritis. He could barely walk. Even now, I don’t know his feelings. Did they want to move to Kazakhstan? Stay in China? Should I have suggested it? I know they were afraid. If they died in Kazakhstan, would their relatives be able to attend the funeral? I regret that I never asked my father if he wanted to move here, but people in our town weren’t used to speaking openly about Kazakhstan. It’s considered almost treasonous in China to discuss it—to talk about leaving. I only ever talked with my two brothers. I urged them to come here. As for my elder sister, she’s married to a party official. Her husband doesn’t want to move.
In March 2018, I had just become a Kazakh citizen. Every day, I’d send my mother a picture of our daughter on WeChat. That was how we kept in touch. Gradually, her messages became less frequent. Of course I’d heard that Xinjiang was getting difficult. I suspected this was the reason for her silences. That month, she removed me from her WeChat contact list altogether. I asked my brother why. I called him on video chat. He was visibly upset but couldn’t cry. It’s difficult here, he said. Not like before.
I was afraid local authorities might not treat my father well. He was a thorn in their side, helping neighbors write complaints. Before I hung up, I told my brother to let me know if anything happened.
The complaint that finally did him in was about a murder. A man named Zhumakeldi Akai was beaten to death by security guards at a reeducation camp. They took his body to his home to be buried. He had awful wounds. His wife came to my father. She wanted to make a complaint. They killed him, she said. She begged him to help. So my father wrote a letter to Beijing, but the letter never left the prefecture. The local authorities confiscated it. They paid my father a visit. So, they said, you want to blame us for this death before our superiors?
This information came to me through different channels. I’ll tell you exactly how, but I don’t want you to write it down. I don’t want the authorities to close these channels, and I don’t want the people helping me to get in trouble. In short, my family members were all detained right after my father wrote this complaint about the murdered neighbor. Someone—I don’t want to say who—told me soon after it happened.
But even before I was told, the night before their arrest, I had a bad dream. My heart was aching. I saw security guards following me, trying to catch me, and in the dream I had a thought: What is going on at my house? When I woke up, I knew something had happened. As soon as I got the news, I called my sister in Ürümqi. Even with her husband’s status, she didn’t know anything. But she called our aunt and confirmed they were detained. I began to gather information from different sources. I called everyone I knew. In some cases, I don’t want to say their names. They’re still back there. These days, everyone knows about the weather code, so no one uses it. If I said that it was getting warmer, those listening would know what I was talking about. I have a different code. I don’t want to say what it is. But I have a code I use.
Eventually I got the whole picture from different people, some of whom had been detained with them, others who lived nearby or who heard secondhand. First, they detained my father and my two brothers. They did it without any warrant. They just disappeared. My mother went to complain to the local district authorities. She asked them for an explanation. The officials were happy she’d come. Ah, good, you’ve brought yourself in, they said, and detained her too.
After several months, my mother and brothers were released from the camps, but my father was taken somewhere else. He vanished. In the absence of any news, my wife compiled four invitation letters—the letters you write to bring family members into Kazakhstan—and sent them to the local council in my father’s village, if only to get some information about his fate. This January, we finally got a response: a letter stating that in October 2018 my father had been convicted to twenty years in prison.
Now I don’t know if he’s alive or dead. We didn’t get any information about the trial or any crimes he had committed. Not even my mother was aware of his sentence. All I know is that he’s no longer in the local prison where he was being held. I expect he was transferred to a place for people with long prison sentences. But he can’t eat, as I’ve said. Even in the local prison, they served him only stale bread and hot water. People who shared a cell with him there told me they would wet the bread in the water and feed it to him. He was handcuffed; he has no teeth. Without their help, he would have starved to death. [Despairingly] I don’t know—probably he already died.
I’ll tell you something else. My father was tortured. I can’t tell you where I got this information. It came from a prisoner who was released, and who managed to escape to Kazakhstan. There are many people like this. Most of them are simply in hiding. They don’t reveal what’s happening, because they’re afraid. This particular informant lives in Kazakhstan but won’t do an interview himself because his daughters are still in Xinjiang. I communicate mostly with people like this, often people I know personally from back in China. I know I can trust them. I don’t want to spread rumors or exaggerations. First, we should find the facts, what the reality is.
Now my brothers and mother are home, but a camera is installed in their house, watching what they are doing. I know they suffered in the camps. I am ready to die for them, and for my father too. I’m not sleeping. I cry. Men aren’t supposed to cry, but I cry. Twenty years? It’s a death sentence. And why? If there was an error in the last complaint he helped write—show me the error! My father was arguing that this man’s death was against Chinese law, which was not written by me or my father or any Kazakh. It was written by the government. It should not be subverted. Law is not like physics or mathematics—it’s not confusing. What it says is clear. We can understand it. It should be followed. My father did not break the law. He was following the law. It’s the authorities who are violating it. And now my family is back in China, but my father is nowhere.
Miscellaneous media evidence
Context: Kazakhstan-based musician Akikat Kaliolla's parents and two brothers were all disappeared in March 2018, soon after his father sent a formal letter of complaint to Beijing over the local authorities' alleged murder of a young man critical of the mass incarcerations and local corruption. While the father was allegedly sentenced to 20 years, the mother and two brothers were sent to camp and later released, to remain under close surveillance. In 2020, Akikat's mother video-chatted with him and told him what had happened. Later, she and her two sons also made a short video where, holding up their ID cards, they spoke about their situation frankly. Translation as follows.
(first video)
Venera (mother): Muqiat suffered too. And Parasat. Parasat experienced the hardships there. I heard him screaming when they beat him up. Akikat: Parasat's voice? Venera: I thought I would die. I fainted that day. They put heart medication down my throat and took me to my room there, dragging me by the shoulders, and then left. I spent the entire night lying like that. I couldn't come to myself. I wanted to talk, but my tongue wouldn't move. My son, this is the kind of hardship we've experienced. I've told you this today, and so I might disappear tomorrow for having done so. I don't care, even if I do disappear. They are putting pressure on Qaliolla, and he's being falsely accused. They are taking revenge on him. They've illegally taken him to the educational training center and locked him up in a solitary room, beating him until he fainted. He was taken back [to his cell] afterwards, with his injuries. We heard about all this. The people who stayed with him saw it, and told me about it. That's it. This is how terrible our situation is now. My son, stay strong. You’re looking for us, and don't stop looking for your dad. This is what our life is like, this is the kind of pressure we're living under. That's all, my son.
(second video)
Venera: Today, I told my son Akikat of all the hardships that we've been through. This isn't some state secret - all of us were wronged. So, today the three of us have put our lives into Akikat's hands. Son, we are in your hands. We have been wronged. Muqyiat (older brother): If we suddenly disappear, you have to look for us. Who knows what they might do to us... Parasat (younger brother): Everything we've gone through is the genuine truth. The criminals must be imprisoned.
Video: https://shahit.biz/supp/misc_167.mp4 Source: https://twitter.com/Akikatkaliolla/status/1308127117863944198, https://twitter.com/babussokutan/status/1339491059433410561
Victims among relatives
Venera Muqatai (166), Parasat Qaliolla (164), Muqyiat Qaliolla (165)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8k-5Hl9XRw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v07V2AWXFQI Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_VmCqhQ4Tg Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfNGFQXwXb8 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IA_2AoDz2c Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5h6Csf-wO8 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EG9Z39EaB8 Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Sy1W4iYiE Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqfgzYia0MI Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjpqInGtRAU Testimony 16: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/adoi.ka.1/posts/17833978 6474596&width=300 Testimony 20: https://twitter.com/Akikatkaliolla/status/1224464251198242818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw funeral in absentia: https://twitter.com/Akikatkaliolla/status/1340982947663519744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 23: https://twitter.com/Akikatkaliolla/status/1342438776036065281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 6 (English subtitles): https://shahit.biz/supp/167_9.mp4 victim's home (winter 2019-2020): https://shahit.biz/supp/167_14.mp4 victim's home (winter 2019-2020): https://shahit.biz/supp/167_15.mp4 2016 court case: https://shahit.biz/supp/167_16.png judgment enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/167_17.png limit consumption order: https://shahit.biz/supp/167_18.pdf Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/167_20.jpg
Entry created: 2018-10-23 Last updated: 2021-06-02 Latest status update: 2020-12-14 208. Serik Muqai (赛里克·木海)
Chinese ID: 652524197210153412 (Shawan)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: critical Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|10: Farida Muqai, a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2004. (sister)
Testimony 5: Zhamila Muqai, a resident of Kazakhstan. (sister)
Testimony 6|13: Qasira Muqai, a resident of Kazakhstan. (sister)
Testimony 7: Tursynai Batyr, a resident of Kazakhstan. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 8|9: Maulia Qaliolla, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (niece)
Testimony 11: Qaliolla Muqai, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother)
Testimony 12: Farida Muqai, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
About the victim
Serik Muqai was an officially approved village imam, appointed by the Tacheng Prefecture Islamic Society.
Address: 25 South No. 2 Alley, Mogu Lake Village, Shanghudi Township, Shawan County, Tacheng Prefecture (塔城地区沙湾县商户地乡蘑菇湖村南2巷25号).
Victim's location
In Wusu Prison.
When victim was detained
While there is conflicting information in the testimonies, there seems to be a rough consensus that the victim was detained at some point in 2018:
According to the victim's sister, Zhamila, he was detained at the end of 2017. A Radio Free Asia report says that the victim was sent to a re-education camp in April 2018 [although the information is confusing as the interviewee also talks about him being in detention since 2017].
At some point during his time in camp, he was allegedly taken out for medical treatment.
The victim's brother, Qaliolla, testified that he was detained on April 3, 2018 and was later sentenced to 20 years in prison in August 2018.
The victim's sister, Farida, reported that he was sentenced to 20 years in January 2019 in a separate RFA report, however (with his sister Qasira putting the time of sentencing as December 2018 in a separate testimony).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim's sister, Qasira, testified that he was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison, with 7 years for teaching religion to children and 13 years for propagating religion.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 20 years in prison. It is very possible that the victim is subjected to forced labor, as there is an agricultural products company based at Wusu Prison.
According to Qaliolla Muqai, Serik's wife pays 1000RMB each month for his meals in prison.
According to the victim's sister, Farida, Serik suffers from diabetes and requires constant hospital visits. He was allegedly taken to the hospital on several occasions, handcuffed.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not stated how his relatives in Kazakhstan learned about his detention. However, the victim's sister-in-law, Tursynai, reports that Serik's wife was given the written verdict of his sentencing.
Additional information
Farida mentions that Serik had previously raised money to build a mosque. In 2018, the mosque was destroyed under the pretext that it was too big for the village.
A Radio Free Asia report mentions that local authorities ordered the victim's wife to sign some documents without an official stamp.
RFA Mandarin coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-09202019064310.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-09252019064124.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-02032020063320.html
RFA follow-up report: After an article detailing the arrest was published by Radio Free Asia, Maria’s (the victim's daughter's) sister in China started receiving threats from the police asking to delete that article.
Mentioned by Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Victims among relatives
Qabai Muqai (212), Erzhan Qaqan (209), Qazhet Qyzyr (210), Murat Baiashbai (851), Aqytzhan Batyr (217), Qairolla Muqai (8075)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu2ic-lKDiM Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGFWR_eD1Nc Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGsBaUM28Q4 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTxjK_lyjDk Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn95lVYzYqE Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f5rXD8472w Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdkH15digTQ Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qWAyi-ZIYA Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA1-owvrkfw Testimony 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxwq-XSWjmE Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/208_6.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/208_7.jpeg relatives with photo of victim: https://shahit.biz/supp/208_11.jpg
Entry created: 2018-10-26 Last updated: 2020-08-26 Latest status update: 2020-04-02 217. Aqytzhan Batyr (阿合提江·巴特尔)
Chinese ID: 654223198206083419 (Shawan)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Turan Batyr, born in 1988, has been a Kazakhstan citizen since 2016. (brother)
Testimony 2|5|9: Farida Muqai, a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2004. (cousin)
Testimony 3: Zhumaqan Qasymbek, born in 1955, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Turarbek Buqarqan, born in 1988, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (nephew)
Testimony 6|7|12: Qasira Muqai, a resident of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 8: Tursynai Batyr, a resident of Kazakhstan. (sister)
Testimony 10: Maulia Qaliolla, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (niece)
Testimony 11: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
About the victim
Aqytzhan Batyr was an imam of the Ush Bulaq village (三个泉子村) in Shawan County, appointed by the local authorities. He has three children, all between the ages of 4 and 10 years old (as of 2019-2020).
Address: No. 3 Eighth Alley, Zhalsai Village, Cow Pen Livestock Farm, Shawan County, Xinjiang (新疆沙湾县牛圈子牧场交勒萨依村8巷3号).
Victim's location
In Wusu Prison.
When victim was detained
There are conflicting reports, with his cousin Farida reporting that he was originally detained in December 2017, but other reports saying that the detention took place in early March 2018. According to his sister, Tursyn'ai, he was given a prison term in June 2018. However, the two Radio Free Asia reports based on interviews with the victim's niece and sister say that he was sentenced in May 2019 and January 2019, respectively.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to some of the testifiers, he was detained for being an imam and having visited Kazakhstan in 2017.
According to Zhumaqan Qasymbek, he was detained for asking permission to build a village mosque.
Victim's status
Believed to be sentenced, but testimonies differ on the exact length (one early testimony reports 10 years, while later ones range from 17 to 20).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Aqytzhan is mentioned in a February 2016 article from local Shawan County media, where he is quoted as allegedly saying that he's understood the dangers of "illegal religious activities" and will now, as a religious figure, explain it to the masses: http://archive.is/fE0Go
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-09252019064124.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-02032020063320.html
Victims among relatives
Serik Muqai (208), Qabai Muqai (212), Erzhan Qaqan (209), Qazhet Qyzyr (210), Murat Baiashbai (851), Qairolla Muqai (8075)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg_TQgKhDDY Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGsBaUM28Q4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orND0xCru1g Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b2oT0hGJSs Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TOBJgMGtPM Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceAQx_gquxY Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f5rXD8472w Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyv9lMrVihM Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3Jbv_hvqG8 Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxwq-XSWjmE Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/217_8.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/217_11.jpeg
Entry created: 2018-10-26 Last updated: 2020-07-31 Latest status update: 2020-02-29 273. Nurzhaqyp Auelbek (努尔加合普·安吾勒贝克)
Chinese ID: 654126197806281012 (Mongghulkure)
Basic info
Age: 42 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Gulpash Bekinur, a citizen of Kazakhstan as of 2014. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 2: Unknown, but with a verified identity. (mother-in-law)
Testimony 4: Lazzat Belqozha, as reported by Qazaq Uni.
Testimony 5: Orazali Imatai, born in 1974, resides in Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6: Bekinur Naqysbek, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (father-in-law)
Testimony 7|10: Gulzira Qalel, a resident of Kazakhstan. (aunt)
Testimony 8: Kenzhegul Alqaq, born in 1970, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 9: Anuar Ardaq, born in 1985, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 11: Rights Protection Network (维权网), as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
About the victim
Nurzhaqyp Auelbek worked as an imam at the Dongmali (Dong Mehelle) Mosque in Mongolkure County, and was also a member of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress in Mongolkure.
Address: 48 Sulysai Street, Aqdala Township, Mongolkure County (昭苏县阿克达拉乡苏鲁塞路48号).
Victim's location
Gaoquan Prison (高泉监狱) in Wusu.
When victim was detained
Nurzhaqyp was first detained on August 4, 2017 according to the majority of testimonies. His father-in-law states that he was first sent to a re-education camp and was later sentenced to prison.
In 2020, it was reported by the Rights Protection Network that he had formally been sentenced to 25 years on March 4, 2020.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Tileutai Orazali and Quanysh, imams who worked at the same mosque as the victim, were also arrested.
According to the victim's aunt, Nurzhaqyp's father, Auelbek Alimzhan, and mother, Gulsharuan Qalen, have both developed heart problems after their son's detention.
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-09092019064214.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/3-06102020113656.html
This victim is included in the lists of detained individuals in Mongolkure County, provided to Qazaq Uni by Lazzat Belqozha (https://qazaquni.kz/2018/09/28/90575.html) and also available at: https://shahit.biz/supp/list_005.pdf https://shahit.biz/supp/list_006.pdf
Victims among relatives
Fatima Bekinur (274), Nurbaqyt Auelbek (4117), Abdulla Nurzhaqyp (8969), Kausar Nurzhaqyp (8970), Nazigul Zholaman (2839), Auelbek Sasyq (4116)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGwU5STne8U Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ydJbeEDN_c Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ameBI78WYBQ Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av0OXB4E6g0 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCAxNaLI8uM Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHhcibQ-DeY Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NDRGJkv2oQ Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXZL_E4BodM Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/273_6.png Entry created: 2018-10-30 Last updated: 2021-03-05 Latest status update: 2020-09-29 274. Fatima Bekinur (帕提玛·别格努尔)
Chinese ID: 654126198901101029 (Mongghulkure)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Gulpash Bekinur, a citizen of Kazakhstan as of 2014. (sister)
Testimony 2: Unknown, but with a verified identity. (mother)
Testimony 4: Lazzat Belqozha, as reported by Qazaq Uni.
Testimony 5: Bekinur Naqysbek, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (father)
Testimony 6|9: Gulzira Qalel, a resident of Kazakhstan. (aunt-in-law)
Testimony 7: Kenzhegul Alqaq, born in 1970, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 8: Anuar Ardaq, born in 1985, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
About the victim
Fatima Bekinur had a job selling traditional products to tourists.
Address: 48 Sulysai Road, Aqdala Municipality, Mongolkure County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州昭苏县阿克达拉镇苏鲁塞路48号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Fatima was first detained on March 8, 2018, according to the majority of testimonies (the victim's sister has reported she was arrested as early as February 2018), and then sent to a re-education camp.
She was later sentenced to a number of years in prison - however, there is some conflict in the testimonies as to the exact length, with earlier testimonies reporting her sentence to be 7-25 years and the recent ones reporting 18 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Fatima's mother reports that she was detained for wearing Islamic clothing and for visits to Kazakhstan. Her aunt-in-law also reports visiting Kazakhstan, as well as praying, as reasons for her detention. Being a wife of an imam is also reported as a reason for Fatima's detention, according to both her aunt-in-law and the list prepared by Lazzat Belqozha.
Victim's status
Serving an 18-year prison sentence, according to the most recent testimonies.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
According to Fatima's sister, their elderly parents live in Kazakhstan with no financial support.
This victim is included in the lists of Mongolkure victims provided to Qazaq Uni (https://qazaquni.kz/2018/09/28/90575.html) by Lazzat Belqozha (also available at: https://shahit.biz/supp/list_005.pdf and https://shahit.biz/supp/list_006.pdf).
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-09092019064214.html
Possibly her shop (unconfirmed): http://archive.is/wip/pDR1h
Victims among relatives
Nurzhaqyp Auelbek (273), Nurbaqyt Auelbek (4117), Abdulla Nurzhaqyp (8969), Kausar Nurzhaqyp (8970), Nazigul Zholaman (2839), Auelbek Sasyq (4116)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGwU5STne8U Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ydJbeEDN_c Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ameBI78WYBQ Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCAxNaLI8uM Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHhcibQ-DeY Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NDRGJkv2oQ Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXZL_E4BodM Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/274_4.png
Entry created: 2018-10-30 Last updated: 2020-11-02 Latest status update: 2020-09-29 286. Duisen Surau
Chinese ID: 65402519730103??O? (Kunes)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|7: Baqytzhan Nurdaulet, born in 1966, has been a Kazakhstan citizen since 2004. (relative)
Testimony 5|6: Aqzholtai Baqytzhan, born in 1987, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
Testimony 8: Alipbek Zhumaqan, born in 1980, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Surauzhan Duisenuly (possibly Duisen/Duisesh Surauzhan/Suraubek) has visited Kazakhstan several times and was about to move there at the time of his arrest. He has three children.
Address: Qulzha(Yining) County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China.
DOB: January 3, 1973.
Victim's location
Xinyuan County, Ili Prefecture
When victim was detained
Testimony 6: put into a camp on July 25, 2018 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison on August 25, 2018 without any legal procedures.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
His son took a religious education for a week several years ago, that was the reason.
Testimony 8: detained and given a prison term for saying to his son that if the latter did not study hard he would be sent to a religious school Victim's status earlier and Testimony 6: in prison, earlier testimony saying 5 years, others saying 20
Testimony 5: in a camp.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DuDsUu9Jn8 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LgrB7iCn0 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HueWMl9XGpo Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZGyM-lMSk Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEx12n9JCjQ Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLdqKGwkJVY Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX6UkDN13oI Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39wjpt8b8FY
Entry created: 2018-10-31 Last updated: 2020-02-27 Latest status update: 2020-01-04 287. Quandyq Tileuzhan
Chinese ID: 654021198411022515 (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|6|7: Baqytzhan Nurdaulet, born in 1966, has been a Kazakhstan citizen since 2004. (uncle)
Testimony 5|8|9: Aqzholtai Baqytzhan, born in 1987, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 10: Alipbek Zhumaqan, born in 1980, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Quandyq (Quantai?) Tileuzhanuly, born in 1985 (according to earlier testimonies), was given 20 years of jail term for visiting relatives in Kazakhstan and attending Friday Namaz. He was a herder.
Home address: Bulukei Village, Ewliya Township, Qulzha(Yining) County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Victim's location
Prison in Xinyuan county.
When victim was detained earlier: during the holy month of Ramadan in 2017
Testimony 5: put into a camp on July 25, 2017 and on May 5, 2018 was sentenced to 20 years in prison just for visiting Kazakhstan.
Likely (or given) reason for detention visiting his relatives in Kazakhstan and attending Friday Namaz.
Victim's status in the prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 8: the victim’s parents saw him on Chinese state television as a prisoner in Xinyuan county.
Additional information
Testimony 6: his wife passed away, leaving his 7-year-old daughter without parents
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DuDsUu9Jn8 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LgrB7iCn0 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HueWMl9XGpo Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZGyM-lMSk Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLdqKGwkJVY Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX6UkDN13oI Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbCy64Kx8XA Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLGgDW12ZyI Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDKBww1GNRw Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39wjpt8b8FY
Entry created: 2018-10-31 Last updated: 2020-10-15 Latest status update: 2020-01-04 298. Akbar Alipbai (艾克拜尔·艾力甫巴依)
Chinese ID: 654121197805102551 (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 42 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Unknown, but with a verified identity. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2|4|5: Baqytzhan Nurdaulet, born in 1966, has been a Kazakhstan citizen since 2004. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3: Almas Darbai, born in 1979, is a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6: Alimnur Turganbai, born in 1977, is a resident of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 7: Bagdar Orazgaly, originally from Ghulja County but now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (friend)
Testimony 8|11: Gulmira Abduali, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (niece)
Testimony 9: Gulmira Abduali, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (niece)
Testimony 10: Gulmira Abduali, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (niece)
About the victim
Akbar Alipbai has two children. His wife also suffers from health issues.
Address: House 112, Group No. 1, Qulystai Village, Aulie Township, Ghulja County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China (阿吾利亚乡, 库鲁斯台村1组112号).
Chinese passport: E67545383.
Victim's location
[Gulmira Abduali in interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019 (Testimony 9): Zhana Turme jail in Kunes County.]
When victim was detained March 2018. In June 2018, he was sentenced to 16 years and 10 months.
[Gulmira Abduali in interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: Detained on March 29, 2018, spent 3 months in Ghulja, then was sentenced to 17 years and transferred to Zhana Turme (prison) in Kunes County [Kunes Maximum-Security Prison]. No written proof of the verdict as it was given orally.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention reading Quran
[Gulmira Abduali in interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: might also be due to his having good relations with imams.]
Testimony 11: for eating together with religious people.
Victim's status in prison (17-year sentence)
[Gulmira Abduali in interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: serving his sentence. Relatives can talk to him via a screen at local police station office.]
Testimony 8: On September 18, 2019, he was allowed to meet his wife after the testifer's petition and his wife was told that he would be released in three years.
[There is a good likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at Kunes Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
A group of friends - Serik Dauitbek, Duisen Yrysbergen and Akbar Alipbaiuly have all received the same sentence at the same time for the same reason.
RFA coverage (Testimony 10): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10102019072505.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCaJy3gSo3E Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LgrB7iCn0 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZSsTOLtNGE Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HueWMl9XGpo Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZGyM-lMSk Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxueBv4Dlh4 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCoEEmgnmMc Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ1kn2I3-Ds Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cus6BcsrVOQ Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/298_8.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/298_9.png testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/298_10.png
Entry created: 2018-11-01 Last updated: 2021-07-02 Latest status update: 2021-02-26 314. Sultan Aqyn (苏力唐·阿洪)
Chinese ID: 654121194602154294 (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 73 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Testimony 1|8: Saulebek Sultan, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (son)
Testimony 2|3|4|5|6: Baqytzhan Nurdaulet, born in 1966, has been a Kazakhstan citizen since 2004. (relation unclear)
Testimony 7: Nauryz Sultan, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (son)
Testimony 9: Saulebek Sultan, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (son)
Testimony 10: Saulebek Sultan, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (son)
Testimony 11: Saulebek Sultan, as reported by Radio Azattyq. (son)
About the victim
Sultan Aqyn was a farmer, and had made a pilgrimage to Mecca in 2013 with the permission of the local authorities.
Registered address: Group No. 1, Mazar Township Husbandry Team, Mazar Township, Ghulja County, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁县麻扎乡麻扎乡畜牧队1组).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Sultan was first detained in February 2018, for what should have been a 15-day detention according to his son, Saulebek. The exact date is not clear as Saulebek reports the date in one testimony as the 26th, and in a later testimony as the 20th. He also reports that he was held in a "camp". (In an earlier testimony, however, he is reported to have been detained as early as October 2017.) In April-May 2019, Saulebek first heard rumors of the victim having been sentenced [although an earlier testimony reports that he had already heard this in the summer of 2018].
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Allegedly for having visited Mecca.
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence. The exact length is not clear and has been reported as 3, 7.5, 9, and 11 years in different testimonies.
He suffers from health issues, as he is missing one kidney.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
According to Saulebek, his mother is able to talk to the victim via a screen at the police station.
However, Saulebek appears to have learned about the victim's situation from hearsay through relatives, as Saulebek's mother cannot openly talk about this.
Additional information
On September 5, 2019, Saulebek mentioned that his mother - who's alone and under house arrest - called Saulebek a week earlier, from a police station, to tell him to stop appealing.
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-10242019070701.html
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Victims among relatives
Gulsinai Bagagumar (3031)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egY2TAx1y9o Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LgrB7iCn0 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HueWMl9XGpo Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZGyM-lMSk Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jctgbWZaslA Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izP4hm1PVog Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u2j00QbRk4 Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iij60hJ9lLM Testimony 2: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/100012011741023/videos /504099263333794/&show_text=1&width=450 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/314_8.png testifiers with victim's photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/314_10.png testifiers with victim's photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/314_13.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-01 Last updated: 2020-09-18 Latest status update: 2020-01-21 316. Baqytali Erbolat
Chinese ID: 6540021993??????O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 24-25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abdikerim Nurlan, a resident of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 2: Berik Zhalgasbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Baqytali Erbolat, who was an Imam, was sentenced a 25-year of jail term.
Address: Upper Borbosyn Village, Mazar Township, Qulzha(Yining) city, Xinjiang, China
Victim's location
Testimony 2: in a prison in Xinyuan (Kunes) County.
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: taken to a camp on July 10, 2018. He's allegedly been sentenced to 25 years and now is in Kunes/Xinyuan.
Likely (or given) reason for detention being an Imam
Victim's status in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egY2TAx1y9o Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDeCl7UrFzQ
Entry created: 2018-11-01 Last updated: 2020-09-07 Latest status update: 2018-12-22 349. Qurmanali Qusbolat
Chinese ID: 65????197911????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (16 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Quanyshnur Hamit, an imam. He moved to Kazakhstan in 2011. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2|3: Batyrgali Seisen, now a resident of Kazakhstan. He immigrated from China in 2005. (nephew)
About the victim
Qurmanali Qusbolatuly was born in November 1979. He performs Muslim prayers five times each day. Therefore he was detained in January 2018 and in July 2018 he was given a 16-year prison term.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: in a prison in Xinyuan County
When victim was detained
January 15, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention praying
Victim's status in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? heard from fellow-villagers
Additional information ---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egSuH498BVs Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfOmJUlA92I Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7iWHqdU8T0
Entry created: 2018-11-03 Last updated: 2018-11-03 Latest status update: 2019-02-14 352. Erbolat Nursapa (叶尔波拉提·努尔沙帕)
Chinese ID: 654124198201251218 (Tokkuztara)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Quanyshnur Hamit, an imam. He moved to Kazakhstan in 2011. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2: Seketai Esimbek, born in 1960, is a resident of Kazakhstan. (uncle)
Testimony 3|4|5: Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek, a Kazakhstan citizen originally from Tokkuztara County. He is one of the key volunteers at the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6: Muratzhan Arman, a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
About the victim
Erbolat (Testimony 4: Nurbolat) Nursapauly, born in 1982-1983.
His residential address: 121 Number One Street, Shaga village, Zhirgalang township, Togyztarau county (新疆巩留县吉尔格朗乡沙尕村一街121号).
Victim's location
[unclear, as sentenced]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: put into a camp in April 2018 and later sentenced to 17 years.
Testimony 3: initial detention on April 15, 2018
Testimony 5: detained on March 22, 2018.
Testimony 6: He was detained by the public security bureau staff on January 14, 2018 and sentenced to 17 years in prison for attending Friday prayers at a mosque. Likely (or given) reason for detention praying
Victim's status in prison
Testimony 3: no news
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? heard from fellow-villagers
Additional information
Listed in official subsidy records: https://archive.is/G5dvN
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egSuH498BVs Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as7jO_LFyfM Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOnoY9wj9xk Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ifj8e8SeuI Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MqLdKG0_tI Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qROPmb11wF0 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/352_6.png
Entry created: 2018-11-03 Last updated: 2021-03-05 Latest status update: 2020-07-18 377. Ayaz Matai (阿亚孜·马太)
Chinese ID: 654122198904111016 (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aigul Turdaken, a Kazakhstan citizen who's been living in Kazakhstan since 2006. (sister)
Testimony 2: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 3|5|9: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 4: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6|7: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 8: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 11*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Ayaz Matai.
Address: House No. 448, No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队448号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Victims among relatives
Asemgul Altimbek (378)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nthOHhoSE58 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 9-10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/377_8.png
Entry created: 2018-11-05 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 379. Nauryzbai Izbasar
Chinese ID: 654122198603211013 (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (23 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: religion
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aigul Turdaken, a Kazakhstan citizen who's been living in Kazakhstan since 2006. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 3|5|7|9|10|11|13: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother)
Testimony 4: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 8: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 12*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
Testimony 14: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Nauryzbai Izbasar worked as an imam.
Address: House No. 28, No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
Kuytun Prison.
When victim was detained Nauryzbai Izbasar organized a birthday party for his daughter on January 31, 2018, using the WeChat group "Lucky Family" as the platform to invite his friends. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced, during which time their relatives were diverted to a government building while the verdicts were read out to the public. The victim was sentenced to 23 years and may have been detained earlier than the others, as his sister reports that he was taken on January 31 (the day of the party).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
The exact number of people impacted by the event is unclear, with some accounts stating that 14 were arrested while others put the number at over 40 (over 20 husband-wife couples, with the women spending around half a year in detention and the men being given prison terms).
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-11262020062659.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nthOHhoSE58 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 7+8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH_mVjqH4Ok Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF_servP6WE Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wx_u8S1TFs Testimony 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeDPB1R7nrE
Entry created: 2018-11-05 Last updated: 2021-05-06 Latest status update: 2021-01-07 381. Bolashak Tursungaly
Chinese ID: 65402219881003??O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aigul Turdaken, a Kazakhstan citizen who's been living in Kazakhstan since 2006. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 3|5|9: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 4: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6|7: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 8: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 11*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Bolashak Tursungaly.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nthOHhoSE58 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 9-10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo
Entry created: 2018-11-05 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 391. Satybaldy Rahymbergen (沙特瓦勒德·热合木别尔肯)
Chinese ID: 654125197908241015 (Kunes)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (22 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|6|7|9: Qalida Aqythan, an elderly Kazakh woman, originally from Kunes County but now a citizen and resident of Kazakhstan. (mother)
Testimony 5: Qalida Aqythan, as reported by Apple Daily. (mother)
Testimony 8: Qalida Aqythan, as reported by The Believer. (mother)
About the victim
Satybaldy Rahymbergen.
Address: 46-1 Second Alley, Qara'agashty Village, Bestobe Township, Kunes County (新源县别斯托别乡喀拉哈西特村二巷046号附1号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was detained on February 17, 2018. At some point, he was sentenced to 22 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Qalida learned about the initial arrest from one of her daughters-in-law. It was later confirmed by the local village administrator, Nurlybek.
Additional information
According to Qalida, the people responsible for her sons' detention are named Meirban and Tasqyn.
In 2019, two journalists travelled to her children's house in China after interviewing her (the testifier) in Kazakhstan. They could not find anybody who was willing to talk to them. Two of her daughters-in-law were prevented from seeing the journalists. After their (journalists') visit, the village administration helped them to complete and decorate their unfinished house. Now they (daughters-in-law) receive 600RMB as a monthly allowance.
Coverage in the Apple Daily: https://uat-xinjiangcamps.appledaily.com/尋親者/阿合提汗-哈利達/全文
---
Qalida's interview to "The Believer" (https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/):
A small hamlet called Karagash is where I was born, in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. A pasture for cattle. My mother died when I was two years old. I heard my father was a party activist, but — let me be frank — I never knew him. After my mother died, my father remarried and forgot all about me. I was sent to live with my mother’s relatives. I lived with them until I was five. Then they didn’t want me either. I lived here and there, with people who knew my mother and took pity on me. An orphan. I’m illiterate, to tell you the truth. There was no one to support my education.
In 1975, when I was twenty-one, I met my husband. He was an orphan like me. His relatives had moved to China during the famine, before he was born. When they moved back to Kazakhstan, he was left behind without anyone. His name was Rakhymbergen Kittybay. He died last year, on September 9.
I was pregnant eight times. My first four pregnancies, including one set of twins, were unsuccessful. Four sons, one daughter — I lost my first five children. Then my son was born. Among Kazakhs, when you have miscarriages, or when babies die one after another, a new child’s life is understood to hang by a thread. So when my son was born, we gave him immediately to our neighbor. The neighbor kept him and fed him for the first week of his life. We refused to see him at all. Then we bought our baby back. We brought presents, clothes, firewood. We passed the presents through our neighbor’s door and took the child back through the window. It worked. After that, I had more children and they all lived. But until our firstborn son was twelve, my husband held him like this—like an egg. He was always hanging on his father’s neck, even when eating. We were so afraid to lose him.
They were difficult times, those early years of our marriage. I would have my son strapped to my back all day while I worked, cutting cornstalks, threshing wheat. My husband did the same. We were sharecroppers. It was backbreaking work. When we had our second child, I would tie them both to a post in the field like sheep so they wouldn’t wander off.
In the '90s, the state allocated some land to us. Only then did we start to live decently. For the first time in our lives, we didn’t go to bed hungry. We planted wheat, corn, soy, sometimes beets for sugar. Our own crops, on our own land. After the border opened, my husband went to Kazakhstan to try to find his family. He managed to find his mother. His father had already died. From then on, he stayed in Kazakhstan to look after her. He would come to China to visit for five or six days at a time, then go back. I was raising my sons alone. His mother didn’t die until 2007, at the age of 103. After my first son who lived, I had three more sons all in a row. The three eldest all work together in construction, building houses from the ground up. The fourth was still a boy when we moved to Kazakhstan, but the elder three all made lives for themselves in Xinjiang. All of them married. In fact, all of them found Uighur wives. It’s true we lived in an area of mostly Uighurs, but there was another reason: We were poor. We had no savings. When you marry a Kazakh girl, you have to pay a dowry. We couldn’t afford it. Uighurs don’t have dowries. So one by one they stole their Uighur wives and we didn’t pay a penny. We bought only their clothes.
When they started arresting people, my three eldest sons were taken first. They took all three on the same day, last February. They lived together in the same village in Kunes. The wife of my second eldest son called me to say they’d been arrested. The next day, she called me again. Mama, she said, they took my sister. Your daughter-in-law. They took Toktygul. They had arrested my eldest son’s wife. But I don’t know [breaks down crying] what happened to my grandchildren. They had five children. I don’t know where they are.
On hearing the news, my husband came down with a migraine. The next day, when our daughter was taken, it got worse. But we decided to wait and see. I told him to hold out. When we hadn’t heard anything by the end of the month, I called the administrator of Karagash, a man by the name of Nurlybek. I asked Nurlybek what had happened to my sons. Where are they? Where is my daughter-in-law? They’re being reeducated, Nurlybek said. He told me my other two daughters-in-law had also been taken to the reeducation camp. They, too, were being reeducated. Political studies was how he described it. I have fourteen grandchildren in China. Some are very young. I asked Nurlybek where they were. Where are my fourteen grandchildren? They are all studying, he said, and hung up.
After that, my husband could no longer walk. He lay in bed. From the end of February, he never walked again. I took care of him. I couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t leave the house. He got weaker and weaker. Months went by. We didn’t tell anyone what had happened to our family. Then, on September 9, 2018, he had a bout of strength and shouted all his sons’ names: Satybaldy! Orazzhan! Akhmetzhan! He turned to me. I am entrusting my sons first to Allah, then to you, he said. As for me, I am finished. He died later that day, at 5:00 p.m.
After he died, I spent ten days at home. I didn’t say a word to anyone. Then I decided to find my children. I came to Atajurt and met with Serikzhan. Others wrote letters for me because I can’t write. The letters explain that my children are gone, and that my husband couldn’t stand to see his sons and daughters taken away. That it had killed him.
Only my youngest son is here in Kazakhstan with me. But even he’s married now, and their apartment is too small for me. I live alone, and I don’t have a pension here, so I have to work. My youngest son helps. He goes in together with a dozen other people to hire a truck to bring vegetables out of China. I take my share and resell them at the bazaar. Cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce greens. I can’t afford a stall. I sit on the street with my carrots and cabbages. But my youngest son is good. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke. He used to drink before, but he gave it up. He has a family to take care of.
Victims among relatives
Tohtigul Memetjan (2541), Tahir Satybaldy (5352), Shayide Satybaldy (5353), Zubair Satybaldy (5354), Muhemmed Satybaldy (5355), Parida Satybaldy (5356), Qaisar Orazzhan (5357), Almira Orazzhan (5358), Qewser Orazzhan (5359), Abubakir Orazzhan (5360), Orazzhan Rahimbergen (392), Mihriay Bahar (5361), Arzu Aqmetzhan (5362), Fatima Aqmetzhan (5363), Halit Aqmetzhan (5364), Sapiya Aqmetzhan (5365), Ahmedzhan Rahymbergen (393), Rahymbergen Quttybai (5366) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwCASoW-XDU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv-NNBUXmoE Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTCN9rQzjVY Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdNIvFD7Nc Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qmZ0btqnN8 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXvC7F1eCtY Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlujNrjxv1Q Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/391_7.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-06 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-06-05 392. Orazzhan Rahimbergen (窝拉孜江·热合木别尔肯)
Chinese ID: 654125198105171011 (Kunes)
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (22 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|6|7|8: Qalida Aqythan, an elderly Kazakh woman, originally from Kunes County but now a citizen and resident of Kazakhstan. (mother)
Testimony 5: Qalida Aqythan, as reported by Apple Daily. (mother)
Testimony 9: Qalida Aqythan, as reported by The Believer. (mother)
About the victim
Orazjan Rahimbergen / 窝拉孜江—热合木别尔肯, Kazakh, born on 17th of May, 1981 Chinese ID no. 654125198105171011. Address: Xinyuan county, Biztobe township, Qaraghasht village 2nd alley 46-1 /新源县别斯托别乡喀拉哈西特村二巷046号附1号
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Detained on February 17th, 2018.
Testimony 8: sentenced to 22 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown
Victim's status in a concentration camp
Testimony 3: no one knows his whereabouts Testimony 7: sentenced to 20 years (Testimony 8: 22 years)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 7: from the head of the No. 8 Dadui, Nurlybek, when the testifier spoke to him on the phone.
Additional information
Arrested on the same day with his brothers Satwalde and Ahmedjan. Kutybai Rahimbergen, his father, died on September 9th 2018 in Kazakhstan, after news of his sons’ arrest severely impacted his health
Testimony 2: the victim's wife, Sharipat, is also in camp
Testimony 4: his kids were at an orphanage while both parents were in detention (his wife Sharipat was released in April 2019, however, and fined 15000RMB - as was his brother Ahmedzhan's wife)
Testimony 4: They've got a reply from the MFA of RK which says that this is the inner affairs of another country as they are not Kazakh citizens and they are not in power of interfering another country's inner affairs.
Coverage in Apple Daily (Testimony 5): https://uat-xinjiangcamps.appledaily.com/尋親者/阿合提汗-哈利達/全文
Testimony 6: according to Qalida, the people responsible for her sons' detention are named Meirban and Tasqyn.
Qalida's interview to "The Believer" (Testimony 9, https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/):
A small hamlet called Karagash is where I was born, in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. A pasture for cattle. My mother died when I was two years old. I heard my father was a party activist, but — let me be frank — I never knew him. After my mother died, my father remarried and forgot all about me. I was sent to live with my mother’s relatives. I lived with them until I was five. Then they didn’t want me either. I lived here and there, with people who knew my mother and took pity on me. An orphan. I’m illiterate, to tell you the truth. There was no one to support my education.
In 1975, when I was twenty-one, I met my husband. He was an orphan like me. His relatives had moved to China during the famine, before he was born. When they moved back to Kazakhstan, he was left behind without anyone. His name was Rakhymbergen Kittybay. He died last year, on September 9.
I was pregnant eight times. My first four pregnancies, including one set of twins, were unsuccessful. Four sons, one daughter — I lost my first five children. Then my son was born. Among Kazakhs, when you have miscarriages, or when babies die one after another, a new child’s life is understood to hang by a thread. So when my son was born, we gave him immediately to our neighbor. The neighbor kept him and fed him for the first week of his life. We refused to see him at all. Then we bought our baby back. We brought presents, clothes, firewood. We passed the presents through our neighbor’s door and took the child back through the window. It worked. After that, I had more children and they all lived. But until our firstborn son was twelve, my husband held him like this—like an egg. He was always hanging on his father’s neck, even when eating. We were so afraid to lose him. They were difficult times, those early years of our marriage. I would have my son strapped to my back all day while I worked, cutting cornstalks, threshing wheat. My husband did the same. We were sharecroppers. It was backbreaking work. When we had our second child, I would tie them both to a post in the field like sheep so they wouldn’t wander off.
In the '90s, the state allocated some land to us. Only then did we start to live decently. For the first time in our lives, we didn’t go to bed hungry. We planted wheat, corn, soy, sometimes beets for sugar. Our own crops, on our own land. After the border opened, my husband went to Kazakhstan to try to find his family. He managed to find his mother. His father had already died. From then on, he stayed in Kazakhstan to look after her. He would come to China to visit for five or six days at a time, then go back. I was raising my sons alone. His mother didn’t die until 2007, at the age of 103.
After my first son who lived, I had three more sons all in a row. The three eldest all work together in construction, building houses from the ground up. The fourth was still a boy when we moved to Kazakhstan, but the elder three all made lives for themselves in Xinjiang. All of them married. In fact, all of them found Uighur wives. It’s true we lived in an area of mostly Uighurs, but there was another reason: We were poor. We had no savings. When you marry a Kazakh girl, you have to pay a dowry. We couldn’t afford it. Uighurs don’t have dowries. So one by one they stole their Uighur wives and we didn’t pay a penny. We bought only their clothes.
When they started arresting people, my three eldest sons were taken first. They took all three on the same day, last February. They lived together in the same village in Kunes. The wife of my second eldest son called me to say they’d been arrested. The next day, she called me again. Mama, she said, they took my sister. Your daughter-in-law. They took Toktygul. They had arrested my eldest son’s wife. But I don’t know [breaks down crying] what happened to my grandchildren. They had five children. I don’t know where they are.
On hearing the news, my husband came down with a migraine. The next day, when our daughter was taken, it got worse. But we decided to wait and see. I told him to hold out. When we hadn’t heard anything by the end of the month, I called the administrator of Karagash, a man by the name of Nurlybek. I asked Nurlybek what had happened to my sons. Where are they? Where is my daughter-in-law? They’re being reeducated, Nurlybek said. He told me my other two daughters-in-law had also been taken to the reeducation camp. They, too, were being reeducated. Political studies was how he described it. I have fourteen grandchildren in China. Some are very young. I asked Nurlybek where they were. Where are my fourteen grandchildren? They are all studying, he said, and hung up.
After that, my husband could no longer walk. He lay in bed. From the end of February, he never walked again. I took care of him. I couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t leave the house. He got weaker and weaker. Months went by. We didn’t tell anyone what had happened to our family. Then, on September 9, 2018, he had a bout of strength and shouted all his sons’ names: Satybaldy! Orazzhan! Akhmetzhan! He turned to me. I am entrusting my sons first to Allah, then to you, he said. As for me, I am finished. He died later that day, at 5:00 p.m.
After he died, I spent ten days at home. I didn’t say a word to anyone. Then I decided to find my children. I came to Atajurt and met with Serikzhan. Others wrote letters for me because I can’t write. The letters explain that my children are gone, and that my husband couldn’t stand to see his sons and daughters taken away. That it had killed him.
Only my youngest son is here in Kazakhstan with me. But even he’s married now, and their apartment is too small for me. I live alone, and I don’t have a pension here, so I have to work. My youngest son helps. He goes in together with a dozen other people to hire a truck to bring vegetables out of China. I take my share and resell them at the bazaar. Cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce greens. I can’t afford a stall. I sit on the street with my carrots and cabbages. But my youngest son is good. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke. He used to drink before, but he gave it up. He has a family to take care of.
Victims among relatives
Tohtigul Memetjan (2541), Satybaldy Rahymbergen (391), Tahir Satybaldy (5352), Shayide Satybaldy (5353), Zubair Satybaldy (5354), Muhemmed Satybaldy (5355), Parida Satybaldy (5356), Qaisar Orazzhan (5357), Almira Orazzhan (5358), Qewser Orazzhan (5359), Abubakir Orazzhan (5360), Mihriay Bahar (5361), Arzu Aqmetzhan (5362), Fatima Aqmetzhan (5363), Halit Aqmetzhan (5364), Sapiya Aqmetzhan (5365), Ahmedzhan Rahymbergen (393), Rahymbergen Quttybai (5366)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwCASoW-XDU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv-NNBUXmoE Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdNIvFD7Nc Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4HNshYlniY Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qmZ0btqnN8 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSwDQY5wV3U Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlujNrjxv1Q Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/392_7.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-06 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-06-05 393. Ahmedzhan Rahymbergen (阿合买提江·热合木别尔肯)
Chinese ID: 654125198406101017 (Kunes)
Basic info
Age: 36 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|5: Qalida Aqythan, an elderly Kazakh woman, originally from Kunes County but now a citizen and resident of Kazakhstan. (mother)
Testimony 4: Qalida Aqythan, as reported by Apple Daily. (mother)
Testimony 6: Qalida Aqythan, as reported by The Believer. (mother)
About the victim
Ahmedzhan Rahymbergen.
Address: 46-1 Second Alley, Qara'agashty Village, Bestobe Township, Kunes County (新源县别斯托别乡喀拉哈西特村二巷046号附1号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was detained on February 17, 2018. It is not clear when he was sentenced.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Presumably serving an 11-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Qalida learned about the initial arrest from one of her daughters-in-law. It was later confirmed by the local village administrator, Nurlybek.
Additional information
According to Qalida, the people responsible for her sons' detention are named Meirban and Tasqyn.
Coverage in Apple Daily: https://uat-xinjiangcamps.appledaily.com/尋親者/阿合提汗-哈利達/全文
---
Qalida's interview to "The Believer" (https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/):
A small hamlet called Karagash is where I was born, in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. A pasture for cattle. My mother died when I was two years old. I heard my father was a party activist, but — let me be frank — I never knew him. After my mother died, my father remarried and forgot all about me. I was sent to live with my mother’s relatives. I lived with them until I was five. Then they didn’t want me either. I lived here and there, with people who knew my mother and took pity on me. An orphan. I’m illiterate, to tell you the truth. There was no one to support my education.
In 1975, when I was twenty-one, I met my husband. He was an orphan like me. His relatives had moved to China during the famine, before he was born. When they moved back to Kazakhstan, he was left behind without anyone. His name was Rakhymbergen Kittybay. He died last year, on September 9.
I was pregnant eight times. My first four pregnancies, including one set of twins, were unsuccessful. Four sons, one daughter — I lost my first five children. Then my son was born. Among Kazakhs, when you have miscarriages, or when babies die one after another, a new child’s life is understood to hang by a thread. So when my son was born, we gave him immediately to our neighbor. The neighbor kept him and fed him for the first week of his life. We refused to see him at all. Then we bought our baby back. We brought presents, clothes, firewood. We passed the presents through our neighbor’s door and took the child back through the window. It worked. After that, I had more children and they all lived. But until our firstborn son was twelve, my husband held him like this—like an egg. He was always hanging on his father’s neck, even when eating. We were so afraid to lose him.
They were difficult times, those early years of our marriage. I would have my son strapped to my back all day while I worked, cutting cornstalks, threshing wheat. My husband did the same. We were sharecroppers. It was backbreaking work. When we had our second child, I would tie them both to a post in the field like sheep so they wouldn’t wander off.
In the '90s, the state allocated some land to us. Only then did we start to live decently. For the first time in our lives, we didn’t go to bed hungry. We planted wheat, corn, soy, sometimes beets for sugar. Our own crops, on our own land. After the border opened, my husband went to Kazakhstan to try to find his family. He managed to find his mother. His father had already died. From then on, he stayed in Kazakhstan to look after her. He would come to China to visit for five or six days at a time, then go back. I was raising my sons alone. His mother didn’t die until 2007, at the age of 103.
After my first son who lived, I had three more sons all in a row. The three eldest all work together in construction, building houses from the ground up. The fourth was still a boy when we moved to Kazakhstan, but the elder three all made lives for themselves in Xinjiang. All of them married. In fact, all of them found Uighur wives. It’s true we lived in an area of mostly Uighurs, but there was another reason: We were poor. We had no savings. When you marry a Kazakh girl, you have to pay a dowry. We couldn’t afford it. Uighurs don’t have dowries. So one by one they stole their Uighur wives and we didn’t pay a penny. We bought only their clothes.
When they started arresting people, my three eldest sons were taken first. They took all three on the same day, last February. They lived together in the same village in Kunes. The wife of my second eldest son called me to say they’d been arrested. The next day, she called me again. Mama, she said, they took my sister. Your daughter-in-law. They took Toktygul. They had arrested my eldest son’s wife. But I don’t know [breaks down crying] what happened to my grandchildren. They had five children. I don’t know where they are.
On hearing the news, my husband came down with a migraine. The next day, when our daughter was taken, it got worse. But we decided to wait and see. I told him to hold out. When we hadn’t heard anything by the end of the month, I called the administrator of Karagash, a man by the name of Nurlybek. I asked Nurlybek what had happened to my sons. Where are they? Where is my daughter-in-law? They’re being reeducated, Nurlybek said. He told me my other two daughters-in-law had also been taken to the reeducation camp. They, too, were being reeducated. Political studies was how he described it. I have fourteen grandchildren in China. Some are very young. I asked Nurlybek where they were. Where are my fourteen grandchildren? They are all studying, he said, and hung up.
After that, my husband could no longer walk. He lay in bed. From the end of February, he never walked again. I took care of him. I couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t leave the house. He got weaker and weaker. Months went by. We didn’t tell anyone what had happened to our family. Then, on September 9, 2018, he had a bout of strength and shouted all his sons’ names: Satybaldy! Orazzhan! Akhmetzhan! He turned to me. I am entrusting my sons first to Allah, then to you, he said. As for me, I am finished. He died later that day, at 5:00 p.m.
After he died, I spent ten days at home. I didn’t say a word to anyone. Then I decided to find my children. I came to Atajurt and met with Serikzhan. Others wrote letters for me because I can’t write. The letters explain that my children are gone, and that my husband couldn’t stand to see his sons and daughters taken away. That it had killed him.
Only my youngest son is here in Kazakhstan with me. But even he’s married now, and their apartment is too small for me. I live alone, and I don’t have a pension here, so I have to work. My youngest son helps. He goes in together with a dozen other people to hire a truck to bring vegetables out of China. I take my share and resell them at the bazaar. Cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce greens. I can’t afford a stall. I sit on the street with my carrots and cabbages. But my youngest son is good. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke. He used to drink before, but he gave it up. He has a family to take care of.
Victims among relatives
Tohtigul Memetjan (2541), Satybaldy Rahymbergen (391), Tahir Satybaldy (5352), Shayide Satybaldy (5353), Zubair Satybaldy (5354), Muhemmed Satybaldy (5355), Parida Satybaldy (5356), Qaisar Orazzhan (5357), Almira Orazzhan (5358), Qewser Orazzhan (5359), Abubakir Orazzhan (5360), Orazzhan Rahimbergen (392), Mihriay Bahar (5361), Arzu Aqmetzhan (5362), Fatima Aqmetzhan (5363), Halit Aqmetzhan (5364), Sapiya Aqmetzhan (5365), Rahymbergen Quttybai (5366)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwCASoW-XDU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv-NNBUXmoE Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdNIvFD7Nc Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qmZ0btqnN8 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/393_5.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-06 Last updated: 2020-10-03 Latest status update: 2021-06-05 396. Zhang Haitao (张海涛)
Chinese ID: 41132219710310??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Aksu Status: sentenced (19 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"inciting subversion", "espionage" Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Li Aijie, as reported by Associated Press. (wife)
Testimony 2: Official incarceration notice, which provides the details about a given inmate's upcoming internment.
Testimony 3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 4: Li Aijie, as reported by Chinese Human Rights Defenders. (wife)
Testimony 5|6|10: Li Aijie, the wife of imprisoned human rights activist Zhang Haitao. She is now in the United States. (wife)
Testimony 7: @aiwu8964, an unverified Twitter account. (acquaintance)
Testimony 8: China Aid, a non-governmental Christian nonprofit which focuses on raising awareness of human rights abuses.
Testimony 9: Li Aijie, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (wife)
About the victim
Zhang Haitao was an electronics salesman and has a high-school education. He was born in Fangcheng County in Nanyang (Henan), but would move to Xinjiang more than a decade ago.
He met his wife, Li Aijie, in November 2014, with the two getting married in the December of the same year. They have a child together.
His address in Urumqi: 6-3-604 Qingshuiwan Gardens Residential Area, 647 Taiyuan Road, Economic and Technology Development District.
His place of household registration: 3 Qiliyuan Village, Qiliyuan Township, Wolong District, Nanyang, Henan. Victim's location
Shayar Prison (沙雅监狱) in Aksu.
When victim was detained
According to his wife, he had been previously detained in his hometown back in 2009 (when he was charged with fraud and locked up in a detention center in Urumqi for 2 months without explanation). In 2014, he'd be taken into custody again for posting material related to the 25th anniversary of the Tian'anmen massacre.
According to the official court verdict, he was again detained on June 27, 2015 by the Urumqi Public Security Bureau and formally arrested on July 31 of the same year, to be held at the XUAR Pre-Trial Detention Center (his wife reported that he was actually detained in February 2015). The XUAR Urumqi People’s Procuratorate filed an indictment against him on December 25, 2015. An open court hearing was held on January 11, 2016, with him being convicted on January 15 (date of the published verdict).
He was transferred to the Shayar Prison in Aksu to serve his sentence on December 2, 2016.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Subversion and espionage" (for criticizing the policies in Xinjiang and talking to foreign reporters between 2010 and 2015, as well as providing photos of street patrols and other security presence in Xinjiang).
Victim's status
Serving a 19-year prison sentence.
According to his wife's tweet in November 2019, he hasn't been allowed to see relatives in 1.5 years, and has been kept in solitary confinement without sunlight or proper ventilation. An acquaintance confirms in a July 2020 tweet that his relatives haven't seen him in 2 years and 3 months now.
His wife also reports that he’s being mistreated even compared to other prisoners: he suffers repeated torture, receives less food, has not been given a walk outside since March 6, 2016 and has been deprived of sleep for periods lasting several days.
There is also the likelihood that he is subjected to forced labor, as the Shayar Tarim Runcheng Farming and Livestock LLC (沙雅塔里木润城农牧有限责任公司) operates out of Shayar Prison.
Zhang Haitao has sent his relatives in Henan a total of four letters from prison - dated December 2, 2018, June 9, 2019, October 6, 2020, and November 5, 2020. The contents are similar, telling his relatives not to visit him in prison, while saying that he is "studying", is "learning traditional Chinese culture", and is in good health.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
His wife was with him while he went through all of the detention and court proceedings, and could later visit him in prison as well. Additional information
AP News coverage: https://apnews.com/7b8cfc93570f4afba2496d232ce09ce8
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/sc-01132021140129.html
Coverage from Weiquan: https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/10/1.html
ChinaAid coverage: https://www.chinaaid.net/2016/08/blog-post_5.html
Coverage of Li Aijie's visit to Shayar Prison: https://www.hrichina.org/chs/zhong-guo-ren-quan-shuang-zhou-kan/li-ai-jie-mo-li-tan-wang-zhang-fu-zha ng-hai-tao-sha-ya-jian-yu
Zhang Haitao's Twitter account: https://twitter.com/xjvisa?lang=en
The victim claimed that his "confessions" were obtained by torture during his first 10 days at the detention house. However, the court dismissed this on the grounds that there were no records of Zhang officially filing any complaints about this to the authorities.
His case was mentioned in a report from Tortoise Media (https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2019/04/15/uighurs/content.html?sig=INMNBA7zzH4bl8chVk3Ko5p xAGqxAmFjLMkq3mwRMcY):
"In today’s Xinjiang, there is no debate on China’s minority policy. One of the few public voices to question Beijing’s policy was Zhang Haitao, a Han Chinese living in Urumqi. “The so-called ethnic or religious problems are basically a human rights problem,” he wrote on social media. “It is shameless that China’s communists act as saviours and declare that they have freed the Uyghurs from poverty.” Zhang was arrested and put on trial. The two quoted sentences were cited as proof of his alleged “incitement to undermine state power”. His sentence: 19 years in prison."
He has also been mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Letter from detention
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/letori_6.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/lettran_6.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/letview.php?no=6
Supplementary materials
Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/xiaomandela/status/1018720904203862016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 6: https://twitter.com/xiaomandela/status/1191630441729576960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 7: https://twitter.com/aiwu8964/status/1279392217291948035?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://shahit.biz/supp/396_1.pdf photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/396_2.png Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/396_5.jpg Entry created: 2018-11-07 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2021-01-13 415. Perhat Mahmut
Chinese ID: 654021196???????O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Azat Mehmut Kashgari, originally from China but having now lived in the United States for over 20 years. (brother)
About the victim
Parhat Mahmut, 56 years old, lives in Ghulja (detailed address in the video testimony). He was sent to concentration camp in the beginning of 2017. On August 2018, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The reason for his arrest probably was he visited USA in 2014 to attend his brother Azat Mahmut's son's wedding.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
In the begging of 2017 sent to concentration camp. On August, 2018 sentenced to prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The reason for his arrest probably is he visited USA in 2014 to attend his brother Azat Mahmut's son's wedding.
Victim's status
Concentration camp in 2017, sentenced to prison on August, 2018.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Probably through other relatives. Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Sulayman Aman (424), Shehide Amanulla (5678), Muhter Mehmetniyaz (418), Hebibulla Metniyaz (5679), Melike Metniyaz (425), Mutellip Muhter (419), Mubarek Muhter (5680), Mehbube Muhter (5681), Shehide Muhter (5682), Ismayil Eli (430), Esidulla Abdulla (5461), Zulpiqar Hakim (5460), Selime Kerim (5462), Ilham Imammemet (5459), Qasimjan Abdukerim (426), Amanulla Metniyaz (423), Juret Mahmut (173), Abdurehim Erkin (413), Ablikim Erkin (414), Pezile Perhat (416), Maynur Mahmut (417), Muhter Mutellip (11138), Sherwan Mutellip (420), Mehpuze Mutellip (421), Shohret Ablet (428), Shawket Ablat (429)
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzXiGQFLl1g
Entry created: 2018-11-10 Last updated: 2020-08-06 Latest status update: 2018-10-23 418. Muhter Mehmetniyaz
Chinese ID: 65410119620608353X (Ghulja City) >> ID number invalid
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Azat Mehmut Kashgari, originally from China but having now lived in the United States for over 20 years. (cousin)
Testimony 2: WGEID submission, a completed form with the details of a missing or detained person, to be sent to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Testimony 3: Nijat Hebibulla, from Ghulja, came to Turkey in 2014 as a student. (nephew)
About the victim
Muhter Mehmetniyaz was a businessman.
Address: Tot Dukan Neighborhood, Ghulja City.
Victim's location
Kunes Prison. [Presumably 新源监狱.]
When victim was detained
According to his nephew, he was originally detained on August 1, 2017, and would later be sentenced to 15 years in prison on May 3, 2019.
[The testimony from Azat Mehmut Kashgari conflicts, as it says that he was sentenced in August 2018. However, this is seen as less reliable as it (a) is part of a batch testimony for very many people, and (b) is from a less direct relative. As such, the nephew's testimony is given priority.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
For having gone to Turkey to see relatives and for having done business in Kazakhstan. Victim's status
Believed to be in prison.
[There is a high likelihood of him being subjected to forced labor, as this practice is documented at Kunes Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Sulayman Aman (424), Shehide Amanulla (5678), Hebibulla Metniyaz (5679), Melike Metniyaz (425), Mutellip Muhter (419), Mubarek Muhter (5680), Mehbube Muhter (5681), Shehide Muhter (5682), Ismayil Eli (430), Esidulla Abdulla (5461), Zulpiqar Hakim (5460), Selime Kerim (5462), Ilham Imammemet (5459), Qasimjan Abdukerim (426), Amanulla Metniyaz (423), Juret Mahmut (173), Abdurehim Erkin (413), Ablikim Erkin (414), Pezile Perhat (416), Maynur Mahmut (417), Perhat Mahmut (415), Muhter Mutellip (11138), Sherwan Mutellip (420), Mehpuze Mutellip (421), Shohret Ablet (428), Shawket Ablat (429)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzXiGQFLl1g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5kLLMGqHJE Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/418_2.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-10 Last updated: 2020-07-31 Latest status update: 2019-12-07 436. Beken Erzhuma
Chinese ID: 65402219????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (19 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3|6: Meiramgul Erbolat, born in 1990, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (niece-in-law)
Testimony 4|9: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5|7: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 8: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 11*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
Testimony 12: Tursynbek Shynzhyrbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative)
About the victim
Beken Erzhuma.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 19 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Beken's mother fell ill after his detention, passing away on December 19, 2020.
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Radio Free Asia mention: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01072021075222.html
Victims among relatives
Muqiat Bozhebai (1371)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGOKMvtwCjY Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5HEJyz_JRU Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMtu1uxQR_o
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 437. Zhanatbek Beksultan (加纳提别克·别克苏力旦)
Chinese ID: 654122198811131018 (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"extremism", "disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2|4|8|10|12|15|16: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (sister)
Testimony 3|5|11: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6|7: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 9: Zhanos Zheniskeldi, born in 1992, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 13: Official incarceration notice, which provides the details about a given inmate's upcoming internment.
Testimony 14*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (sister)
Testimony 17: Tursynbek Shynzhyrbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
About the victim
Zhanatbek Beksultan is a farmer, and a father of two.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
Victim's location
Gaoquan Prison in Kuytun. [Actually, this prison is on the Wusu side of the Wusu-Kuytun border.]
When victim was detained He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. Zhanatbek was taken on February 6.
Judging by the official incarceration notice, he was sentenced to 15 years and transferred to the Gaoquan Prison on June 11, 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
On the official incarceration notice, it says that he was sentenced for "propagating extremism" and "gathering a crowd to disturb public order".
Victim's status
Serving a 15-year sentence.
According to Zhanatbek himself, a week at the prison involves 4 days of work and 2 days of study.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The victim's relatives do not state how they learned of the initial events. Alia later says that some of the information came from relatives and people coming to Kazakhstan, in addition to mentioning that Zhanatbek is able to talk to his relatives for a few minutes each week (in Mandarin) at the prison.
The incarceration notice is an official document from the Xinjiang prison system.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Radio Free Asia mention: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01072021075222.html
Chinese authorities have been pressuring Alia's parents as a result of her campaigning.
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_14.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_14.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=14
Victims among relatives
Sauletbek Beksultan (2185) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnDrEpQRm4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRJRiegGGGE Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plHKTzTF6JI Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVv2f4Rxe08 Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wx_u8S1TFs Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECwKpbmejRE Testimony 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1kDZWimPm4 Testimony 16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvgnIj69UnQ Testimony 17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqEjmkQ-rUo registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/437_13.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 438. Dalelhan Bedithan
Chinese ID: 65402219????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 5: Serikbai Shaimardan, born in 1985, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Dalelhan Bedithan.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was among a group of people who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 13 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 4-5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wx_u8S1TFs
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-01-22 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 439. Altymbek Eminzhan
Chinese ID: 65402219????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2|4|7|9: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 3: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 8: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Altymbek Eminzhan.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 7+8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH_mVjqH4Ok
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 440. Bagdat Koksubai
Chinese ID: 65402219860114??O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2|3|4|6: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 5|7|8: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 9|13: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
Testimony 10: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (relative of friend)
Testimony 11: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (acquaintance)
Testimony 12*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (relative of friend)
About the victim
Bagdat Koksubai.
Address (where he and colleague Nursanat Zhamekbai also worked): No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
Kuytun Prison.
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. Bagdat was taken on February 6.
He was sentenced to 15 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
[There is also a likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at the Kuytun Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
His wife and two children have been left without care.
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-12262019074847.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01072021075222.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR_CmSf8paA Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kELJhpy-i_o Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmupOhwnY2c Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECwKpbmejRE Testimony 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfWdszQXKxE
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 441. Nursanat Zhamekbai
Chinese ID: 6540221987??????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 33-34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3|5|6|7|8: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (cousin)
Testimony 4: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 9: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (acquaintance)
Testimony 10*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Nursanat Zhamekbai.
Address (and place of work): No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
Unclear which prison he is being held at, as one testimony reports him as being in Kuytun while another in Wusu City. [It is possible that he is at the Gaoquan Prison compound on the Wusu-Kuytun border, however, as another person involved in the same case was sent there.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years [according to most recent reports] on April 6, 2018.
[In a Radio Free Asia report, an anonymous acquaintance says that he was taken to camp in early 2017 for having prayed at a mosque, and then sentenced to 14 years in June. It is not clear if this is a contradiction, a mistake, or a supplement. It is not impossible that there is a mistake in the year.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
According to the Radio Free Asia report, it was for having prayed at a mosque.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
Quandyk Nursapa mentions that he's in forced labor in Kuytun.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-12262019074847.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kELJhpy-i_o Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtF7gBkVTiI Testimony 8: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/100012011741023/videos /579287229148330/&show_text=1&width=300
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 442. Erzat Aqan
Chinese ID: 65402219????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2|4|8: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 3: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5|6: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 7: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 9: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Erzat Aqan.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 443. Baiashat Bagdaulun
Chinese ID: 65402219????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Baiashat Bagdaulun.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was among a group of people who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 13 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-01-22 Latest status update: 2018-10-08 445. Amirden Erkinzhan
Chinese ID: 65402219????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Aidunur Toqsunbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (friend of relative)
Testimony 2|4: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 3: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (relative of friend)
Testimony 5*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (relative of friend)
About the victim
Amirden Erkinzhan.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was among a group of people who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 4 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".] Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvB19pi5s4g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2021-01-22 Latest status update: 2018-11-29 447. Gulmire Imin (古丽米拉·依明)
Chinese ID: 65290119780124??E? (Aksu)
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism", revealing "state secrets", "disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
Testimony 2: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (colleague)
Testimony 4: Behtiyar Omer, as reported by Committee to Protect Journalists. (husband)
Testimony 5: Behtiyar Omer, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (husband)
Testimony 6: Letter from the Chinese government, providing an official reply regarding a certain query or issue.
Testimony 7: China Central Television, the predominant state-owned television network in Mainland China.
About the victim
Gulmire Imin was a writer, website moderator, and government worker, originally from Aksu City. In 2000, she graduated from the Chinese-Uyghur translation department of Xinjiang University and started to work for a subdistrict committee in Aksu that the same year (in Aksu).
She contributed poetry and short stories to the cultural Uyghur-language website "Salqin", which she was invited to moderate in late spring 2009. Following her detention, she was awarded the Hellman/Hammett prize for her efforts to promote freedom of expression by Human Rights Watch in 2012.
Victim's location
The Xinjiang Women’s Prison.
When victim was detained
Arrested on July 14, 2009. Sentenced to life in prison on April 1, 2010, after being tried along with five others.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Authorities accused Imin of being an organizer of the demonstrations on July 5, 2009, and of using the Uyghur-language website to distribute information about the event (according to Radio Free Asia, more than 100 forum moderators who worked with Salqin were arrested because of July 5). In an offical reply regarding Imin's case, the authorities said that she had taken orders from the World Uyghur Congress to distribute information about the Shaoguan incident.
According to readers who talked to RFA, Imin had been critical of the government in her online writing. The website was shut down after the riots and its contents were deleted.
"Splittism, leaking state secrets, and organizing an illegal demonstration" (Articles 103, 111, and 296 of China’s Criminal Law) constituted the charges against her during her closed trial.
Victim's status
Presumably still serving a life sentence. Current health status unclear.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Some of the testimonies come from people who attended the victim's trial and are therefore eyewitnesses.
One corroboration of the victim's life sentence comes from a government employee who was a colleague of the victim and would presumably have relatively direct knowledge of her situation.
It is not completely clear how her husband got news of her situation.
The CCTV report about the victim and the official letter reply to the United Nations are essentially official government sources.
Additional information
Prior to her sentencing, Imin was forced to make false statements on state television about her actions and the actions of her husband, who was living in Norway. She alleges she was tortured and forced to sign documents while in detention, and couldn't meet with her lawyer before the trial.
Various publicly available reports mentioning the victim's case:
- https://uhrp.org/political-prisoners-2014/gulmire-imin - http://www.refworld.org/docid/586cb8e013.html - https://cpj.org/data/people/gulmire-imin/index.php - https://www.uscirf.gov/gulmira-imin - https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-08082010190802.html - http://www.wan-ifra.org/articles/2014/04/24/gulmire-imin-china-jailed-since-july-2009 - http://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/?p=9898 - http://www.observatori.org/paises/pais_81/documentos/asa170272010en.pdf - https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/tepsili_xewer/gulmire-imin-07102012133206.html - https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Her case was also featured in Fortune: https://fortune.com/2020/10/01/most-urgent-cases-women-journalists-ranked-october-2020/
Official communication(s)
Source: Chinese Government (branch unclear)
------
The United Nations Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's letter concerning Gulmire Imin [G/SO 218/2] has been received. The Chinese government has diligently investigated the facts surrounding the letter, and the reply is as follows:
Gulmire Imin, female, Uyghur, born on January 24, 1977, from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’s Aksu Prefecture, residing in Urumqi, studied culture as an undergraduate at university, previously the deputy director of the Riyue Xingguang Neighborhood Administration, Dongmen Subdistrict, Tianshan District, Urumqi.
On June 26, 2009, there was a conflict at a toy manufacturing plant in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province between workers from Xinjiang and other workers, resulting in the deaths of two Xinjiang workers. After the event, the webmasters - including Gulmire - of the Uyghur-language website “Salqin” acted on the instructions of the World Uyghur Congress to disseminate videos of the event, together with inflammatory speech, on its discussion forums and via its social networking tools. They also actively organized, planned, and directed the July 5 illegal gathering and activities aimed at stirring up trouble, bringing about the criminal acts of vandalism, robbery, and arson that took place in Urumqi. Gulmire actively participated in the abovementioned activities, and reported overseas both the plans for the disruptive activity as well as the developments on the scene, thereby attempting to support overseas separatist forces. After the incident, Gulmire was detained by the public safety bureau according to the law.
On April 1, 2010, the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court heard Gulmire's case according to the law, and issued the following judgment: Gulmire participated in and organized, planned, and carried out the "July 5" incident, causing extremely severe and harmful societal consequences, violating Paragraph 1 of Article 103 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, with her actions constituting the crime of splitting the state. Given Gulmire's primary responsibility/role in the July 5, 2009 organization of illegal gathering and activity to stir up trouble, and the great subjective malice, it follows that she should be severely punished, being sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of political rights. Gulmire refused to comply and appealed. Following the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region High People's Court’s second-instance retrial of the case, the court decided to dismiss the appeal and uphold the original sentence.
In hearing this case, the local courts strictly followed the relevant provisions of the Chinese Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure, with Gulmire entrusting a lawyer to defend her. During the trial, the court fully guaranteed the defendant’s litigation rights; in addition to the defendant's own right of legal defense, the defense lawyer also put forth the defense’s views to the fullest. During the trial, Gulmire's family arrived in court to listen.
From September 2010 to the present, Gulmire Imin has been serving her sentence at the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Women's Prison, and is in good physical condition.
The Chinese government sincerely provides the entirety of the above text for entry into the relevant UN documents.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 7 (1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a0kN7E4GlA Testimony 7 (2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaObRk6h7jY Testimony 7 (3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlg6sI7-3qA photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/447_4.jpg official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_447.png
Entry created: 2018-11-11 Last updated: 2020-06-11 Latest status update: 2018-10-11 477. Ablajan Hebibulla (阿布拉江·依不布拉木)
Chinese ID: 65400219540801??O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 66 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uzbek Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3|5|6: Mehbube Abla, originally from Ghulja City, but now living in Austria. (daughter)
Testimony 2: Mewlude Abla, originally from Ghulja City, but now living in Norway. (daughter)
Testimony 4: Mehbube Abla, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (daughter)
Testimony 7: Mehbube Abla, as reported by Global Voices. (daughter)
About the victim
Ablajan Hebibulla used to run a shop that sold imported goods.
Chinese passport: G33761953.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as he has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was detained (at home) in October 2017, but it was unclear where he was kept. In October-November 2019, the family got news that he had been sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
[Presumably] in prison serving an 8-year sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Global Voices coverage: https://globalvoices.org/2020/12/04/dont-come-back-or-you-will-disappear-uyghur-mother-pleads-with-h er-daughter-abroad/
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/qanun/uyghur-weziyiti-07182018142844.html
The victim was also included in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Victims among relatives
Peyzohre Omerjan (478), Adiljan Ablajan (479), Gulbahar Eysa (6648), Shepqet Tohtasun (3384)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1EwRWt-8Vw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jjOk9HZ8RY Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwHOvZBirPA Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ7Q9WpaT4g Testimony 2: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/mavli.abdula/videos/2064 192526950746/&show_text=1&width=450 Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/477_4.png
Entry created: 2018-11-13 Last updated: 2021-04-13 Latest status update: 2021-04-06 478. Peyzohre Omerjan (拍孜佐合热·依麦尔江)
Chinese ID: 65400219580320??E? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 63 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (19 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3|5|6|7: Mehbube Abla, originally from Ghulja City, but now living in Austria. (daughter)
Testimony 2: Mewlude Abla, originally from Ghulja City, but now living in Norway. (daughter)
Testimony 4: Mehbube Abla, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (daughter)
Testimony 8: Mehbube Abla, as reported by Global Voices. (daughter)
About the victim
Peyzohre Omerjan was a tailor.
Chinese passport: G33760594.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as she has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was taken from home on September 5, 2017 and put in camp, held in the same facility as her son, Adiljan, not far from their home. In June 2018, she was reportedly given a 20-year sentence and transferred to a women's prison in Ghulja City [presumably the Ili Women's Prison]. However, this sentence was voided in October 2018 and she was returned to camp. In October-November 2019, the family heard that she had been taken out of camp and re-sentenced, now being given 19 years.
On August 29, 2020, Mehbube reported that she "received greetings" from her mother, without specifying how these greetings were transmitted, and if her mother contacted her directly or not.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
--- Victim's status
[Presumably] in prison serving a 19-year sentence.
Mehbube's aunt is reportedly paying 300-400RMB [presumably per month] for Peyzohre's food and clothing in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Mehbube generally does not state how she learned the various details regarding her family's detention. However, her aunt did call Mehbube's sister in Norway to tell her that she had visited Peyzohre in prison, that Peyzohre was allowed visits twice a month, and that she was "doing fine". (Mehbube believes that the aunt was forced to call them as part of an attempt by the Chinese authorities to put a stop to her activism. The first thing that the aunt said was: "Don't ask me anything - just listen to what I have to say." The call from the aunt came just after a period when Mehbube had been very active on social media [campaigning for her family].)
However, she does report receiving "greetings" from her mother in August 2020 [though it's not stated how she received them].
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/qanun/uyghur-weziyiti-07182018142844.html
Global Voices feature: https://globalvoices.org/2020/12/04/dont-come-back-or-you-will-disappear-uyghur-mother-pleads-with-h er-daughter-abroad/
The victim was also included in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
[There is a high likelihood that she was subjected to forced labor while at the Ili Women's Prison, as this practice has been documented there.]
Victims among relatives
Ablajan Hebibulla (477), Adiljan Ablajan (479), Gulbahar Eysa (6648), Shepqet Tohtasun (3384)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1EwRWt-8Vw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jjOk9HZ8RY Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwHOvZBirPA Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ7Q9WpaT4g Testimony 2: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/mavli.abdula/videos/2064 192526950746/&show_text=1&width=450 Testimony 5: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/mahbuba.abla/posts/3229 271170441437&show_text=true&width=300 Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/478_4.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/478_5.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-13 Last updated: 2021-04-13 Latest status update: 2021-04-06 479. Adiljan Ablajan (阿迪里江·阿布拉江)
Chinese ID: 654101198908300277 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyg-Uzb Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"problematic thoughts", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3|5|6|7: Mehbube Abla, originally from Ghulja City, but now living in Austria. (sister)
Testimony 2: Mewlude Abla, originally from Ghulja City, but now living in Norway. (sister)
Testimony 4: Mehbube Abla, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (sister)
Testimony 8: Mehbube Abla, as reported by Global Voices. (sister)
About the victim
Adiljan Ablajan was a car salesman, often buying cars in inner China and selling them in Ghulja. He is married and has a daughter.
Address: 7 Sixth Alley, Fazhanxiang Street, Ghulja City, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁市发展乡街六巷7号).
Victim's location
A prison in Ghulja.
When victim was detained
He was originally detained (at home) on April 15, 2017 and taken to a camp (the same as his mother, not far from their home), before being sentenced to 20 years in June 2018 and transferred to Kunes Prison. However, on October 1, 2018, the family heard that the sentence had been voided and that he was sent back to camp. In October-November 2019, they heard that he had again been released from camp and now given a 5-year sentence.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
For "having poisonous religious thoughts". Victim's status
[Presumably] serving a 5-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Global Voices coverage: https://globalvoices.org/2020/12/04/dont-come-back-or-you-will-disappear-uyghur-mother-pleads-with-h er-daughter-abroad/
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/qanun/uyghur-weziyiti-07182018142844.html
The victim was also included in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
A post by a Chinese car seller about Adiljan buying a new car from them (in 2015, presumably): http://archive.is/tlUeW
[There is a high likelihood of him having been subjected to forced labor while at Kunes Prison, as this practice has been documented there.]
His wife was also sent to camp.
Victims among relatives
Peyzohre Omerjan (478), Ablajan Hebibulla (477), Gulbahar Eysa (6648), Shepqet Tohtasun (3384)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1EwRWt-8Vw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jjOk9HZ8RY Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzK12MtCzuA Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwHOvZBirPA Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ7Q9WpaT4g Testimony 2: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/mavli.abdula/videos/2064 192526950746/&show_text=1&width=450 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/479_4.png during a car deal in inner China: https://shahit.biz/supp/479_5.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-13 Last updated: 2021-04-13 Latest status update: 2021-04-06 485. Zhenishan Zhanbyrbai (吉鲁斯汗·加布里巴依)
Chinese ID: 652701198609011716 (Bortala)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Testimony 1|4|5|6|11|19: Zhanabil Zhan'byrbai, residing in Kazakhstan since 2015, born in 1989. (brother)
Testimony 2: Orazbek Alimbek, born in 1983, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3|8: Nauathan Zhaqyp, born in Xinjiang in 1962 but now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (mother)
Testimony 7: Ulbolsyn Orazbai, now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 9: Tursyngazy Seithan, born in 1975, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 10|12: Ziliqa Qanabek, a resident of Kazakhstan, born in 1962. (aunt)
Testimony 13: Toqsan Zhenishan, born in 2010 and living in Kazakhstan. (son)
Testimony 14|15|18: Zhan'byrbai Qanabek, a resident of Kazakhstan, born in 1963. (father)
Testimony 16|20: Nauathan Zhaqyp, as reported by Radio Azattyq. (mother)
Testimony 17: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
About the victim
Zhenishan Zhanbyrbai was a livestock farmer and the main source of financial support for his family. After moving to Kazakhstan, he bought a house there.
He is married to Baqytgul Rahymbek, and the couple have two sons together.
Reported address: 40 Urhan Road, Chyndelhotgor Village, Shoiynpan Municipality, Bortala City (博乐市小营盘镇青得里浩特呼尔村乌尔汗路40号). [However, on an official Bortala City website, he and his wife are listed as being from Donzhar Village in Araltogai Farm (阿热勒托海牧场多尼吉尔村).] Kazakhstan residence permit: 041373504.
Victim's location
Previously reported to be in a prison approximately 9 kilometers from Bortala City (popularly known as 九公里 - literally, "9 kilometers").
However, in a more recent testimony, his brother reported him as being in a prison in Shihezi.
When victim was detained
Detained sometime in December 2017 - January 2018, and sentenced to 6 years of prison a few months later.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
For praying, according to his father.
Victim's status
In prison serving a 6-year sentence [according to a number of testimonies, though the Radio Free Asia report says 8 years].
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
The victim's son - Yqsan Zhenishan (9, as of February 2020) - is said to be having difficulties with his studies following his father's arrest. He is also in a difficult position since both his parents, as well as his brother (Luqpan Zhenishan), are now in China.
According to his brother Zhanabil, he was detained together with about 20 other young men. The person responsible for detaining them was the head of the village (an ethnic Mongol, according to Zhanabil).
The victim and his wife are listed as among the families having received a 3000RMB reward from the city of Bortala for having no more than two children: http://archive.is/IXYkV
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10072019063854.html
Azattyq coverage: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhs-china-muslims-xinjiang/30389193.html
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Victims among relatives Qanigul Qanabek (487), Duisenbek Ahmethan (2008), Lazzat Qanabek (486), Baqytgul Rahymbek (5934), Muslima Duisenbek (5935), Zaikia Duisenbek (8081)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB2R8zDHYRI Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NKA4mpS1vU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07EtFo_APpA Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9VVau_QcZo Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvRNIWoBJEw Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fven-EYxp4U Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFXqSwJz6z0 Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrgt2mx9LEk Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-BDUu2v9gA Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeWxMSa5BfM Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0mU0ubg1GY Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhqHQQlttbU Testimony 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBZsEEW1GBQ Testimony 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwlH1s3S9U4 Testimony 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxrUdZ1hXXo Testimony 16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iij60hJ9lLM Testimony 18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bje-TaVK9Q Testimony 19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YISqqwlcRvc testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/485_17.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/485_19.png
Entry created: 2018-11-14 Last updated: 2020-10-25 Latest status update: 2021-03-28 486. Lazzat Qanabek
Chinese ID: 65272219820427??E? (Jing)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|7|12: Zhanabil Zhan'byrbai, residing in Kazakhstan since 2015, born in 1989. (nephew)
Testimony 4: Nauathan Zhaqyp, born in Xinjiang in 1962 but now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 5: Tursyngazy Seithan, born in 1975, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6|8: Ziliqa Qanabek, a resident of Kazakhstan, born in 1962. (sister)
Testimony 9: Zhan'byrbai Qanabek, a resident of Kazakhstan, born in 1963. (brother)
Testimony 10: Talpyn Zhastar, a human rights organization in Almaty that operated briefly in mid-2019.
Testimony 11: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
About the victim
Lazzat Qanabek is a housewife and has two children.
Address: Daheyanzi (Taqiya) Township, Jing County, Bortala Prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Lazzat went to China in August 2016, with authorities confiscating her passport.
At some point between May and October 2017 (testimonies differ), she was arrested and would spend 16 months in a camp, prior to being sentenced to 8-10 years (testimonies differ) in prison. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Keeping a Qur'an at home, according to her nephew.
Victim's status
Presumably serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Authorities have sent one of Lazzat's daughters to an orphanage, while relatives are taking care of her other daughter.
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10072019063854.html
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Victims among relatives
Zhenishan Zhanbyrbai (485), Qanigul Qanabek (487), Duisenbek Ahmethan (2008), Baqytgul Rahymbek (5934), Muslima Duisenbek (5935), Zaikia Duisenbek (8081)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB2R8zDHYRI Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9VVau_QcZo Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvRNIWoBJEw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrgt2mx9LEk Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-BDUu2v9gA Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeWxMSa5BfM Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0mU0ubg1GY Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhqHQQlttbU Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwlH1s3S9U4 Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YISqqwlcRvc Testimony 10: https://twitter.com/TalpynZ/status/1147627322327097346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/486_11.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-14 Last updated: 2020-12-18 Latest status update: 2020-02-05 487. Qanigul Qanabek
Chinese ID: 65270119791129??E? (Bortala)
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: culinary
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3|4|8|14: Zhanabil Zhan'byrbai, residing in Kazakhstan since 2015, born in 1989. (nephew)
Testimony 2: Orazbek Alimbek, born in 1983, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 5: Nauathan Zhaqyp, born in Xinjiang in 1962 but now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 6: Tursyngazy Seithan, born in 1975, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 7|9: Ziliqa Qanabek, a resident of Kazakhstan, born in 1962. (sister)
Testimony 10|12: Zhan'byrbai Qanabek, a resident of Kazakhstan, born in 1963. (brother)
Testimony 11: Talpyn Zhastar, a human rights organization in Almaty that operated briefly in mid-2019.
Testimony 13: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
About the victim
Qanigul Qanibekqyzy, born on November 29, 1979. Ran a cafeteria in Bortala city. Had been to Kazakhstan once.
Address: Bortala City, Bortala.
Victim's location
Testimony 12: believed to be in a prison in Kashgar
When victim was detained earlier + Testimony 9+10: March 2017
Testimony 5+8: May 2017 Testimony 6: She was detained on April 20, 2017.
Testimony 11: went to China in August 2016 and had her passport confiscated. She later was taken to camp, where she spent 2 years before being given an 8-year sentence.
Likely (or given) reason for detention no reason
Victim's status earlier: Imprisoned for 10 years.
Testimony 6+8: sentenced to 8 years.
Testimony 10: Sentenced to 8 or 10 years.
Testimony 13: Sentenced to 10 years.
Testimony 14: she was sentenced to 8 years according to one source and 10 to another.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 13): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10072019063854.html
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Victims among relatives
Zhenishan Zhanbyrbai (485), Duisenbek Ahmethan (2008), Lazzat Qanabek (486), Baqytgul Rahymbek (5934), Muslima Duisenbek (5935), Zaikia Duisenbek (8081)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB2R8zDHYRI Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NKA4mpS1vU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9VVau_QcZo Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvRNIWoBJEw Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrgt2mx9LEk Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-BDUu2v9gA Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeWxMSa5BfM Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0mU0ubg1GY Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhqHQQlttbU Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwlH1s3S9U4 Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDlnw4SnlFM Testimony 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YISqqwlcRvc Testimony 11: https://twitter.com/TalpynZ/status/1147628957883338758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/487_13.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-14 Last updated: 2020-03-31 Latest status update: 2020-02-05 548. Baiashat Baidaulet
Chinese ID: 654022198710????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 33 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|3|11: Zhaidar Yembergen, a Kazakhstan citizen, came to Kazakhstan in 2008. (cousin)
Testimony 4|8: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5|6: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 7: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 9: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Baiashat Baidaulet.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
At a prison in Kuytun City.
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. Baiashat was taken on February 6.
He was sentenced to 13 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnDrEpQRm4 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs Testimony 8-9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yq9cPU4CRs
Entry created: 2018-11-16 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 549. Erganat Nurtaza
Chinese ID: 65402219890819??O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|3: Zhaidar Yembergen, a Kazakhstan citizen, came to Kazakhstan in 2008. (cousin)
Testimony 4|7|9: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 8: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10: Serikbai Shaimardan, born in 1985, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 11*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Erganat Nurtaza.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnDrEpQRm4 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 8+9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH_mVjqH4Ok Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wx_u8S1TFs
Entry created: 2018-11-16 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 590. Kamza Salymkozho
Chinese ID: 6540261958??????O? (Mongghulkure)
Basic info
Age: 60-61 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kyrgyz Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Testimony 1|4|7: Beishekan Kamza, originally from Shaty Township in Mongolkure County, she moved to Kyrgyzstan in 2015 and has obtained Kyrgyz citizenship. (daughter)
Testimony 2: Tursun'ali Uson, born in 1968, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3: Nurzhamila Salymkozho, born in 1978, now residing in Central Asia. (sister)
Testimony 5: Talpyn Zhastar, a human rights organization in Almaty that operated briefly in mid-2019.
Testimony 6: Gulnur Qosdaulet, born in 1972, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 8: Committee in Support of the Chinese Kyrgyz, a Kyrgyzstan grassroots movement that existed briefly in late 2018 and early 2019.
About the victim
Qamza Salimqozhauly is a 65-year-old herder, who was sentenced to 15 years. He's from Shaty Township (夏特柯尔克孜族乡) in Mongolkure (Zhaosu) County.
Victim's location
[unclear, as sentenced]
When victim was detained
March 17, 2017
Testimony 3: First sent to concentration camp in March 2017. He was sentenced to 15 years later.
Testimony 5: Detained by local police on March 24, 2017, held in a camp for a year, and then sentenced to 15 years. Testimony 7: the family was originally told that he'd only be in "re-education" for 3 days
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 4: maybe because he prays
Testimony 6: praying
Testimony 7: having a Quran at home and praying
Victim's status either prison or concentration camp (testimonies differ on this)
Testimony 6: sentenced to 17 years
Testimony 7: sentenced to 15 years
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
This victim is included in the list provided by the Committee in Support of the Chinese Kyrgyz (Testimony 8): http://shahit.biz/supp/list_001.pdf
Victims among relatives
Makbal Kamza (591)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1Ml5omB1bE Testimony 2 (1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJihuc1Vujg Testimony 2 (2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qDWZzS-qoA Testimony 2 (3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN-6-fsgQ4Q Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYZ8NKjUTOI Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOgIQxA0g-U Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FlLGgxikTw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/TalpynZ/status/1147629751638667264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 7: https://shahit.biz/supp/590_9.mp4
Entry created: 2018-11-17 Last updated: 2020-08-02 Latest status update: 2019-09-20 620. Muhemmedimin Rozimuhemmed
Chinese ID: 6532????????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Rozimuhemmed Nurehmet, an Uyghur now living abroad. (father)
About the victim
Muhemedimin Rozimuhemed, living in Hotan, spent 2 months in re-education camp and sentenced to prison on March 2017.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Unclear
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unclear
Victim's status
Probably prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Did not state, but probably through others
Additional information
--- Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzPRFlNOpmc
Entry created: 2018-11-17 Last updated: 2020-08-06 Latest status update: 2018-10-24 644. Abdulla Memet (阿卜杜拉·麦麦提)
Chinese ID: 6528011998??????O? (Korla)
Basic info
Age: 22-23 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: other
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Hebibe Omer, originally from Korla but now living in Turkey. (cousin)
Testimony 3|5: Abdurahman Memet, a university student in Istanbul. (brother)
Testimony 4: WGEID submission, a completed form with the details of a missing or detained person, to be sent to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. (sibling)
About the victim
Abdulla Memet.
Address: Bostan Neighborhood, Korla City.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Abdulla was arrested after being called in by police for questioning on March 1, 2014. In September 2014, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He was 16 years old at the time.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Listening to religious content on WeChat and having the Quran on his phone.
Victim's status
[Presumably serving his prison sentence.] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Hebibe mentions that her family had been under increased surveillance following an incident she had with the police when she was little (because of an East Turkistan flag).
Victims among relatives
Zeynepgul Omer (640), Mubarek Abduqadir (4931), Abduqadir Abdukirem (4338), Zeynepgul Abdukirem (5852), Abdugheni Abduqadir (4932), Abduqeyyum Abduqadir (4339), Memetabdullah Omer (643), Ebeydulla Omer (641), Ehmetjan Memet (642)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDOoT8U29A0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_0P0wSQ0Os Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/magfire_emin/status/1342169767336153091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/KampMagdurlar/status/1346737759474614277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/644_3.png
Entry created: 2018-11-18 Last updated: 2021-03-20 Latest status update: 2021-02-09 730. Atikem Tursun
Chinese ID: 652923199???????E? (Kucha)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Gulnisa Memet, originally from Kucha County. In early 2016, she came to Turkey, at a time when the Xinjiang authorities were encouraging people to apply for passports. (mother)
About the victim
Atikem Tursun is from Aksu.
DOB: 1994 (give/take 1 year).
Victim's location
No. 2 Area of the Xinjiang No. 2 (Women's) Prison.
When victim was detained
Arrested on May 25, 2014, after which she'd be kept in a detention center for nine months, before being given a 9-year sentence and transferred the women's prison in Urumqi.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Possibly because her family was overseas.
Victim's status
In prison, sentenced to 9 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Relatives informed her of the arrest.
Additional information ---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVV55Eqrnnk Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j22ZXAP3Sk
Entry created: 2018-11-22 Last updated: 2020-11-26 Latest status update: 2020-03-10 745. Yusup Niyaz (玉素甫·尼牙孜)
Chinese ID: 652925197708050013 (Toksu)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tumshuq Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2*|3|4*: Memet'eli Niyaz, originally from Toqsu, Aksu but now residing in Germany. (brother)
Testimony 5: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Yusup Niyaz ran a print shop.
Victim's location
A jail in Tumshuq. [Presumably the Third Division Prison, as this is the only known prison in Tumshuq.]
When victim was detained
Yusup was first detained in the beginning of 2015. For a year, there was no news about him.
In February 2016, he was sentenced formally, originally to 4 years. At some point, this sentence was extended to 8 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Previously believed to be "disclosing state secrets".
However, Memet'eli later heard that the actual reason was "falsifying, altering, or buying/selling official government documents, identification, or seals" (伪造、变造、买卖国家机关公文、证件、印章罪), which was a result of him assisting with a photo for a new marriage certificate of a man who was already married. After the person trying to marry a second time was found out, he gave the names of all who had assisted him (under duress, the victim's family suspects), which resulted in Yusup being charged as well.
Victim's status Believed to be serving a prison sentence.
[It is likely that the victim has been subjected to forced labor at the Tumshuq Prison, as the existence of "labor-skills workshops" has been documented at the facility.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
From relatives.
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Heyrigul Niyaz (744), Yaqup Niyaz (746)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UVsj8fJHwU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzR_xP8xgiE photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/745_2.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/745_3.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-23 Last updated: 2020-08-05 Latest status update: 2021-04-07 870. Rozihaji Zunun (如则阿吉·祖农)
Chinese ID: 653121197510013534 (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"problematic thoughts" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|3|4*|5|6|7|8: Reyhangul Tohti, originally from Aksu but now living in Belgium. (wife)
About the victim
Rozaji Zunun. He is a businessman.
Testimony 6: his address is No.9 Group, Yegiawat Township, Konasheher County, Kashgar Prefecture.
Testimony 7 address: Kashgar, Konasheher, Yengi Osteng (英吾斯塘乡), Yengqash village (英乃喀什村), block 8, number 1
Victim's location earlier: A camp in Kashgar.
Testimony 8: prison in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
Feb 10th, 2017, taken to camp.
Testimony 8: in early November 2020, the testifier reported hearing that he had been sentenced to 10 years and was now in a prison in Urumqi.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 5: having "incorrect thoughts" (Uyghur: kallisida mesile bar)
Victim's status
Re-education camp, however the testifier mentions that she has been unable to learn anything of her husband's situation. Testimony 8: sentenced and in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? from family
Additional information
Reyhangul has no contact with anyone for past 2 years.
Victims among relatives
Tursun Qurban (867), Aytursun Qurban (865), Yasinjan Tohti (866), Gulnur Tohti (4995), Abdullah Yasin (5077), Hebibulla Yasin (5078), Amine Yasin (5079), Teyibbe Yasin (5080), Sherinay Yasin (5076), Nurimangul Tohti (871), Ehmetjan Ghoja (872), Patimem Ehmet (5081), Salihe Ehmet (5082), Sidiqhaji Zunun (1604), Mukerem Tursun (6505), Hebibulla Tursun (6506), Intizar Parhat (873)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5XmNq5PMcA Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwjWCH7UOoc Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nElT7JWc6Rs Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxhVmD2WB4Y Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh3WAzZNtKk Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcyv2pLA-c Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xawtTrBcH4k Testimony 4 (direct, Uyghur): https://shahit.biz/supp/870_4.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/870_8.png
Entry created: 2018-11-26 Last updated: 2020-12-02 Latest status update: 2020-11-02 899. Ilham Tohti (伊力哈木·土赫提)
Chinese ID: 65300119691025??O? (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism", "inciting ethnic hatred" Health status: --- Profession: scholar
Testifying party
Testimony 1: New York Times, a major news outlet based in the United States.
Testimony 2: Sydney Morning Herald, a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Testimony 3: The Guardian, a British daily newspaper.
Testimony 4|5|6|12: Radio Free Asia Uyghur, the Uyghur-language service of Radio Free Asia.
Testimony 7|10: Jewher Ilham, the daughter of Ilham Tohti. She now resides in the United States. (daughter)
Testimony 8: Hu Jia, a Chinese human rights activist. (acquaintance)
Testimony 9: Li Fangping, as reported by South China Morning Post. (lawyer)
Testimony 11: Li Fangping, as reported by RTHK. (lawyer)
Testimony 13: BBC, a British public service broadcaster.
Testimony 14: World Uyghur Congress, an international organization of exiled Uyghur groups.
Testimony 15: Guzelnur Eli, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (wife)
Testimony 16: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 17: Li Fangping, the lawyer of Ilham Tohti. (lawyer)
Testimony 18: Official arrest notice, provided following the formal arrest of a suspect in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim Ilham Tohti was a prominent Uyghur economist, writer, and professor at the Minzu University of China in Beijing.
He has long been a well-known advocate for the respect of Uyghurs' rights and the rule of law in Xinjiang, and was considered as a moderate voice promoting dialogue between the Han and Uyghur. In 2006, he created the website Uyghur Online ("Uyghur Biz"), which tackled social issues in Uyghur and Chinese and was designed to promote understanding between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. However, the creation of the website seems to have marked the start of the harassment from the authorities, and the website was later shut down.
He has won the 2014 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award and was awarded the Martin Ennals Award for human rights in 2016, as well as the Liberal International’s Prize for Freedom in the Hague in 2017. In 2019, he was announced as the recipient of the seventh Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize, and was awarded the Sakharov prize in late October of the same year.
Victim's location
The Xinjiang No. 1 Prison in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
In March 26, 2009, he was warned by the police not to speak to foreign media.
He was initially arrested and detained for over a month in July 2009, following the ethnic unrest in Urumqi.
In 2011, his class on the social politics of Xinjiang was cancelled by the Minzu University. In February 2, 2013, he and his daughter were detained at the Beijing Airport. While his daughter was later allowed to board the intended flight to the US, her father was forced to stay in China.
On January 15, 2014, he was detained again at his home in Beijing and then taken to Xinjiang, to be held at the Autonomous Region Pre-Trial Detention Center (自治区看守所). He was formally charged with separatism on February 20, 2014, and sentenced to life in a 2-day trial on September 23-24, 2014, with Western diplomats barred from attending. (His wife also reported that his location was not disclosed while he was in custody in February 2014, with even Ilham's lawyer not being given access.)
Since his incarceration, he has been subjected to recurring violations of international human rights standards with regard to detention conditions, such as limitations of family visits, intercepted communications, solitary confinement, deprivation of food, and intimidation. Ilham Tohti’s family and colleagues have also been subjected to judicial harassment.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Charged with separatism, on the basis of his teaching at the university and his writing on his website, Uyghur Online.
The Urumqi Public Security Bureau had also previously said in an online statement that Tohti recruited followers through a website he founded to "cause trouble, spread separatist thoughts, incite ethnic hatred, and engage in separatist activities". It also reportedly alleged that the victim "told students that Uyghurs should use violence and oppose the government as China opposed Japanese invaders during World War II".
Victim's status
Believed to still be serving his life sentence.
(According to the regulations, people sentenced to life for separatism have the opportunity to have their sentence reduced 3 years after the deciding trial. However, Ilham Tohti’s lawyer, Li Fangping, says that since it is also customary for the court to upload such decisions online, it is reasonable to assume the sentence has not changed.)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
His case has been widely publicized, with lawyers, friends, and family - many of whom were closely involved with the case and attended the trial - all speaking to media.
Additional information
His case has been mentioned in numerous outlets: https://www.smh.com.au/world/uighur-scholar-ilham-tohti-sentenced-to-life-in-jail-by-chinese-court-2014 0923-10kxgp.html https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/world/asia/15china.html?scp=1&sq=Ilham%20Tohti,&st=cse https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/11/ilham-tohti-uighur-china-wins-nobel-martin-ennals-hu man-rights-award https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/scholar-09232014091017.html https://www.rfa.org/english/video?v=1_s48jijtq https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/awarded-11302017165248.html https://www.rfa.org/english/women/china-tohti-10172016170821.html https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/ilham-tohti-sentenced-life-imprisonment https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/hu-tohti-07272018160529.html https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1541335/detained-uygur-economist-ilham-tohti-denied-food-1 0-days-custody-lawyer https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/yq-08282019103216.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/daughter-09202019175029.html https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1482031-20190923.htm https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/award-09302019133018.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50166713 https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/arrest-02262014185533.html
Baidu Baike entry: http://archive.is/9G3qm Sogou Baike entry: http://archive.is/JVfdn
Wikipedia entries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilham_Tohti https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/伊力哈木·土赫提
State-media coverage: http://archive.is/GC0Uz http://archive.is/B9DNr http://archive.is/EeXOP Record of court proceedings (not very detailed): http://archive.is/3zy9P
A book based on his various essays: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678759/we-uyghurs-have-no-say-by-ilham-tohti/
Supplementary materials documentary about victim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yErkpBrHujI Abduweli Ayup's testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbgOo26wgPc interview clip: https://twitter.com/IntyPython/status/1184924577484300288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 14: https://twitter.com/UyghurCongress/status/1187412867542335488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw daughter's last photo: https://twitter.com/JewherIlham/status/1274744082993156097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw teaching photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/899_1.jpg after class: https://shahit.biz/supp/899_2.jpeg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/899_3.jpeg homage: https://shahit.biz/supp/899_5.jpg state media report: https://shahit.biz/supp/899_9.mp4 Testimony 17: https://shahit.biz/supp/899_11.pdf Testimony 18: https://shahit.biz/supp/899_12.jpg
Entry created: 2018-11-29 Last updated: 2021-03-07 Latest status update: 2020-06-21 915. Asqar Azatbek (阿斯哈·阿孜提别克)
Chinese ID: 654127197601180038 (Tekes)
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"espionage", "fraud", "registration issues" Health status: has problems Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Gauhar Mamyrkanovna Kurmangalieva, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 4: Gauhar Mamyrkanovna Kurmangalieva, as reported by Taiwan Reporter. (relative)
Testimony 5: Qarlygash Diparova, as reported by Radio Azattyq. (aunt)
Testimony 6: Gauhar Mamyrkanovna Kurmangalieva, as reported by Radio Azattyq. (relative)
Testimony 7: Gauhar Mamyrkanovna Kurmangalieva, as reported by Total.kz. (relative)
Testimony 8: Qarlygash Diparova, as reported by Total.kz. (aunt)
Testimony 9: Gauhar Mamyrkanovna Kurmangalieva, as reported by France 24. (relative)
Testimony 10: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (relation unclear)
Testimony 11|14: Gauhar Mamyrkanovna Kurmangalieva, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (relative)
Testimony 12: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 13: Oraz, as reported by Atazhurt Zhastary. (friend)
Testimony 15: Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by vlast.kz.
About the victim
Asqar Azatbek used to work for the National Immigration Administration in Ili, before retiring in April 2016 for health reasons. Migrating to Kazakhstan, he obtained Kazakhstani citizenship in 2017. He also formally renounced his Chinese citizenship.
Address in China: House No. 1, Series No. 2, Beiyuan Country Residences, 61 Airport Road, Ghulja City (伊宁市飞机场路61号北苑别墅区2排1号). Kazakhstan PIN: 760118000347. Chinese passport: E71985109.
Victim's location
Twin-Channel Village Detention Center (双渠村看守所) in Korgas County.
When victim was detained
On December 7, 2017, he went to the Qorghas International Center for Boundary Cooperation. According to a friend who was with him at the time, two jeeps pulled over close to them while they were in front of the Samuryq mall (on the Kazakhstan side of the cooperation zone), with 3-4 Chinese police getting out and coming down on Asqar, knocking him over. Putting his hands behind his back, they forced him to get into the car and effectively kidnapped him. (The official reply from the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2020 confirms the time, place, and arrest, though it also adds that, according to its embassy in Beijing, the victim was detained on January 4, 2018.)
No news about his case would be available until an official court verdict was leaked to his relatives in Kazakhstan in January 2020.
According to the verdict - which makes no mention of the kidnapping or what happened to Asqar in the following 3 months - he was detained by the Qorghas County Public Security Bureau on March 10, 2018 on suspicion of fraud, before being formally arrested on March 23, 2018. He was then formally prosecuted on September 17, 2018, with the court decision date marked as December 9, 2018 (subject to appeal).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The court verdict reports him as being guilty of "espionage" and fraud.
The pages related to the fraud charges are missing in the copy available here [for reasons unclear], but concluding remarks state that he had cheated people out of a total of ~1.7 million RMB.
The espionage charges come from his allegedly having taken a Kazakhstan consulate visa official, Daniyar Serikbayev, to visit some of the hydraulic stations and reservoirs in Ili. The verdict states - without evidence - that Serikbayev was actually a Kazakh spy and intelligence agent (not just a consulate visa-service worker), and that Asqar was quickly made aware of this by Serikbayev's peculiar interest in the water-conservation system, which the verdict states is a state secret and cannot be shown to foreigners ("and especially Kazakhstanis"). Asqar allegedly acted as a guide anyway, in return for visa favors, and thereby violated Article 110 of the criminal code (he is also stated as violating Articles 266, 61, 52, 53, 56, 64, and 69).
His migration to Kazakhstan and his obtaining Kazakhstan citizenship are thus presented in the verdict as fleeing from potential investigation in China.
Asqar is also presented as allegedly admitting all of this [it is not clear how "clean" such a confession is, however, especially given his 3-month kidnapping prior to being officially detained].
In its formal reply in February 2020, the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that it has received no news of the espionage and fraud charges, and that the latest news is from its embassy in Beijing, which said that Asqar was detained for having dual citizenship and for thereby violating China's citizenship law. The MFA also confirms that (a) the victim cancelled his Chinese citizenship and (b) did not take part in Kazakhstan national security's operations. However, diplomatic demands to the Chinese side regarding his case have gone unanswered.
Victim's status
The court verdict says that Asqar has been sentenced to 20 years of prison, with 5 years of deprivation of political rights (in addition to a 50000RMB fine).
As of February 2020, it appears that he has yet to be transferred to a formal prison, however, as sources have reported to his relative in Kazakhstan that he is still being held at a detention center.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The eyewitness account of Asqar's disappearance was obtained from his friend Oraz, who went to the Qorghas economic cooperation zone with the victim.
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system.
The Kazakhstan MFA presumably got its information through official channels.
Additional information
Coverage by vlast.kz, together with the formal reply from the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://vlast.kz/obsshestvo/42132-kto-ukral-askara-azatbeka.html
Media coverage of this case: http://archive.is/bp6cR (Total.kz) https://observers.france24.com/en/20190703-kazakhstan-china-xinjiang-families-detained https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/kazakh-missing-12272017141959.html
What appears to be an investment fund owned by Asqar in the Qorghas cooperation zone: http://archive.is/sT9gu
Official communication(s)
Source: Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
------
The consular-services department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan has reviewed your complaint regarding the case of your relative A. Azatbek, who was arrested on December 7, 2017 by the PRC public-security authorities at the Korgas International Center for Boundary Cooperation. Please be informed of the following:
According to the Kazakhstan embassy in Beijing, Chinese citizen Asqar Azatbek was detained by the Chinese public-security authorities on January 4, 2018 for having violated the “Chinese citizenship law” (dual citizenship) and is under investigation.
In accordance with the “Republic of Kazakhstan citizenship” law, Asqar Azatbek obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in October 2017. He renounced his People’s Republic of China citizenship on September 27, 2017 through the Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan, and the Chinese embassy placed the “cancelled” stamp in his passport.
In relation to this, the ministry sent a diplomatic demand to China’s MFA on January 15, 2018, so as to, as accorded by the provisions of the “Agreement on mutual legal assistance”, look into the Azatbek issue and agree on a meeting between the individual in question and the Kazakhstan consul.
However, the Chinese side did not reply to this demand, and so the ministry addressed the Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan with the request to organize a meeting between the Kazakhstan consul and A. Azatbek, and to have him returned to Kazakhstan in 2018. Another diplomatic demand was sent on December 6. There has still been no reply from the Chinese side.
In what concerns the information provided in your statement, the Kazakhstan side has not received any information from the Chinese judicial bodies regarding Azatbek being sentenced to 20 years on the charges of “spying for Kazakhstan” and “fraud”.
Additionally, as per your demand, a demand has been sent to the competent authorities in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The competent authority has informed that there is no information regarding A. Azatbek being part of the Kazakhstan national security’s operations.
Taking into account your request, as well as with the intention to protect the rights and interests of A. Azatbek, the Kazakhstan MFA plans to send another diplomatic demand to the Chinese side and to raise his issue at the upcoming bilateral consular meetings.
You will be informed in reply to your demand.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDEu4RVcBGg Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hF70PPtTLA Testimony 1: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/100012011741023/videos /503086636768390/&show_text=1&width=450 Testimony 5: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/notes/gene-bunin/the-stor ies-of-kazakhstan-citizens-arrested-in-china/2244405605791286/&width=450 Testimony 6: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/notes/gene-bunin/relative s-of-those-arrested-in-china-are-asking-for-help/2246761502222363/&width=450 Testimony 13: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/100012011741023/videos /498949057182148/&show_text=1&width=300 Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/915_6.png Testimony 12 (p. 4-5 missing): https://shahit.biz/supp/915_8.pdf official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_915.png
Entry created: 2018-11-29 Last updated: 2021-01-31 Latest status update: 2020-02-28 965. Yalqun Rozi (牙里坤·肉孜)
Chinese ID: 650102196603044034 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"inciting subversion", "separatism", "inciting ethnic hatred" Health status: --- Profession: art & literature
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Anonymous letter, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 4: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 5: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6|7: Kamalturk Yalqun, the son of victim Yalqun Rozi, now residing in the US. (son)
Testimony 8: Kamalturk Yalqun, as reported by New York Times. (son)
Testimony 9: Rushan Abbas, an Uyghur-American activist.
Testimony 10: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 11: CGTN, an international English-language news channel based in Beijing and owned by China Central Television.
About the victim
Yalqun Rozi is a famous Uyghur literary critic, writer, public speaker, and publisher, known for his writing on Islam and the Uyghur identity.
Born in Atush's Aghu Township, he graduated from the Xinjiang University Department of Literature in 1987 and worked as a journalist at the Xinjiang Radio Station upon graduation. From 1991 till 2015, he worked as an editor at the Xinjiang Education Press.
His career as a literary critic started in 1986, and he would go on to publish over 60 critiques. From 1995 on, he also wrote a number of social commentaries - publishing more than 30 - which addressed topical and sometimes unexpected issues, and were known for their provocative and debate-inducing character.
Rozi is also known as one of the most authoritative researchers on the Uyghur jadidisim movement, and has conducted in-depth research on the Jadids and Jadidism - a reform movement among Muslim intellectuals in Central Asia at the beginning of the 20th century. He wrote books and articles about several famous Uyghur Jadids, such as the Musabayev Brothers, Abdulkadir Damolla, Mehsut Muhiti, Mr. Memtili, and Gulendam Abistay, as well as about their efforts to modernize the industrial and educational system, and to bring enlightenment to the Uyghurs.
As a public speaker, Rozi has, since the mid-1990s, given over a hundred lectures and speeches at literature seminars, schools, universities, and on television and radio. The topics of his lectures and speeches included educational and curriculum reform, literature education, literary criticism, social morality, and family education.
Rozi made major contributions to education through his work of compiling and editing Uyghur-literature textbooks. From 2001 to 2011, he focused on compiling Uyghur-literature textbooks and was directly involved with the compiling of 12 textbooks to be used in Uyghur middle and high schools across the region. He also independently compiled 4 extra-curricular humanities reading books for middle school students and 9 teaching manual books for literature teachers. He also compiled a "College Literature" textbook. He was the chief editor of more than 90 textbooks and extra-curricular books about Uyghur literature education, and gave several dozen lectures for Uyghur elementary and middle-school literature teachers in various prefectures, counties, and cities across the Uyghur region.
Finally, as a publisher he planned and published around 20 books about religion and history, culture and education, politics, and politicians. Most of these were the works of famous Uyghur scholars Abdushukur Muhemmed Emin and Eset Sulayman, and include such titles as: "Ancient Central Asia", "Nine Maxims on the Silk Road", "The Soul Buried Under the Taklamakan", "Uyghur Totem Culture", "The Mystery of Kroren", "International Islamic Wave", "Islamism in Current Times", "Questions and Answers on Islam", "Arab-Islam Philosophy in Today's World", "The History of the Rise of Jews", and "Mustafa Kemal".
Victim's location
His exact location is unknown [as he has been sentenced].
When victim was detained
According to his son, Yalqun was taken away in October 2016 and investigated for “ideological problems”. After being detained in an undisclosed location for over a year, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on January 3, 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to media reports, he was accused of attempting to incite separatism and promoting "Turkism", a reference to the Uyghurs' historical cultural and linguistic connections to Turkic-language speaking people in Central Asia and Turkey.
According to his son, he was officially sentenced for "subverting state power".
In the CGTN propaganda film, it is stated that both Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman {2361} were responsible for the textual content of the 2003 and 2009 Uyghur-language textbooks for primary- and middle-school students. It is said in the propaganda film that these textbooks contained "a lot of gore, violence, terrorism and separatism", and did not contain the national flag, emblem, or anthem of the People's Republic of China. The authors are accused of wanting to "instill separatism in students and incite ethnic hatred, with the end of splitting the motherland".
Victim's status
Serving a 15-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Radio Free Asia confirmed the victim's status, first reported by anonymous sources, through several calls to regional offices, with police and government employees confirming the detention.
Yalqun Rozi's status was further confirmed in a government-produced propaganda film - "The Plot Inside the Textbooks" (教科书里面的阴谋) - that covered the alleged crimes of certain Uyghur intellectuals [this has been reported, including by the anonymous sources mentioned above, but no copy is publicly available]. In the film, Rozi appears alongside Sattar Sawut, Tashpolat Teyip, and other prominent scholars. All are wearing prison uniforms and are described as separatists. The film has allegedly been shown to multiple audiences, including all the students and teachers at one Xinjiang middle school.
It is not clear how Kamalturk got the news of his father's arrest and sentence.
CGTN is a government media outlet, with direct access to the relevant information.
Additional information
Coverage and mentions: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/intellectuals-jailed-10102018172605.html https://pen.org/press-release/chinas-targeting-uyghur-scholars-outrageous-abdication-rule-of-law/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/01/china-xinjiang-islam-salman-rushdie-uighur/ https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/2-10172019114859.html https://share.america.gov/china-targets-intellectuals-to-eradicate-uighur-culture/ https://www.ft.com/content/48508182-d426-11e9-8367-807ebd53ab77 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/19/opinion/uighurs-china-camps.html https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/03/politics/capitol-hill-uyghur-reception/index.html https://newrepublic.com/article/153089/united-states-role-chinas-persecution-uighurs https://www.apnews.com/4f5f57213e3546ab9bd1be01dfb510d3 https://twitter.com/usa_china_talk/status/1108570668382257152 https://www.chinesepen.org/english/pen-international-resolution-on-the-peoples-republic-of-china-2018 https://www.demdigest.org/china-in-danger-of-losing-its-grip-over-tibet-and-xinjiang/ http://www.worldcat.org/identities/np-rozi,%20yalqun/ https://unpo.org/article/21675 https://twitter.com/melissakchan/status/1167090570382196736?lang=en https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/040919_Abbas_Testimony.pdf https://chinese.uhrp.org/article/2024574494 http://wahrheitskaempfer.de/portfolio/yalgun-rozi-china-xinjiang-in-chinesischer-haft https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/28/asia-pacific/saga-one-man-textbooks-uighurs-see-chines e-bid-erase-culture/#.XdUs71czbcc change.org petition for his release: https://www.change.org/p/pen-america-free-uyghur-editor-and-writer-yalqun-rozi-from-the-chinese-gove rnment-s-detention
Rushan Abbas mentions the victim in her written testimony: https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/040919_Abbas_Testimony.pdf
This victim is also included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
State-media report(s)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlzunwilGM
Almira Muhter: "It was terrifying."
Kadir Memet: "Not an isolated attack."
Reporter: "Not a lone-wolf?"
Kadir Memet: "No."
Adil (Police Officer): "They're in the shadows."
Reporter: "The recruits?"
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "Young people."
Abdul Tursuntohti: "I'm proud of my deeds."
Kadir Memet: "If we didn't, Urumqi would be..."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I'm a 'two-faced' man."
Murat Sheripjan: "Get rid of the 'two-faced'."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "Get them on the right track."
Dilnur Eziz: "I've grown up."
Kadir Memet: "The cost is high."
[Identity unclear]: "A battle without smoke."
=== The War in the Shadows.
A CGTN Production 2021. ======WARNING
The following documentary contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing. Some footage is released to the public for the first time. Viewer discretion is advised. The terrorist attacks in the documentary are only a small part of the archives.
All interviewees have given permission to use their images. At the request of certain counter-terrorism organizations, the identity of some interviewees has been obscured for security reasons. ===
=== Part One The Networks ===
=== Urumqi ===
Yang Shaoheng (Victim's Family Member): "You see this little courtyard. My father-in-law was always working here... You can see all the tomatoes and peppers he planted."
Reporter: "He really loved life."
Yang Shaoheng: "Yes, he really loved life."
Reporter: "Did he spend a lot of time here every day?"
Yang Shaoheng: "Yes, every day, the whole morning, working in the garden."
Yang Shaoheng: "Whenever I enter the courtyard, I think of him. He left on the morning of May 22nd and never came back..."
[On-screen]: "May 22, 2014, Urumqi. 39 civilians killed, 94 injured."
Yang Shaoheng: "His face was unrecognizable."
Yang Shaoheng: "We'd been together for so long, but I couldn't recognize him."
Narrator: "Police officer 'Adil' says whenever he thinks of the victims, it's hard to take."
[On-screen]: "North Park Street, Urumqi"
Narrator: "This incident keeps torturing him."
Adil (Police Officer): "There were fire engines, ambulances and SWAT teams... Many people were lying on the ground. Smoke was rising from two SUVs."
Yang Shaoheng: "There was a morning market on the street, with fresh produce at reasonable prices." Adil: "I questioned the main suspect. He said they had surveyed the area many times. They thought more deaths guaranteed entering Paradise."
Kadir Memet (Fmr. Deputy Chief, Urumqi Public Security Bureau): "Two off-road vehicles had exploded. Four of the bodies we confirmed to be the suspects."
Kadir Memet: "Look at the aftermath. 39 people died, and over 90 were wounded. It was still very dangerous. There might be a second explosion. Once I arrived, I sensed it must be a terrorist attack."
Reporter: "So it wasn't a lone wolf attack?"
Kadir Memet: "No. Because there were many explosives, one or two persons couldn't have built them. After the Urumqi attack, they had planned something similar in Hotan's Pishan county."
Reporter: "Where did they get the materials?"
Kadir Memet: "They bought potassium permanganate and other chemicals on the internet and produced them. They learned on the internet.”
Reporter: "Was there other evidence?"
Kadir Memet: "Yes, his cellphone. He used a chat app to contact terrorist groups outside China and to download videos. The flags were also taken from Hotan. They hung the flags on top of the vehicles beforehand."
Reporter: "What did this mean?"
Kadir Memet: "It's a statement of their 'jihad'. It was a suicide mission."
---
Reporter: "What stands out in your memory?"
Yang Shaoheng: "They are also human beings, those terrorists. Well... I don't know what they were thinking, either. Didn't they have parents and children at home? How could they be so brutal?"
---
Adil (Police Officer): "We soon caught the main suspect, about six or seven hours later."
Kadir Memet: "After the interrogation, we had a clear picture of the case. The terrorist group headed by Abliz orchestrated the incident."
Adil: "He was so resistant. We explained the state's policies and laws, he just wouldn't listen. I tried to explain it from a religious perspective. He just sat there and looked at me. 'If there had been someone who explained to me about Islam and the Quran like you, I wouldn't have taken part in the terrorist attack'."
Kadir Memet: "They are also victims. Why? Their minds were poisoned by the 'Three Evil Forces'. None of the masterminds committed suicide. They just took control of their minds and instructed them to (undertake suicide attacks) like a death squad. The significance was that it prevented similar incidents from happening."
Narrator: "Kadir Memet is a highly respected veteran of the Public Security Bureau of Urumqi. He has solved numerous cases. He figured out the attacks were part of a region-wide network."
Kadir Memet: "We've come to see the pattern that so many cases of violent terrorism were not isolated. They had unified command and planning. And they had very specific targets."
[On-screen]: "June 21, 2014, Yecheng County. 13 terrorists killed, 3 policemen injured."
Narrator: "Years of investigation have shown Kadir Memet the big picture."
[On-screen]: "February 25, 1997, Urumqi. 9 civilians killed, 68 injured."
Narrator: "He says the terrorists are working in the shadows, forming a vast network."
[On-screen]: "April 30, 2014. 3 killed, 79 injured."
Narrator: "His job is to bring them to light. Extremism ruins lives. Young people are radicalized in various ways."
Almira Muhter: "At first it didn't leave much of an impression on me. There're instructions like 'Only satisfying your mother's wishes ensures a place in Paradise'... Then it gradually moved to 'jihad', martyring oneself to enter Paradise. It was terrifying."
Muhter Kadir (Father of Almira): "She was a very hardworking student, first in her school."
Almira Muhter: "I came to believe the teachings, such as women should stay at home. Then I figured that continued education in college would be the wrong direction, and that I should give up. So I refused to go to college."
Muhter Kadir: "I was so angry. The extremist ideas ruined her."
Almira Muhter: "Back then I longed to live in another country and thought about moving there for the 'jihad'."
Narrator: "In 2012, Almira Muhter was convicted of inciting 'jihad' and extremism online, and other crimes. She was sentenced to 10 years."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "She thought she was correct. She was eager to sacrifice her youth to the so-called 'jihad'."
Almira Muhter: "I thought I was doing the right thing and it didn't count as breaking the law. I'd considered the consequences, but I thought my goal was to wage 'jihad' and I must carry it to the very end. After I entered prison, I was still influenced by such ideas. So I committed more crimes."
Narrator: "In 2018, Almira was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and arson in the prison. Her sentence was extended to 2035. Radicalized individuals can be a hard case. Abdul Tursuntohti is serving 9 years for inciting terrorism and other crimes."
Reporter: "Do you still believe you've done nothing wrong or illegal?" Abdul Tursuntohti: "I committed no crime, I'm proud of what I did."
Reporter: "You're willing to kill for Allah?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "If Allah orders, I will even kill my son, to say nothing of infidels."
Reporter: "What is your biggest wish?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "To do Allah's bidding, of course, and enter Paradise to fulfill myself."
Reporter: "What's Paradise like?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "Paradise is a beautiful garden, broader than Heaven and Earth. There are 72 houris for the faithful. There're divine delicacies mortals have never seen, never really appreciated and never heard of. There're double the amount of rewards ever imagined by humans. And it's eternal."
Reporter: "If Paradise is so great, why not go there now?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "The days in prison are the highest test Allah has given me. And it's the best life Allah has given me."
Reporter: "You don't think you're being deceived?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "Rather than regret, I'd leap into fire and burn to death."
Reporter: "Will you change your mind some day?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "When I wake up each morning, I pray 100 times to Allah that I will never change."
=== Urumqi ===
Narrator: "Dilnur Guanfengbao is a police officer. She is also a prison psychological consultant. She says she studies why some young people become easy targets for extremists, and how to bring them back to normal."
Dilnur Guanfengbao (Psychologist): "We find some of the convicts are very obstinate. They fit the anti-social personality profile. It's hard for them to change... Their minds are like alkaline soil, hardened alkaline soil. You can't grow anything there. This group of people craves help but pushes you away at the same time. Their religious fervor pursuit is a psychological distortion. So during the counseling, we keep them company to find the reasons. I will keep bringing him back to reality. He might insist what he's been pursuing was what he needed. We aim to offer them a link. So the counselors offer warmth, which will be internalized. They would learn for the first time that 'I've actually never known myself'."
Reporter: "What are we doing to prevent recidivism?"
Dilnur Guanfengbao: "After he returns to society, his family has to re-understand him and accept him as someone new. Society might have to provide him all kinds of opportunities, in terms of employment, education, and skill training. Our efforts in prison are far from enough for them." ---
Almira Muhter: "Now I truly realize that I had really been an ignorant fool."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "I keep having heart-to-heart talks with her. I try to approach it in terms of feelings and understanding of the law."
Almira Muhter: "I used to think that law was a word far removed from our life."
Bai Fengjie: "I hope even more they will truly transform on the inside."
Almira Muhter: "The Paradise I used to yearn for is a fiction. It's a cancer."
Bai Fengjie: "I think it's necessary to crack down on the dissemination of such misleading information."
Almira Muhter: "I think I failed my mother the most. She had such great expectations of me. I just want to be a good daughter."
Bai Fengjie: "I'm a police officer. But I'm more like a teacher. I want to help these straying children, these students, back on the right track. We shouldn't be afraid that one or two heart-to-heart talks have no effects. We mustn't give up on them. We have to believe they will eventually change."
---
Bai Fengjie: "How's your health recently?"
Almira Muhter: "Really good."
Bai Fengjie: "Did you make the video call?"
Almira Muhter: "Dad was busy. Mom and my brother came. They are both well.
Bai Fengjie: “Keep your confidence up."
Almira Muhter: "Thank you, instructor."
---
Kadir Memet: "Urumqi is the political, economic and cultural center of the autonomous region. The enemy aims their destruction at Urumqi."
Narrator: "Some of the cases have never been made public before."
Kadir Memet: "This is the foiled December 11 terror plot in 2014. They had planned explosions and knife attacks around Urumqi. If it hadn't been stopped, Urumqi could've been... This is a violent terrorist group. It was controlled by a family. Two daughters joined. The father was the leader. Both sons-in-law were part of it. They recruited a dozen more people. They were going to convert a gas cylinder into a bomb. They were going to drive the car into a shopping center."
Reporter: "What is the priority of the crackdown?" Kadir Memet: "Foiling their plans would be..."
Adil (Police Officer): "This is the most difficult."
Reporter: "We've paid such a high price."
Adil: "The biggest challenge is that they're hidden in the dark. They can see our operations. But we can't see their plans. If we go soft, there might be more deaths and suffering."
[On-screen]: "April 23, 2013, Seriqbuya. 15 police officers & community staff killed."
Adil: "So this is a lesson learned from blood."
[On-screen]: "2020 Counter-terrorism Drills. Urumqi Public Security Bureau"
[Footage of counter-terrorism drills plays.]
Kadir Memet: "Urumqi is such a beautiful place. Solidarity and prosperity, that's an Urumqi I'd like to see."
=== Part Two The Enemies Within ===
=== Hotan ===
Narrator: "Hotan was one of the hardest hit by terrorism in Xinjiang. Murat Sheripjan showed us the weaponry seized. He said many young people had been brainwashed. Insiders, dubbed the 'two-faced persons', were able to exploit the system."
Murat Sheripjan (Deputy Director, Hotan Public Security Department): "The infiltration of extremism had taken root. Also, some 'two-faced people' among us were secretly collaborating with them and facilitating their activities. This presentation lists a number of 'two-faced people' once occupying our key positions. A case in point is Shirzat Bawudun. He had been long hidden buried deep in our system as a 'two-faced person'. He created many obstacles in our work. He used to be one of us, and he protected many separatist forces. He finally became an agent for ethnic separatists and terrorists from outside China. He helped them expand their influence."
Shirzat Bawudun (Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Political & Legal Committee, Xinjiang): "All this now feels like a nightmare. It's like a bottomless pit, in which I kept sinking."
=== Shirzat Bawudun Fmr. Director, Public Security Bureau, Moyu County Fmr. Director, United Front Work Department, Urumqi Fmr. Director General, Department of Justice, Xinjiang Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Political & Legal Committee, Xinjiang ===
Narrator: "Shirzat Bawudun became a teacher at the Xinjiang Police College in Urumqi after graduating in 1988. But he applied to return to his hometown in Hotan. Even then he had certain ambitions."
Shirzat Bawudun: "Veteran separatists vigorously promoted their ethnic separatism and religious extremism, which began to spread and take hold. So I decided to go back and see what I could use to do something big."
Narrator: "During a crackdown on terrorists, Shirzat Bawudun was wounded and commended as a 'Counter-terrorism Hero'. For this, in 2001 he became the head of the Moyu County Public Security."
Shirzat Bawudun: "Then I got the position and the power. I had long considered the so-called dream of a country of our own. So I began to get in touch with prominent figures in religious extremism."
Narrator: "Shirzat Bawudun chose Ablajan Bakri."
[On-screen diagram: A photograph of Shirzat Bawudun is shown connected to a photograph of Ablajan Bakri. The word "Egypt" is displayed below the diagram.]
=== Ablajan Bakri Fmr. Imam, Moyu Mosque Fmr. President, Islamic Association, Moyu County Fmr. CPPCC Member, Xinjiang Fmr. Member, China Islamic Association ===
Shirzat Bawudun: "His words and theories all contained religious extremism. I knew many things about it."
Ablajan Bakri: [sic] "I was promoted to the Iman of the Grand Mosque in 2005. At the same time, people started to gossip behind my back. As the Moyu county chief, Shirzat Bawudun used all means to suppress those people to remove the negative comments about me."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I regarded him as an instrument to draw believers to our cause."
Memet Memetimin (Imam, Moyu Mosque): "Ablajan Bakri was the mosque's imam. He used the religious platform to promote extremism. To achieve his own ends, he was distorting the teachings of Islam. I remember when I was small, religious extremism in Moyu was very deep. They said dancing was not allowed; weeping was not allowed at funerals. They even forbade living in government-built housing and using IDs and RMB. Some of the preachers had their own motives. They had parents send their kids to underground madrasas to be indoctrinated. Many young people strayed and became criminals."
Murat Sheripjan: "That kind of fallacy confuses them and drives them to engage in terrorist activities."
Ablajan Bakri: "I believe Shirzat Bawudun had a role in this change."
[On-screen diagram: The photos of Shirzat Bawudun and Ablajan Bakri are connected to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas. The word "Egypt" is displayed below the diagram.] Narrator: "In 2003, Ablajan Bakri introduced Shirzat Bawudun to Tayir Abbas, a key member of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, or ETIM."
=== Tayir Abbas East Turkistan Islamic Movement (Islamic Party of Turkistan) ===
Narrator: "It's been listed as a terrorist organization by the UN since 2002."
=== United Nations Security Council Since 2002, the ETIM has been listed as a terrorist organization by the UN. In 2004, the ETIM changed its name to the Islamic Party of Turkistan, or TIP. ===
Narrator: "In 2004, the ETIM changed its name to the Islamic Party of Turkistan, or TIP."
Shirzat Bawudun: "He said he mainly worked in tourism over there. And he was in touch with an ETIM (TIP) Egypt branch. I was thinking of Uygurs having a country of our own. I was muddle-headed and stupid."
Narrator: "Connecting with the ETIM (TIP), Shirzat Bawudun took action."
Shirzat Bawudun: "To accomplish anything, you need an economic base."
[On-screen diagram: The photo of Shirzat Bawudun is connected to Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri.]
Shirzat Bawudun: "So I thought about the Ablimit family and recruited the two brothers."
=== Ablimit Ababakri ETIM (TIP) Member ===
=== Abduehet Ababakri ETIM (TIP) Member ===
Abduehet Ababakri: "Shirzat Bawudun told my elder brother he was born in Moyu county. He urged us to invest here. He asked us whether we had any projects needing his support and help."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Now I realized that while he seemed to push us to do business in Moyu, he actually had some other motive, which we weren't aware of."
Narrator: "With the help of Shirzat Bawudun, the two brothers soon made money and their business began to thrive." Ablimit Ababakri: "Of the four companies with which he had financial connections, these three -- real estate, road transport and gas stations, in each firm, Shirzat had a half-million shares. All did good business and paid dividends every year. He could draw funds as needed. That's how it was for a long time."
Narrator: "In 2011, Shirzat Bawudun was appointed Director of the United Front Work Department of Urumqi. Police say he secretly supported the spread of extremism. The same year, he encouraged the brothers to go to Egypt and meet with Tayir Abbas."
[On-screen diagram: A photo of Shirzat Bawudun is linked to photos of Ablajan Bakri, Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri. The latter three photos are linked to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas, next to which the word "Egypt" is displayed.]
Ablimit Ababakri: "In September 2012, my brother told me his wife had a baby there and asked me to come over. Nearly 30 people were there, including Tayir Abbas. One of them said, 'Let us work for Xinjiang's independence, for founding the Islamic Caliphate.' While talking with Abduehet, I found he was on good terms with some members of the group. They were key members of the ETIM (TIP). He wanted to join their organization. I said Tayir Abbas knew Shirzat Bawudun, who knew about the organization. After all, he was a police officer, we should ask Shirzat Bawudun when we got back."
Shirzat Bawudun: [sic] "From what they said, I thought they had found the right people or that organization."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Shirzat said, 'That's right. You should join the organization.'"
Shirzat Bawudun: "They had given more than 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) to the ETIM (TIP) people."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Then Shirzat asked how much his half-million shares in the transport firm were worth. I said the shares plus dividends were worth some 1.2 million yuan. He said, 'You give all 1.2 million to Tayir Abbas and the ETIM (TIP) people as operation funding.'"
Shirzat Bawudun: "The two brothers told me they bought a 200-square-meter apartment for me in Cairo. I said I couldn't go and had to wait until I retired, and Tayir Abbas and his people could use it for the time being."
Ablimit Ababakri: "After saying this, he stressed three times, 'What I told you must not be told to a second person and must be kept secret."
Narrator: "In 2013, the ETIM (TIP) had a meeting and brought together some Uygur students. They were planning to send some to join the IS and work for 'jihad'. They were supposed to train for war. When they were ready to return, they could make greater contributions for the next step."
Abduehet Ababakri: "They had to do the ETIM (TIP) 'jihad' training. The aim was to turn these trainees into future successors of the ETIM (TIP)."
[On-screen diagram: A photo of Shirzat Bawudun is linked to photos of Ablajan Bakri, Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri. The latter three photos are linked to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas, next to which the word "Egypt" is displayed.]
Narrator: "Police investigation shows that over 60 Uygur teenagers aged 14-18, have been sent overseas by the two brothers - Ablimit and Abduehet." [On-screen: "Some joined ISIL"]
Narrator: "Some of them have joined the so-called Islamic State group, some have come back to Xinjiang."
[On-screen: "Some came back to Xinjiang"]
Ablimit Ababakri: "They said once Xinjiang was liberated, Shirzat would become the national leader of East Turkistan."
Shirzat Bawudun: "They appointed me the leader of ETIM (TIP) in Xinjiang and after nationhood, I'd be the leader. I was so excited and happy. I was muddle-headed."
Ablimit Ababakri: [sic] "He told us, 'When you work outside China, in China you must keep a low profile and work secretly. Don't draw the attention of public security and learn to be patient. You should wait for the chance.'"
Narrator: "Police say in 2015, during an official visit overseas, Shirzat Bawudun secretly met with key members of the ETIM (TIP) twice. He revealed anti-terrorism information in Xinjiang. And Shirzat Bawudun had his own strategy."
Shirzat Bawudun: "So I only rooted out those units already exposed and left alone those only suspected and being groomed. On the one hand, once they were ready, I'd have targets to strike. On the other hand, I could protect some of them. So the result was repeated strikes which just missed, and the ashes could burn again. After the strike, it's like chive roots. Prune the stalks and leaves, and fresh sprouts grow."
Murat Sheripjan: "Such arrangements gave terrorists an advantage. While we struggled to discover, the terrorists already knew. There was one of their own in our ranks. That's why they could act so boldly."
Ablajan Bakri: "Now I realize that Shirzat Bawudun had been using me all along. He was trying to use me as a front in Moyu to control the local clergy."
Ablimit Ababakri: "We were in a trap. We didn't clearly see Shirzat's true intentions. I should have seen through him earlier, but I didn't, and I didn't have the guts to do it."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I believe I kept it rather clandestine and well concealed. It's not easy to see through these. But one must wake from a dream."
=== Shirzat Bawudun Two-year Suspended Death Sentence Deprived of Political Rights for Life ===
Murat Sheripjan: "We have to first remove the 'two-faced persons' in our ranks. Otherwise, we can never remove the soil for terrorism."
Narrator: "Murat Sheripjan says even the term 'two-faced' doesn't properly describe such persons. They are the enemy, the enemy in the shadows." === Part Three The Textbooks ===
=== Urumqi ===
Narrator: "In 2016, there were reports of errors in the 2003 and 2009 editions of the Uygur-language textbooks for primary and middle schools. An investigation followed. Shehide Yusup, who worked on these textbooks, showed us the problems."
Shehide Yusup (Art Editor, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "These are textbooks published by our company. They contain many errors. I worked on the 2003 editions of the primary school textbooks, mainly in cover design and illustration coloring. Take this graphic for example. The national emblem is that of East Turkistan. It shouldn't appear in textbooks at all. This is the legend of seven heroic Uygur girls. It's all fabricated. Han Chinese soldiers trapped them at a cliff and they jumped to their death to defend their homeland. It's meant to incite ethnic hatred and it will misinform the students."
Shehide Yusup: "That's unimaginable. The mere thought of this would scare me."
=== Sattar Sawut Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Education & Work Committee, Xinjiang Fmr. Director General, Education Department, Xinjiang Fmr. Leader, Basic Education Curriculum Reform Group, Xinjiang ===
Narrator: "An investigation shows that starting in 2002, the then Director General of the Xinjiang Education Department, Sattar Sawut, set up a special group, as a front for criminal activities."
[On-screen diagram: A photograph of Sattar Sawut is shown connected to photographs of Alimjan Memtimin, Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir. The latter two are connected to photos of Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman.]
Narrator: "It included the Deputy Director General of the Education Department, the two consecutive presidents of the Xinjiang Education Publishing House, as well as two editors with radical separatist thoughts."
Sattar Sawut: "The idea was to use the power given by the Party and the people to spread our ethnic chauvinist sentiments and extremist errors among more Uygurs. It was meant to control their minds, influence them in childhood in order to turn them into separatists. In 2003, new Uygur-language textbooks were scheduled to be compiled for primary and middle schools. I was head of the Xinjiang Basic Education Curriculum Reform Group. So I saw an opportunity. I assigned Alimjan Memtimin and Abdurazaq Sayim to the project."
[Photographs of Alimjan Memtimin, Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir are displayed on-screen.]
Sattar Sawut: "I had several meetings with them and instructed them about compiling the textbooks." Abdurazaq Sayim (Fmr. President, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "He said the textbooks were an excellent opportunity and it should proceed as we meant it to. It could help groom our 'successors'. So I picked Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman, who were quite persuasive, to join the committee. I instructed them to include more content on 'ethnic oppression' in the textbooks, mainly 'woeful tales' about the past. I asked them to add more Turkic heroes, especially those revolting against the state for independence."
[Photographs of Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman are displayed on-screen.]
Alimjan Memtimin (Fmr. Deputy Director General, Xinjiang Education Department): "Such textbooks would be approved and issued to all schools and allow many teachers to elaborate and incite ethnic hatred and such thoughts."
Narrator: "When Tahir Nasir succeeded Abdurazaq Sayim as president of the publishing house, he continued the editorial policy."
[Photographs of Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir are displayed on-screen.]
Tahir Nasir (Fmr. President, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "When Sattar and Alimjan approached me and proposed that the new textbooks should push religious extremism, my mind was excited and clear about the meaning."
Shehide Yusup: "The art director is supposed to handle all the visuals. But in making the 2003 and 2009 textbooks, the editors intervened quite a lot."
Suriya Mirhadam (Editor, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "For the 2003 and 2009 textbooks, Wahitjan Osman and Yalqun Rozi were responsible for text content. They simultaneously served as text editors, publishing editors, and initial and final proofreaders. Exercising such authority violates publishing protocol. Their superiors arranged it. They put it into practice."
Narrator: "Police say Sattar Sawut acted unilaterally to determine textbook content. Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman were instructed to fabricate separatist material for the 2003 and 2009 textbooks."
Alimjan Memtimin: "The primary school Uygur textbooks are full of 'Pan-Islamism' and 'Pan-Turkism'. The historical figures in them were meant to encourage the kids to seek their cultural origins and roots from outside China."
Suriya Mirhadam: "The 2003 and 2009 textbooks contain a lot of gore, violence, terrorism and separatism. By distorting historical facts, they wanted to instill separatism in students and incite ethnic hatred, with the end of splitting the motherland."
Shehide Yusup: "As guidance for students, such textbooks would obscure and undermine their sense of national identity; also the students would be exposed to 'Pan-Islamism' and 'Pan-Turkism'."
Suriya Mirhadam: "Textbooks should include the national flag, emblem and anthem. But these textbooks had none."
Narrator: "Investigation found a large quantity of material inciting extremism was included in the textbooks. From 2004, these textbooks were used region-wide for 13 years."
Shehide Yusup: "They were using such textbooks from primary school through junior high. So the insidious effects must be enduring. Some might be led astray and even led to commit crimes."
Sattar Sawut: "Many participants in the July 5 Incident and following terrorist attacks had used our textbooks. I think we had ruined these children."
=== Atikem Rozi Born: April 1991 Four-year sentence ===
Atikem Rozi: "When I was in junior high school, I learned some things from the textbooks. I also got the idea of doing something, too."
Kadir Memet: "The 'Three Evil Forces' have been trying to infiltrate our ideological sectors such as education, culture and religion. They've never given up. The sustained increase in terrorism in recent years is closely linked to such efforts."
Narrator: "Kadir Memet says the greatest danger often comes from the enemy within."
Alimjan Memtimin: "I am a double-dealing 'two-faced man'."
=== Sattar Sawut Two-year Suspended Death Sentence Deprived of Political Rights for Life ===
=== Alimjan Memtimin Life Sentence ===
=== Abdurazaq Sayim Life Sentence ===
=== Tahir Nasir Life Sentence ===
Narrator: "The war in the shadows is being fought on many fronts. Kadir Memet says ideology is only one of the battlegrounds. Suriya Mirhadam was responsible for editing part of the new editions of the 2019 and 2020 textbooks."
Suriya Mirhadam: "This is Part One of the first grade's Uygur-language textbook. Here's the national emblem, and the national flag, and the statement 'We are Chinese'. Here is the flag-raising ceremony."
Narrator: "Suriya Mirhadam says the Kazak- and Kirgiz-language textbooks have the same content." Reporter: "What are we telling the students with these pictures?"
Suriya Mirhadam: "They should know that they are citizens of the People's Republic of China, that Xinjiang is an inalienable part of the motherland. The textbooks are meant to keep students from separatism and ensure they have a sound mind so they can serve their family, their society and their nation."
=== Part Four The Black Hands ===
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "The internet is truly a battlefield without the smoke. I'm a special ops soldier. I identify and neutralize the threats, so youngsters won't be misled. I wipe the propaganda from the internet. I think our work is very meaningful. The violent ETIM (TIP) audios and videos have a domestic target, especially in Xinjiang, with specific purposes. The groups they try to recruit are mainly young people. Terrorist audios and videos are often well-concealed. They use special packaging, like encryption. And they use covert channels to transfer and share the content. Some are camouflaged, so to say. It looks like a regular video, but when it reaches a specific point, it will switch to terrorist content."
Narrator: "'Abduweli' has been working at the Xinjiang Internet Information Office since it was established in 2013. From his experience, the online materials are categorized as preaching, training, making weaponry, and specific groups like women and students."
Abduweli: "For a time after 2008, about ten each year on average. Since 2012, there has been an increase, with 200 to 300 each year."
Mirzat (Police Officer): "The terrorist audios and videos actually serve as their initial approach. It resembles a pyramid scheme in a way. It tries to brainwash its audience repeatedly. If the brainwashing succeeds, people will join the violent terrorist activities. Such activities aim to cause maximal impact at minimal cost, that is, maximal destruction. That's their aim."
Narrator: "The fight against the criminal activities to spread radicalization materials has been going on for some 20 years. Police officer 'Mirzat' says nearly 90 percent of young people participating in terror attacks have watched such products. The main sources are from outside of China, mostly from the ETIM (TIP)."
Mirzat: "The terrorist content often wraps itself in religion and conceals its ulterior motive through such pretense. The observation and analysis in recent years indicate that the content has been produced by professional teams. They used to distribute the content at specific websites. But now they are using regular social media apps and point-to-point messaging apps. The storage devices are mostly hard disks. Other common devices are flash drives, storage cards, smartphones, tablets and so on."
Mirzat: "Here are the storage devices we seized in 2014 and 2015; they were all used to store terrorist audio and video."
Reporter: "Where did the content come from?"
Mirzat: "They were all downloaded from outside China." Mirzat: "These are some CD-ROMs. All the content promotes violent terrorism."
Narrator: "Young people have always been the key recruitment targets."
Abduweli Heber: "They showed us ETIM (TIP) members doing physical training and making explosive devices. They asked us to join the ETIM (TIP). And they urged us to learn the skills so that we could use them some day. That is, after returning to Xinjiang, we could carry out 'jihad' and 'hejiras'."
Narrator: "Dolqun Yalqun went abroad for an advanced degree. While there, he became involved with a terrorist organization, the ETIM (TIP). In 2019, Dolqun was sentenced to 7 years for inciting terrorism and other crimes."
Dolqun Yalqun: "My thinking was gradually eaten away. I began to regard people with no religious faith as infidels. I now think the ideological damage is even greater. The philosophical influence can be gradual and subtle. Once I was taken in by such religious extremism, the pursuit of my life goals shifted to those of religious faith. I began to seek self-fulfillment in this regard. I felt all I'd done was worthless."
Reporter: "How can you help them change?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "I can explain my current thinking to them, and this will inspire them to think for themselves. Through these lessons and examples, people can re-establish their hopes for a future life."
Narrator: "Girls were also recruited."
Dilnur Eziz: "They were all like me. At first it's just curiosity, and then only going to the Quran lectures. It was a steady trickle of indoctrination. At first I thought nothing of it, but just felt the inside atmosphere was off, everyone wearing black. Watching videos, then training, then going to do stuff in some countries, like this, like that."
Mother of Dilnur: "I never regret she came back."
Reporter: "And if you hadn't come back?"
Dilnur Eziz: "I don't know where I would be."
Mother of Dilnur: "She was quite a handful, but very smart and sweet."
Dilnur Eziz: "At first I hated myself for going there. Then I came to learn enough to conclude that they had ulterior motives. Otherwise it wouldn't be free. At first they sweet-talked me, then they told me you must wear this and must do that. I think if I had stayed there for a long time, I could possibly become like those others."
Mother of Dilnur: "I hate them. They led my daughter astray."
Dilnur Eziz: "I feel deceived and used. I hate them so much."
Mother of Dilnur: "Whenever she could call, she said 'Mom, I miss you and want to go home soon.'"
Dilnur Eziz: "I regret it very much."
--- Reporter: "What's the greatest meaning in life?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "It is to walk the right path and realize one's value. I think this is also what the Quran says. People should do good works, deal with others harmoniously."
Reporter: "Do you dare face this matter (when made public)?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "I can totally face this. I've made mistakes, and I don't want to see more people follow my example."
Reporter: "You're not afraid this will have a negative influence on you?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "I'm not afraid."
---
Abduweli Heber: "When I sleep at night, I always dream about them. I dream about dinner with my family and a happy life. I dream about playing with my younger brothers. I really miss hearing them call me 'Brother, Brother'. I also want to go back to study and have fun with my friends. Although I want all this very much, I've committed a crime and these chances can never come back."
Mother of Dilnur: "I hate those who took her away. If they hadn't done that, we would be having a normal life."
Dilnur Eziz: "I'm sorry for them."
Mother of Dilnur: "[She could be at home] helping me and talking with me."
Dilnur Eziz: "Her beloved daughter has grown up. I know I was wrong."
Narrator: "Lawmakers also grapple with cause and effect."
Li Juan (Chairperson, Legal Affairs Committee, People's Congress of Xinjiang): "Among the Measures for Implementation of the Counter-Terrorism Law for Xinjiang, Section 7 is about educational management. Articles 38 and 39 provide for the establishment of vocational training centers and their training content and methods. They serve as a solid legal basis."
Li Juan: "These are common practices in many other countries. We've seen such measures adopted in Singapore and Britain. They all use such practices in educating people misled by extremist thinking, including vocational training centers. It's an international practice. It's about how to educate and rectify."
Li Juan: "The Autonomous Region also enacted the Internet Security Regulations. Online dissemination of violent content, especially incitement, are our crackdown priority."
Reporter: "What if some internet companies don't follow the rules?"
Li Juan: [sic] "Then we will hold them accountable. When we saw some young people carry out violent crimes and being charged, we felt they were actually victims. They were victims of those who incited them. They themselves didn't commit terrorism but they incited others. So it was based on the harm to society, China's Criminal Law stipulates that we hold you responsible for the making and dissemination of violent terrorist audio and video materials. Even if we block violent terrorist content, terrorism and extremism will not cease and they will try to find new ways. Terrorism is one of their methods. So I believe the challenge will remain for a long time."
Mirzat (Police Officer): "The challenges are more likely from outside China. The invisible hand of incitement from outside China has always been trying to mislead our people."
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "Now we're focusing on identifying the source of terrorist content and taking targeted measures. When such content appears on internet platforms, we can find it as early as possible and then block it."
Mirzat: "We used to watch a number of spots, but now we're covering the whole picture. We have to cut off the paths by which terrorist content enters our country."
Abduweli: "We should work with other countries regarding the sources, including national security cooperation. Through such cooperation we can curb the terrorist organizations' living space. As long as terrorist organizations are out there, we can't relent in cracking down on such audio and video content."
Mirzat: "The ultimate goal is to uproot extremism and leave it no soil to grow back. That is the way to solve the problem effectively."
Kadir Memet: "Four years without violent terrorism. This is a preliminary victory of our previous work. It's hard won."
Adil (Police Officer): "I have two kids. But in a year, I have to be away for some 300 days. Why? Because the duty on our shoulders is so heavy. I hope more police officers' kids can have more time with their fathers."
Narrator: "'Adil's' greatest hope is to walk out of the War in the Shadows... in a safe and secure Xinjiang."
[Credits begin. A propaganda song about Xinjiang plays to clips from various state media documentaries.]
=== Special thanks to: The China Society for Human Rights Studies The Xinjiang Development Research Center The Public Security Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region ===
Supplementary materials
Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbN-yF5d2QU Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgg5nlgs5rc Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlzunwilGM Testimony 6: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/kamalturk.yalqun/videos/ 2195899097158829/&show_text=1&width=300 photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/965_4.jpg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/965_5.jpg photo (3): https://shahit.biz/supp/965_6.jpg photo (4): https://shahit.biz/supp/965_7.jpg photo with son (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/965_8.jpg photo with son (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/965_9.jpg biography (written by relatives): https://shahit.biz/supp/965_10.pdf photo (5): https://shahit.biz/supp/965_11.jpg TV show appearance: https://shahit.biz/supp/965_12.jpg photos before and after detention: https://shahit.biz/supp/beforeafter_965.png
Entry created: 2018-12-02 Last updated: 2021-05-19 Latest status update: 2021-08-07 997. Aidarbek Osmon
Chinese ID: 6530231968??????O? (Akchi)
Basic info
Age: 51-52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kyrgyz Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Jusup Malik, an ethnic Kyrgyz from China and now citizen of Kyrgyzstan. (relative)
Testimony 4: Almambet Osmon, a publisher and intellectual, originally from Akchi County but now a citizen of Kyrgyzstan. (brother)
Testimony 5: Committee in Support of the Chinese Kyrgyz, a Kyrgyzstan grassroots movement that existed briefly in late 2018 and early 2019.
About the victim
Aidarbek Osmon was a teacher and a poet. From 1988, he worked as a Chinese-language teacher at township-level schools in the Qarabulaq and Qarachi townships, as well as at the county-level middle school. He also served as a school principal, and retired in 2010.
Address: Akchi County, Kizilsu Prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Some earlier testimonies (from late 2018) had claimed that he was detained in 2016, but - following clarification - it seems that this was largely speculative and done as part of a batch testimony for multiple detained Kyrgyz.
More recently, his brother clarified that he was arrested in around late 2018, and in April 2019 was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
--- Victim's status
Serving a 13-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The victim's brother learned the news of his arrest and sentence through contacts in China.
Additional information
This victim is also included in the list provided by the Committee in Support of the Chinese Kyrgyz: http://shahit.biz/supp/list_001.pdf
Victims among relatives
Nurmambet Osmon (984), Sulaiman Orozobai (995), Oruunqan Osmon (3863), Malik Masmakun (991), Gulshaiyr Sultan (992), Amantur Malik (901), Orozobai Mamaizhuma (3864), Almambet Kadyrkul (998)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_XRt_feBTY Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwU_gTJUSlo Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b0Ri46SrTQ Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/997_4.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/997_5.jpg
Entry created: 2018-12-04 Last updated: 2020-07-22 Latest status update: 2020-07-22 1000. Tergeusiz Dauithan (塔尔古色孜·达吾提汗)
Chinese ID: 652723197305201610 (Arishang)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Testimony 1+2+4: Orazbek Alimbek, born on July 24, 1983, has obtained Kazakhstan citizenship. His PIN is 830724000258.
Victim's relation to testifier
Testimony 1+2+4: fellow-villager
About the victim
Tergeusiz Dauithan, Born on May 20, 1973, has visited Kazakhstan several times. His Chinese ID number is 652723197305201610. His passport number is G58811961. He went back to China in February 2017 after submitting documents for applying for a Kazakhstan Permanent Resident card and to return when the document is ready. However, he was sent to the re-education camp in May and later was given 11 years of prison term for no reason. He is married with two underage children. He had to endure a torture while he was in the camp.
Address: Arasan (Wenquan) County, Boertala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
May 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to https://abai.kz/post/60892, he was given a 12-year sentence for intending to immigrate to Kazakhstan. Victim's status in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
A person with the victim's name is the legal representative of a cooperative in Arashang County: https://archive.is/M9PwZ
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHIyOzY7LcY Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NKA4mpS1vU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hmz5UI6YgY Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct35-q-SMos Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/1000_5.png
Entry created: 2018-12-04 Last updated: 2021-04-05 Latest status update: 2018-12-02 1182. Tursun Memet
Chinese ID: 65312319????????O? (Yengisar)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"extremism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Heyrinsa Qasim, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (wife)
About the victim name: Tursun Memet age: 67 (on 8 NOV 2017) ethnicity: Uyghur gender: male
Resident of Aigus township (艾古斯乡), Yengisar county, Kashgar prefecture.
Arrested in Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Ghulja (Yining) on 18 May 2017, transferred to No 1 Prison in Urumchi, now serving a 10-year sentence. He was sentenced 13 years after having scolded his son (in 2004) for drinking alcohol which is not allowed according to Islamic custom and was labeled as 'religious extremism'.
Victim's location
No 1 Prison in Urumchi
When victim was detained
Detained on May 18, 2017. Sentenced in September 2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"religious extremism" (scolding son for drinking)
Victim's status in prison (sentenced to 10 years) How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
RFA: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/drinking-11082017154732.html (published on 8 NOV 2017)
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Memetimin Tursun (1668)
Entry created: 2018-12-10 Last updated: 2018-12-10 Latest status update: 2017-11-08 1185. Ehmetjan Jume
Chinese ID: 653121197405????O? (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: 46-47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|"extremism", "problematic" literature Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Memetjan Jume, as reported by New York Times. (brother)
Testimony 2: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3|4: Memetjan Jume, deputy director of Radio Free Asia's Uyghur service. (brother)
Testimony 5: Yasin Eshmet, originally from Shayar County, now residing in Turkey. (former student)
Testimony 6: Nathan, a participant in the Silk Road Peace Project. (relation unclear)
Testimony 7: Abduweli Ayup, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (friend)
Testimony 8: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 9: Memetjan Jume, as reported by Amnesty International. (brother)
About the victim
Ehmetjan Jume graduated from Kashgar University, where he majored in political science. He later became a teacher of comparative literature at the Konasheher No. 1 High School in Kashgar, as well as the academic director there, in addition to teaching at the Mahmudie language school in Urumqi.
He had written such high-school textbooks as "The World and I", "History and I", and "Society and I". He also translated Chinese books into Uyghur and wrote articles. At the time of his detention, he was working on an Uyghur translation of Khaled Housseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns".
He is married and has an underage son.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.] When victim was detained
He was first arrested in 2006, while his brother, Memetjan Jume, was in the US for a leadership training workshop. He was allegedly tortured and beaten during this time, spending a month in detention and being released after colleagues from his school and the education bureau advocated on his behalf.
He was detained again from July 2009 to November 2009, for going to the US embassy not long after the July 5 incident to get a US visa. Again, he was released following advocacy from his colleagues.
More recently, he was detained in May 2017, spending two years at a camp in Opal Township [presumably the facility in the industrial park, as there do not appear to be others], before being sentenced to around 14 years in prison in 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
It is strongly suspected that his recent detention is related to his being the brother of Memetjan Juma, a journalist working for Radio Free Asia.
According to a local police officer, he was arrested and sentenced because of an "extremist book" that was found in his home.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not clear how friends and relatives abroad learned about Ehmetjan's detention.
The police officer who spoke to Radio Free Asia presumably had relatively direct knowledge of the case, however.
Additional information
Mentioned by the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/world/asia/china-xinjiang-rfa.html
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/brother-05032021182707.html
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR029
This victim is also included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Victims among relatives Abduqadir Jume (1184)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q2vQ8nUlvM Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/NewsMemet/status/1133790804546396162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/NewsMemet/status/1264019731742445572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/yasinsahyar/status/1264320834946170881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1185_1.png photo with father and brother: https://shahit.biz/supp/1185_5.jpg
Entry created: 2018-12-10 Last updated: 2021-09-28 Latest status update: 2021-05-03 1186. Hursen Hesen
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (---)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: has problems Profession: art & literature
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Seyyare Hesen, a resident of the United States. (sister)
Testimony 2: Seyyare Hesen, as reported by New York Times. (sister)
About the victim
Hursen Hesen graduated from Grade 12 at the No. 5 High School in Urumqi. After graduating from high school, he went on to graduate from the Xinjiang Pedagogical University, where he majored in language studies.
After graduating from the Xinjiang Pedagogical University, Hursen Hesen became a voice actor at the Xinjiang Television Station. He achieved multiple notable accomplishments in the literature and entertainment industries [details unknown].
In recent years, before his detention, he started his own company and was producing movies and short films [presumably through that company].
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
In October 2018, Hursen Hesen participated in a training program organised by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association. The training program was for accomplished film makers and actors. He attended multiple courses and studied in [inner China] [presumably in connection with the aforementioned training program].
In December 2018, Hursen Hesen was arrested and taken to a detention camp. Shortly after his detention, he was taken to the emergency department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. He was then taken back from the hospital to the detention camp on 16 December 2018. [So his arrest, hospitalisation and apparent discharge from hospital happened within the space of approximately 16 days.]
Hursen Hesen was reportedly "very healthy" prior to his arrest in December 2018.
Following his arrest in December 2018, he was held at the detention camp for approximately 1.5 years.
On 4 September 2020, it was announced that he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
It is unclear what specifically led to Hursen Hesen's initial arrest and detention, but the reason for his 15-year sentence on 4 September 2020 was reportedly "separatism".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
New York Times mention (Testimony 2): https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/world/asia/china-muslims-xinjiang-detention.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaIP-GmESfk photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1186_2.jpg
Entry created: 2021-02-16 Last updated: 2021-04-22 Latest status update: 2020-10-01 1203. Serik Dauitbek
Chinese ID: 654121198104052533 (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|3|4: Baqytzhan Nurdaulet, born in 1966, has been a Kazakhstan citizen since 2004. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2|6: Almas Darbai, born in 1979, is a resident of Kazakhstan. (friend)
Testimony 5: Alimnur Turganbai, born in 1977, is a resident of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 7: Bagdar Orazgaly, originally from Ghulja County but now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (friend)
Testimony 8*: Gulmira Abduali, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (relative of friend)
About the victim
Serik Dauitbekuly.
Address: Yining County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
DOB: April 5, 1981. Chinese ID: 654121198104052533.
Victim's location
[Gulmira Abduali in interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019 (Testimony 8): Zhana Turme (prison) in Kunes County [Kunes Maximum-Security Prison].]
When victim was detained
Sent to a re-education camp on March 13, 2018. In June 2018, he was sentenced to 16 years and 10 months.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 7: praying. Victim's status
In prison.
Testimony 1: 20-year term.
Testimony 3: 9-year term.
Testimony 6-7: 17-year term.
[There is a good likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at Kunes Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
A group of friends - Serik Dauitbek, Duisen Yrysbergen and Akbar Alipbaiuly have all received the same sentence at the same time for the same reason.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LgrB7iCn0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZSsTOLtNGE Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HueWMl9XGpo Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZGyM-lMSk Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxueBv4Dlh4 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4Pv75WlDZE Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCoEEmgnmMc
Entry created: 2018-12-10 Last updated: 2021-07-02 Latest status update: 2019-09-05 1204. Duisen Yrysbergen
Chinese ID: 654121197710202533 (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: manual work
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|3|4: Baqytzhan Nurdaulet, born in 1966, has been a Kazakhstan citizen since 2004. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2: Almas Darbai, born in 1979, is a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 5|7: Tursynqan Zeinelbek, born in 1974, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
Testimony 6: Kosherbai Alimbek, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 8: Bagdar Orazgaly, originally from Ghulja County but now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (former neighbor)
Testimony 9: Guldaria Sherizat, born in 1978, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10: Talpyn Zhastar, a human rights organization in Almaty that operated briefly in mid-2019.
Testimony 11*: Gulmira Abduali, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (relative of friend)
About the victim
Duisen Yrysbergenuly worked as a sanitation worker in a mosque.
Address: Kulste village, (库鲁斯台村), Aule township (阿乌利亚乡), Yining county, Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture
DOB: October 20, 1977. Chinese ID: 654121197710202533.
Victim's location
[Gulmira Abduali in interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019 (Testimony 11): Zhana Turme (prison) in Kunes County.] When victim was detained
March 29, 2018
Testimony 10: originally had his passport confiscated in 2015 after returning to China, making it impossible to return to Kazakhstan.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 8: praying
Victim's status
In prison, sentenced to 17 years in June 2018.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
His mother is disabled and needs his constant care.
A group of friends - Serik Dauitbek, Duisen Yrysbergen and Akbar Alipbaiuly have all received the same sentence at the same time for the same reason.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-LgrB7iCn0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZSsTOLtNGE Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HueWMl9XGpo Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ZGyM-lMSk Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E92XOMuDSZI Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8gz96XIQys Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS176JpJTRY Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCoEEmgnmMc Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2zZkIT3Uys Testimony 10: https://twitter.com/TalpynZ/status/1147629431730638848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2018-12-10 Last updated: 2020-08-06 Latest status update: 2019-09-05 1240. Shattyq Daulet (恰特合·达吾列提)
Chinese ID: 654122198812021013 (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (19 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"inciting ethnic hatred", "disturbing public order" Health status: critical Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Erqanat Beisen, born in 1986, is a Kazakhstan citizen as of 2017. (cousin)
Testimony 3|4|7|11: Baqytqan Qurmanali, a resident of Kazakhstan. (aunt)
Testimony 5: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 6: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (relative of friend)
Testimony 8: Official right-to-legal-counsel notice, sent by a local procuratorate to inform the prosecuted party of their right to seek legal counsel.
Testimony 9: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
Testimony 10: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (aunt)
Testimony 12: Anonymous, as reported by Amnesty International. (relative)
About the victim
Shattyq Daulet ran a small phone-repair business. He is married, and has a son and daughter.
Residential address: Yard No. 452, No. 8 Company, No. 68 Corps, Chapchal County.
ID address: House No. 56, No. 8 Company, No. 67 Corps, Jirenbulaq Municipality, Chapchal County (察布查尔锡伯自治县捷仁布拉克镇67团8连56号).
Victim's location
A prison in Kuytun. [Presumably Kuytun Prison.] When victim was detained
In one of the testimonies, the victim's aunt reports his detention as being in April 2017. [However, this is likely an error, as in a later testimony she reports it as April 2018. There is also a local media article praising the victim in June 2017, which would be unlikely to be published if he was already detained by then.]
The initial detention seems to have taken place on February 12, 2018. The victim was released on bail then, but appears to have been detained again in April, before being formally arrested on May 5, 2018, but released on bail again the next day. On May 7, 2018, he was notified by the Ghulja Reclamation Area People's Procuratorate that they had received the public security bureau's case materials and were starting the review and prosecution process (notifying him of his right to attorney).
His aunt has reported that he was later given a 19-year prison term.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
His aunt has listed attending Friday prayers (even though he's not religious), helping people in need, and visiting Turkistan in Kazakhstan as all being possible reasons for his arrest.
In her testimony for a large number of people who were all detained together for attending the birthday party of imam Nauryzbai Izbasar's daughter, Alia Beksultan lists Shattyq as being one of the detainees. Shattyq's aunt adds that he was arrested together with 16 other couples present, the group being accused of having illegal connections to Kazakhstan and Shattyq being accused of sponsoring this group.
In the official notice from the local procuratorate, it is stated that he and 6 others are charged with "inciting ethnic hatred, inciting ethnic discrimination, and gathering a crowd to disturb social order" (煽动民族仇恨、民族歧视、聚众扰乱社会秩序罪). In the indictment, it says that he was detained on the suspicion of "gathering a crowd to disturb social order".
Victim's status
Presumably serving a 19-year prison term. [There is also a likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at the Kuytun Prison.]
He suffers from a serious illness, having first been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (慢性髓性白血病) by the Bingtuan No. 4 Agricultural Division Hospital on October 27, 2014, and being transferred to the No. 1 Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University for 8 days on November 7, 2014. In 2017, he went to Beijing twice for in-hospital treatment, but ultimately could not afford it and had to give it up midway. The illness recurred on April 10, 2018, with him being admitted to the No. 1 Affiliated Hospital for treatment (prior to being arrested).
Relatives were initially allowed to visit him in prison once a month, but following the COVID-19 pandemic only sporadic calls were allowed.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not clear how his aunt and others in Kazakhstan learned about the detention [presumably through contacts in Xinjiang]. The procuratorate notice and indictment come from official sources, however.
Additional information
Baqytqan mentions that the local authorities have started pressuring the victim's relatives following her video appeals.
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-04022020072302.html
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR004
Business listing for his phone-repair shop: http://archive.is/iYo4A
A local media report praising him: http://archive.is/PDoXx
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_46.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_46.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=46
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_7.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_7.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=7
Victims among relatives
Saltanat Beisen (1241)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z0yJhOTofg Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGOKMvtwCjY Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fg2L7EwLjA Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD8PHpDM3wg Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wx_u8S1TFs Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECwKpbmejRE Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWAivmR7NDI Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BzI5MRWRO0 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1240_5.png medical results: https://shahit.biz/supp/1240_9.png
Entry created: 2018-12-12 Last updated: 2021-09-28 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 1252. Memetjan Abdulla (买买提·阿布都拉)
Chinese ID: 6502??19770921??O? (Karamay)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: --- Profession: media/journalism
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous letter, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (friend)
Testimony 2: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3: China Central Television, the predominant state-owned television network in Mainland China.
Testimony 4: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 5: Congressional-Executive Commission on China, an independent agency of the U.S. government which monitors human rights and rule of law developments in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Memetjan Abdulla worked for 8 years as a journalist for the China National Radio Uyghur-language service. In his free time, he also worked for the Uyghur website "Salqin".
Victim's location
Wusu Prison.
When victim was detained
Detained in mid-July 2009, following the 7-5 incident in Urumqi. He was sentenced to life on April 1, 2010, in Urumqi, following a closed trial.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Charged with instigating the 7-5 Urumqi incident, for having allegedly translated a call that was issued by the World Uyghur Congress and that called on Uyghurs to protest against the Shaoguan incident in their respective countries. He published the translation on Salqin. Victim's status
Serving a lifelong prison sentence.
[Because the Zhongxin LLC (乌苏众鑫农工贸有限责任公司) operates out of Wusu Prison (http://archive.is/RbYxM), there is the likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
One of the anonymous sources who spoke to Radio Free Asia says that they attended the trial.
China Central Television, which confirmed Memetjan's sentence and portrayed him as a criminal in its documentary, is a state media outlet with direct access to all required information.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/journalist-12212010162519.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-08082010190802.html
Mentioned in EU joint motion for a resolution: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-8-2018-0460_EN.pdf
Mention in German media: https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article175943585/FreeThemAll-Memetjan-Abdulla-China-Uigure-und- Journalist.html
Mentioned in CECC article: https://www.cecc.gov/publications/commission-analysis/uyghur-political-prisoners-mehbube-ableshs-and -abdulghani
His friend's blog entry, written in support of Memetjan: https://archive.is/rgCqY
Chinese PEN entry: https://www.chinesepen.org/blog/archives/1623
He is also mentioned in a long list of victims compiled by the Rights Protection Network: https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/08/201983147-1040_48.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3 (1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a0kN7E4GlA Testimony 3 (2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaObRk6h7jY Testimony 3 (3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlg6sI7-3qA photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/1252_1.png on state media: https://shahit.biz/supp/1252_2.jpg press card: https://shahit.biz/supp/1252_6.jpg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/1252_7.jpg
Entry created: 2018-12-12 Last updated: 2021-05-31 Latest status update: 2019-08-31 1275. Baqtybek Kadiraqyn
Chinese ID: 654022??????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Zeinehan Abdesh, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 2: Nurshat Erlan, originally from Ili's Chapchal County, now lives in Kazakhstan. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3|6|8: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 7: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 9*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Baqtybek Kadiraqyn.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wx_u8S1TFs
Entry created: 2018-12-14 Last updated: 2021-01-18 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 1276. Gulzia Nurbek
Chinese ID: 65402219840514??E? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Testimony 1: Gulbaqyt Abilzhan
Testimony 2-3: Shalqar Baqyt, born on December 6, 1992. His ID number is 031666085.
Victim's relation to testifier
Testimony 1: fellow-villager
Testimony 2-3: unclear
About the victim
Gulzia Nurbek, a housewife.
Address: Chabuchaer County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China.
DOB: May 14, 1984.
Victim's location
Possibly in Ili. According to Testimony 3, she was allegedly taken to a camp/prison in inner China.
Believer: women's prison of Ghulja
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: Put into camp in March 2018.
Testimony 3: detained in March 2017. Allegedly taken to a prison or a camp in inner China after 3-4 months.
From the Believer: the victim spent three months in a camp and was taken to a prison afterwards. She has been convicted and sentenced, reason for imprisonment is unknown.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: no apparent reason
From the Believer: The testifier does not know why she has been sentenced to prison, he suspects, it has to do with religion, but doubts so as his aunt was not very observant and didn't even pray, but she might have seen an imam at some point.
Victim's status
Believer: in prison, serving a 13-year sentence
[There is a high likelihood that she is subjected to forced labor at the Ili Women's Prison, as this practice has been documented there.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Shalqar's interview to the Believer (https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/):
In Kazakh we say “sister,” not “aunt.” The truth is, she really is a sister to me. We’re separated in age by only a few years. We used to talk on the phone every month, just to say hello.
In 2017, they started to take Uighurs and Kazakhs from their villages. I don’t know why. My aunt spent three months in a camp. After three months, she was placed in a prison. No one knew this at the time. It was only a few months ago that I heard from one of our relatives that she had been convicted and sentenced. Without any reason, without any guilt. This January, I started writing petitions and complaints here in Kazakhstan. I gave interviews and I posted videos online. The next month, her husband was called by the local authorities. They told him to get in touch with me to tell me not to complain.
At the time, her husband didn’t even know what had happened to his wife. He was in the dark. When they called him, he learned that she was being held in a women’s prison in Ghulja. She had been sentenced to thirteen years.
I don’t know why she was sentenced. I heard it was for religious reasons, so probably she visited an imam at some point. But she wasn’t such an observant Muslim. She didn’t read namaz. And her husband wasn’t sent to a camp. I don’t know why. He’s left alone to take care of their daughter, so maybe that’s the reason. But why her? My aunt worked as a housewife. She didn’t have any education. She was just an ordinary person.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPUBdpslhSA Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3RF-eRdpPE Entry created: 2018-12-14 Last updated: 2021-01-27 Latest status update: 2019-05-01 1278. Tileubek Medethan
Chinese ID: 6540221986??????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 34-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Zeinehan Abdesh, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 2|4|5: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (from same town/region)
Testimony 7*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Tileubek Medethan.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".] Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1-2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 5-6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo
Entry created: 2018-12-14 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 1279. Zhenisnur Maidan
Chinese ID: 654022??????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|5|7: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 3: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 8: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (relative of friend)
Testimony 9*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (relative of friend)
About the victim
Zhenisnur Maidan.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 5+6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH_mVjqH4Ok Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECwKpbmejRE
Entry created: 2018-12-14 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 1286. Beisen Toqtarbek (拜山·托合托尔别克)
Chinese ID: 654122197310174613 (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3|4: Gulbaqyt Abilzhan, born in 1972, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2: Esbergen Toqtarbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 5: Malika Beisen, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (daughter)
Testimony 6: Nurlan Kaken, a resident of Kazakhstan. (son-in-law)
Testimony 7: Malika Beisen, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (daughter)
Testimony 8: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (relative)
About the victim
Beisen Toqtarbek was an imam.
Address: House No. 81, Sodunbulaq Village, Chong Boghra Municipality, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Xinjiang (新疆察布查尔锡伯自治县琼博拉镇索墩布拉克村81号).
Victim's location
Qarabura Prison in Kunes County.
When victim was detained
Based on the more recent testimonies and interviews, he appears to have been detained in June 2017, held at the "Three Kilometers" detention center (about three kilometers outside the Chong Boghra municipality), and then sentenced 2-3 months later. According to Malika Beisen, his wife attended the trial, only to hear the verdict read and then return home.
He was later transferred to Qarabura Prison in Kunes County. Likely (or given) reason for detention
The friends and relatives who've testified for him believe that he was detained for being an imam and/or having visited Kazakhstan.
Victim's status
Serving a 7-year prison sentence.
According to the victim's daughter, he is allowed to have video calls with relatives in China once every 2 weeks, on Mondays. These usually last only 3-5 minutes. Once a week, he is allowed to have a phone call with his wife.
[There is also a high likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at Qarabura Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
From relatives in the region.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10292019062434.html
Victims among relatives
Toqtarbek Musan (113), Aminaqan Qaimurat (112)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9OXmfJWWw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kELJhpy-i_o Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xPNW7nMYnI Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxZ_mD5abM0 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JZ1NnK1GQk Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPUBdpslhSA Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1286_7.png testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1286_10.png
Entry created: 2018-12-14 Last updated: 2020-09-22 Latest status update: 2019-10-30 1289. Nurbek Orazqan
Chinese ID: 65402319820918??O? (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Gulzat Orazqan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (sister)
Testimony 2|3|4|5: Gulzat Orazqan, born in 1979, is originally from the Bingtuan No. 64 Corps in Korgas, but has been residing in Kazakhstan since June 2017. (sister)
About the victim
Nurbek Orazqan (DOB: September 18, 1982).
Address: 21st lian, 64th Production Corps, Huocheng county.
Victim's location
Testimony 4: in Kuytun.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: September 20, 2018 (taken to camp)
Testimony 2: September 1, 2018
Testimony 4: Nurbek was arrested in September 2018 and released in June 2019 (Testimony 5: May 2019). After three months, in September 2019, he was forcedly sent to work in a factory. He could have a video chat with his wife every once in two months. the last contact was in September 2020 when he wept to his wife saying that he cannot come back home and that he misses his children. After that, there was no contact. On 29 January 2021, his family got a notification that he could meet only his close relatives through video chat (that lasted 3 minutes) with his mother and brother. He only managed to say that he is in Quitun.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unclear. Victim's status
Testimony 4: possibly in some form of forced job placement following detention, but not completely clear.
Testimony 5: Victim's mother was able to have a video chat with the victim on January 29, 2021. The victim told his mother that he was in Kuitun and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-3: Learned from an acquaintance from Xinjiang on December 9, 2018.
Testimony 4: not stated [though possibly through the victim's wife].
Additional information
His wife, Sofiia Tolybaiqyzy (born in 1987) is forced to work at a new carpet factory in the 64th polk. Their 3-year-old daughter, Nurbanu Nurbek (September 24, 2015), has been taken from the grandmother and put into an orphanage in the same polk. Now, the grandma, Gülbanu Apen (1952), is living with her one-year-old grandson Nurtilek Nurbek (born in April 2017).
Victims among relatives
Sofiia Tolybai (1290), Nurbanu Nurbek (1291)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoZzZlf3lFE Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoSGMGsnI1Q Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx7c16W8PLA Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT1Wka4PH_g photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1289_1.png
Entry created: 2018-12-14 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-03-01 1297. Askar Zhunus (阿斯卡尔·居努斯)
Chinese ID: 6541011969??????O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 50-51 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kyrgyz Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: scholar
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Committee in Support of the Chinese Kyrgyz, a Kyrgyzstan grassroots movement that existed briefly in late 2018 and early 2019.
Testimony 2|3: Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences staff member, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (colleague)
Testimony 4: Adil Zhunus, as reported by New Survey of the Silk Road (丝路新观察). (brother)
Testimony 5: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6: Ilyar, the nephew of Kyrgyz scholar Askar Zhunus. (nephew)
About the victim
Askar Zhunus is a Kyrgyz historian who worked at the Academy of Social Sciences in Xinjiang. His work over the past several decades has covered the ethnic history of Xinjiang and Central Asia, with a focus on the Kyrgyz people. He has published over 40 articles and several books.
His brother, Adil Zhunus, is a member of parliament in Kyrgyzstan.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Askar was taken into custody in late October 2018 from his home in Urumqi. As of January 2019, it was reported by his brother through Chinese state media that Askar was in a "training center".
He was later sentenced to 11 years in prison, according to his nephew in September 2020. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unclear.
A colleague stated that he was unsure of why Askar was detained and that his crime “hadn’t been decided yet”, without providing further information.
Victim's status
Serving an 11-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The people who confirmed the detention to Radio Free Asia were staff at the same institution as the victim, and would presumably have more direct knowledge of the case. One of them stated that they were informed at a meeting.
It's not stated how exactly the others - Askar's family and activists abroad - heard the news.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia investigation: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/historian-11302018164026.html
The story of his brother has also been covered on Eurasianet: https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-mps-brother-swept-up-in-xinjiang-crackdown
Chinese state media has interviewed his brother, in which Askar's detention is also confirmed: https://archive.vn/mhrtg
The victim is also included in the list provided by the Committee in Support of the Chinese Kyrgyz (https://shahit.biz/supp/list_001.pdf), as well as in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs (and other ethnic minorities), available at: https://shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
His Baidu Baike: https://archive.is/NWjK5
One of the victim's books: https://archive.vn/49Wam
State-media report(s)
Source: https://archive.vn/dbQLS
KYRGYZSTAN MP: "XINJIANG VOCATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL TRAINING CENTERS ARE A GOOD MEANS OF PREVENTING EXTREMISM"
Lately, a number of fake videos and news have been circulating on social networks in Kyrgyzstan, creating rumors and distorting the nature of the vocational and educational training centers (hereafter referred to as “training centers”) in Xinjiang, presenting them as “re-education camps” and the like. Because of this, a reporter from the New Survey of the Silk Road interviewed Adil Zhunus, a Kyrgyzstan parliament member, to have him tell the readers, based on his own personal experience, what kind of place Xinjiang really is. The vocational and education training centers have brought Xinjiang happiness, not disaster. XINJIANG IS CHINA'S MOST BEAUTIFUL PROVINCE, AND ONE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD TREASURE
An ethnic Kyrgyz, Adil Zhunus was born in Xinjiang’s city of Ghulja on May 15, 1963. His father, now retired, used to work as a teacher at the Ili Veterinary College. After graduating from Xinjiang University with a major in geography, Adil was appointed to the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Xinjiang Ecology and Geography Research Laboratory in 1987.
Adil went to Kyrgyzstan for the first time in 1991, to visit relatives and to travel. In 1993, he moved to Kyrgyzstan to study at Bishkek’s newly founded humanities university, where he taught Chinese and learned Russian. He later created his own company and started his career in commerce. He spent over ten years as the vice-president of Kyrgyzstan’s overseas-Chinese association, doing very much to help maintain good relations between the two countries.
Adil obtained Kyrgyz citizenship in February 2001. In 2015, he successfully ran for a seat in the country’s sixth parlimentary elections. He also served as the vice chairman of the China-Kyrgyzstan relations group, continuing to contribute to collaboration between China and Kyrgyzstan.
According to Adil, his parents, siblings, relatives, old classmates, and friends and colleagues are all in China, and he often comes to China to see family and travel despite already having gotten Kyrgyz citizenship. China, he says, is his favorite place. In his opinion, Xinjiang is China’s most beautiful province. As the people of Xinjiang themselves say: "Our Xinjiang is a great place – home to the Han, Uyghur, Kazakh, Hui, Kyrgyz, Mongol, and 47 other ethnic groups."
"There were people of 15 different ethnic groups living in the courtyard at the Ili Veterinary Hospital, where I was born and raised," Adil reminisces. "We lived harmoniously without paying attention to ethnicity or financial status. At that time, all of Xinjiang lived that way – everyone getting along peacefully."
He then adds, with sorrow:
"But later, terrorism, separatism, and extremism destroyed the original, harmonious Xinjiang. A lot of families were destroyed, and a lot of people started to go down criminal paths after being influenced by extremist demagoguery."
Adil expresses his heartfelt desire to see Xinjiang regain its initial tranquility. He doesn’t want to hear about or see those bad things anymore. He hopes for peace in China, peace in Kyrgyzstan, and especially peace in Xinjiang. He hopes that all ethnic groups can live harmoniously in Xinjiang, and cherish this wonderful place.
TRAINING CENTERS ARE AN INGENIOUS MEANS OF DERADICALIZATION
Faced with complex and severe circumstances, the Xinjiang authorities have chosen the principle of "strike hard but emphasize prevention", developing the vocational and educational training center system to prevent the appearance and spread of extremism, thereby protecting the most fundamental human right of the populace and safeguarding them from terrorism and extremism in the greatest way possible.
However, following the premeditated incitement of certain destructive forces, some people have started to have misgivings about Xinjiang’s vocational and educational training centers. Some have previously asked Adil if the Kyrgyz in China were being locked up or tortured. His answer is as follows:
"I feel pity for those who have been blinded by the fake news. The Xinjiang vocational and educational training centers are an ingenious means of deradicalization."
As he puts it, China is a country of law, but the "three evil forces" have encroached deeply into Xinjiang. With the help of teachers, people at the training centers learn the national language, obtain a better knowledge of the law, and acquire vocational skills that then help those having been influenced by extremism and those having committed minor crimes transform their thoughts and to return to normal society, effectively curing and preventing the apparition of the "three evil forces" and the spread of extremism.
Adil is fully supportive of the means and resolution of China’s preventive attack on the "three evil forces".
"In December 2018, I made a trip to China to see with my own eyes the Kyrgyz who graduated from the training centers," he says. "All of them have found good jobs now, and their Chinese has gotten a lot better. Their national awareness, awareness of themselves as citizens, and awareness of the law have clearly been strengthened. Most importantly, they all learned one or multiple trades to make a living, and aren’t idle do-nothings anymore."
As it turned out, Adil’s niece, Dinara Kamil, has just graduated from a training center recently.
"After she graduated from the training center, the government prepared for Dinara two jobs for her to choose from," Adil says. "She could go work for the neighborhood administration or go work at a kindergarten. The work is a reliable source of income, and her parents don’t need to worry about her."
Additionally, Adil’s younger brother, Askar Zhunus, is currently studying at a training center. Adil expresses that he has no right to get involved in this matter, seeing as his brother is a Chinese citizen. As an individual and a citizen, his brother acts responsibly so long as his actions are good and proper. However, if he has done something wrong, then it is only natural that he bear the responsibility according to Chinese law. As an older brother, Adil is also very worried about the other’s future.
THE FRIENDLY RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND KYRGYZSTAN ARE A PRODUCT OF A LONG HISTORY, AND THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES CANNOT BE EASILY BROKEN
As Adil puts it, the friendly relations between China and Kyrgyzstan are a natural product of a long history. The two have been the friendliest of Silk Road neighbors since ancient times. Over the course of history, many ethnicities would come in contact with one another and engage in trade. Trade then led way to cultural exchange, which would only strengthen the links between the two areas.
He says that after Kyrgyzstan’s independence in 1991, the two countries have really put in motion the historically friendly relations to achieve many breakthroughs on the political, economic, and cultural fronts.
For example: following the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries opened up the Torugart and Erkeshtam border crossings. There are currently direct flights between China and Kyrgyzstan every day. Student exchanges have also became a highlight of the collaboration between Chinese and Kyrgyz institutes of higher education. One after another, Kyrgyzstan has conceived and implemented a number of large projects with China’s technological support. All sorts of cultural exchanges and tourism are developing rapidly in both countries. Following a June 2018 meeting in Beijing between the highest delegates from both countries, the relations between China and Kyrgyzstan have evolved to those of a comprehensive strategic partnership. Adil believes that the establishment of this comprehensive partnership is a new page for the relations between the countries, and something that the people from both should cherish.
Adil states that China has always faithfully upheld the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and cooperation for mutual benefit, peaceful co-existence) since Premier Zhou Enlai proposed them in 1953. This set of principles has also seen approval from many other countries, and has become a fundamental guide for navigating relations between nations.
Victims among relatives
Dinara Kamil (2210)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 6: https://twitter.com/ilyar76626862/status/1300817927961223170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1297_4.jpeg academic article (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/1297_5.pdf academic article (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/1297_6.pdf academic article (3): https://shahit.biz/supp/1297_7.pdf academic article (4): https://shahit.biz/supp/1297_8.pdf
Entry created: 2018-12-15 Last updated: 2020-09-08 Latest status update: 2020-09-01 1352. Taubaldy Malik
Chinese ID: 654022??????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2: Unknown, but with a verified identity. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3|6: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 7*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Taubaldy Malik.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfWQZeZGL4 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGOKMvtwCjY Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmupOhwnY2c Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvp5d9a53Lg
Entry created: 2018-12-16 Last updated: 2021-01-18 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 1371. Muqiat Bozhebai
Chinese ID: 6540221987??????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 33-34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|3: Meiramgul Erbolat, born in 1990, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 2|6: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 7: Tursynbek Quzhyrbek, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 8*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Muqiat Bozhebai.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention [As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Victims among relatives
Beken Erzhuma (436)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGOKMvtwCjY Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RyHRq1Bt60 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5HEJyz_JRU Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo
Entry created: 2018-12-17 Last updated: 2021-01-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 1394. Qalmet Shegir (哈里米提·切格尔)
Chinese ID: 654224195802100038 (Toli)
Basic info
Age: 63 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: has problems Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|8: Aiypqul Qalymet, born in 1988, moved to Kazakhstan in 2006 and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship. (son)
Testimony 2: Saira Qatimolla, born in 1958, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3|7: Manap Qabdirahman, born in 1974, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (nephew)
Testimony 4|5|6|9: Qabekqul Qalimet, born in 1985, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (son)
About the victim
Qalymet Shegir is a Chinese citizen. He worked as a county-level Imam for 28 years (appointed in 1990) and he used to attend the annual religious meetings organized by the central government. He was also a deputy to the NPC. He graduated from the Xinjiang Islamic Institute in Urumqi.
Address: 246 Residence No. 1, Qaragaibastau Road, Toli Municipality, Toli County, Xinjiang (新疆托里县托里镇喀拉盖巴斯陶路1居246号).
Chinese passport: G46427312. Kazakhstan green card: 024289706.
Victim's location
[unclear, as sentenced]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: He was detained on March 15, 2017, for no reason and was sentenced to 18 years in prison in September 2018.
Testimony 2: March 15, 2018.
Testimony 3: He was sentenced to 10 years in prison around June 2019. However, there was no court hearing, none of the family members were invited to the trial, and no official written judgement was provided.
Testimony 8: he was first sentenced to 18 years, then had his sentence reduced to 10. He was given his prison term after being detained in a camp for some time.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unclear. However, according to Testimony 4, he had been visiting Kazakhstan since 2006.
Testimony 6: From 1991 to 1993, he trained imams in rural areas because there were not enough imams in the villages and it was arranged by the authorities. Now he is being accused of training religious people illegally. He was tortured into confessing.
Victim's status
Testimony 1: in prison
Testimony 2: in a concentration camp
Testimony 5: sentenced to 10 years and 8 months (has health issues, with a gallbladder surgery some years ago)
Testimony 6: He suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. When his wife went to the prison to see him, she was informed to pay 2000 RMB for his medical treatment and food.
Testimony 7: testifier was able to contact him recently and found out he was swollen and very sick because of constant torture and interrogation.
Testimony 9: His wife and other relatives was able to see him only once after several times of application.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 7: testifier says that he was able to contact him recently.
Additional information
A state-media article from 2015 quotes him: http://archive.is/bMPtj
He is listed as a committee member by the China Islamic Association for its Eighth Congress: http://archive.is/mXnwA
He is listed as a representative for the Eighth National Islamic Representatives Congress: http://archive.is/nZ2xh
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/yili-12122019063448.html?encoding=simplified
Victims among relatives
Qairlysh Muhametzhan (2081), Rahmanqul Qalymet (2082), Bagdangul Maqan (2083) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu0OYo8BuXI Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asS9iTxMD0o Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvxp4lWwpd0 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbyt1qXcaxU Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxKwS3FHTUk Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMgtZdtsLBg Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1wAqgdLW-o Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFqe8LT9Vak Testimony 4: https://web.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://web.facebook.com/100012011741023/videos/ 582043078872745/&show_text=1&width=300 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1394_6.png
Entry created: 2018-12-18 Last updated: 2021-03-05 Latest status update: 2021-02-26 1395. Nurzada Zhumaqan (奴尔扎达·居马汉)
Chinese ID: 652524196407010023 (Shawan)
Basic info
Age: 56 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"using superstition to undermine law enforcement", "disturbing public order" Health status: critical Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|6|7: Aibota Zhanibek, born in 1984, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (daughter)
Testimony 8|10: Aibota Zhanibek, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (daughter)
Testimony 9: Aibota Zhanibek, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (daughter)
Testimony 11: Aibota Zhanibek, as reported by National Public Radio. (daughter)
Testimony 12: Official incarceration notice, which provides the details about a given inmate's upcoming internment.
About the victim
Nurzada Zhumaqan was a small-shop owner, a business that she ran from 1988 - selling traditional items/goods - until 2016, when she closed the business and became a housewife. Following her husband's retirement, the couple bought a house in the outskirts of town, where they raised some poultry and domestic animals.
The couple had two girls, Aibota and Kunekei, but more recently had adopted a son (who is 6 years old, as of September 2019).
Address: West Tacheng Road 61-211, Shawan County, Xinjiang (新疆沙湾县塔城西路61-211号).
Kazakhstan green card: 026370972. Chinese passport: G48708786.
Victim's location
The Xinjiang Women’s Prison.
When victim was detained She was detained on June 8, 2018 and taken to "camp" [though it's possible this was just a detention center] in Shawan County. News that the victim was sentenced reached her daughter in January 2019. On June 5, 2019, it was confirmed that she was sentenced to 20 years. An official incarceration notice then said that she had been transferred to the women's prison on June 14, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Aibota cites a number of reasons that were given for her mother's detention, virtually all of them being related to religion: praying, teaching others to pray, having studied with an imam for 2 months in 2005, having her daughter (Aibota's sister) go to Yunnan for religious education, telling women that they should cover their faces (Aibota says this last one is ridiculous - i.e., her mother would never do that).
The official reasons in the incarceration notice say that she was sentenced for "using superstition to undermine law enforcement" and "gathering a crowd to disturb social order".
Victim's status
She is serving her sentence at the Urumqi women's prison.
According to her daughter, her health has deteriorated significantly, and she can barely see now.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Written about in: https://livingotherwise.com/2019/10/05/from-camps-to-prisons-xinjiangs-next-great-human-rights-catastr ophe-by-gene-a-bunin/
NPR coverage: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Mention in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_2.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_2.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=2
Victims among relatives
Kunikei Zhanibek (1396) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=welZPGQrayo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yAaRXd7oWw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8krE4QoFLec Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hYNtT5JU7o Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odm6jyk2VkM Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B2ocqROSvw Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dPoKn36zOc testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1395_8.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1395_12.png Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/1395_13.png relatives with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1395_14.jpg
Entry created: 2018-12-18 Last updated: 2020-02-10 Latest status update: 2021-05-12 1446. Duisengazy Ergazy (德沙嘎子·叶里嘎子)
Chinese ID: 652722197604100231 (Jing)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Bortala Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|6: Adilgazy Ergazy, born in 1964, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother)
Testimony 7: Adilgazy Ergazy, as reported by Associated Press. (brother)
About the victim
Duisengazy Ergazy is a Chinese citizen.
Address: Daheyanzi (Taqiya) Municipality (大河沿子镇), Jinghe county, Bortala. (born in Utybulaq Village in Taqiya)
Testimony 6: He is married to a woman named Gulsim, and the couple have two children, Aigina (daughter, 14) and Mugira (son, 10), together.
Victim's location
Testimony 5: A prison in Jinghe county.
When victim was detained
May 20, 2017.
Testimony 5: First sent to a re-education camp, then sentenced to 7 or 9 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 5: Attending Friday prayers and having religious text on his phone.
Victim's status
In prison. Testimony 6: sentenced to 9 years, with 1 hectare of agricultural land confiscated by the government.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
This case has been featured in an AP News story (Testimony 7): https://apnews.com/6c0a9dcdd7bd4a0b85a0bc96ef3dd6f2
Victims among relatives
Erkin Ergazy (1445)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hmz5UI6YgY Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZLwLFb-NLQ Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErErojIzxs Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ehWb7n3FX4 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zU_5WFamrY Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXzQpRyPYCE
Entry created: 2018-12-19 Last updated: 2020-07-25 Latest status update: 2020-03-01 1455. Ertai Dauit
Chinese ID: 654122198607142430 (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 33 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"disturbing public order", "extremism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Erzhigit, born in 1977, is a Kazakhstan citizen (there is no last name on his ID). (relative)
Testimony 3: Nurqisa Saparbaev, a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek, a Kazakhstan citizen originally from Tokkuztara County. He is one of the key volunteers at the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization. (brother-in-law)
About the victim
Ertai Dauit (Daulesh) has two children, who are 7 and 9 years old (as of January 2020).
Address: Qinaq village [presumably Qaynuq Township], Chabuchaer county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained earlier: 2017
Testimony 4: He was detained in the morning on May 30, 2017 together with 13 other guys by State security bureau staff who came in a black car. They were taken to Andeng prison located in the upper part of the Shapshal county seat. After 3-4 months, he together with few others were taken to the re-education camp which was previously Number 3 Middle school. While he was there, he was allowed for 24 hours to come home to solve his problems with car insurance. After that he was even not allowed to receive clothes brought by his relatives. In March 2019 he was given 12 years of prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 4: driving a molla to his friends Kenzhetai Qosaumas and Duise Qosaumas's house 3-4 years ago (as of 2019-2020). He was accused of disturbing social disorder and transporting extremists in his car.
Victim's status
Testimony 4: sentenced to 12 years and "deprived of freedom for 3 years" [presumably, deprived of political rights for 3 years].
According to his wife, he is allowed to have video calls twice a month with her and 3-5 minutes each time. He wears a prison uniform each time.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 4: 4 people - 1 Kazakh, 1 Uyghur, and two Han - came to his house and informed his relatives of the charges (none of his family members or relatives were invited to the court hearing). It is not clear how the testifier learned this, however.
Additional information
Testimony 4: His wife is now renting a house and has financial problems.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrt1_Flf5rw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIUWMQjgvdU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhMHClfbUAE Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCzp_Q5d0-I
Entry created: 2018-12-20 Last updated: 2021-01-30 Latest status update: 2020-01-08 1474. Bolatbek Baltabek
Chinese ID: 65272219860303023X (Jing)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"two-faced" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|4|5: Musa Imamadi, born in 1985, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (friend)
Testimony 3|6: Adilbek Turdybek, born in 1980, is originally from Jing County but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
About the victim
Bolatbek Baltabekuly, born on March 3, 1986, is a Chinese citizen. His ID number is 65272219860303023X.
Address: Ushbulak Village (乌什布拉克村), Takia Township (大河沿子镇), Zheng county, Boertala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Arrested on May 27, 2017 and sent to a re-education camp. Six months later, he was sentenced to 7 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 6: being “two faced”: Kazakh flag and other contents about Kazakhstan were found on his computer
Victim's status
He's allegedly being sentenced to 7 years in jail. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 5: He wasn’t allowed to leave the re-education camp to attend the funeral when his father died.
Testimony 6: Shortly after Bolatbek’s detention, his mother and father died.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKUQVgHwI50 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL-PMcm9UoI Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N6YjnDFUYc Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_5LHcMc8lc Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TTsLgaQrHI Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4pWi-PF8D8
Entry created: 2018-12-21 Last updated: 2020-11-26 Latest status update: 2019-02-07 1476. Kenzhebek Tolegen
Chinese ID: 652722198811200256 (Jing)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|5: Bahargul Tolegen, born in 1977, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (sister)
Testimony 4: Altyngul Tolegen, born in 1985, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
About the victim
Kenzhebai/Kenzhebek Tolegen is a Chinese citizen. He was sent to a re-education camp on May 4, 2017, and after six months he was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison without any formal court session (in December). He had been to Kazakhstan once before.
Address: No3 farm, Takia town, Zheng county, Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China.
DOB: November 26, 1988
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
May 4, 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 3: no reason given by authorities
Testimony 4: unknown, however he's visited Kazakhstan once and also prays
Victim's status in prison How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
He was taking care of his old mother who is blind and a disabled brother.
Testimony 2: the Testifier says that they have no information about the victim's mother, Turar Qonyzbai, or his disabled brother, Aidynbek Tolegen, and testifier doesn't know if they are alive or not.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqX3h3WM8r0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZu-NF3vPeM Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekvq-TaT8y0 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHTc9Jmk5pE Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wp208_JjI8
Entry created: 2018-12-21 Last updated: 2020-08-07 Latest status update: 2019-05-14 1484. Aliyem Urayim (阿丽艳·吾拉音木)
Chinese ID: 652401197109172424 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|6: Eli Yarmemet, originally from Ghulja but now residing in Norway. (son)
Testimony 7: Eli Yarmemet, as reported by Living Otherwise. (son)
Testimony 8: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Aliyem Urayim is an Uyghur businesswoman from Ghulja and a mother of three, with her and her husband having divorced when the children were still very young. After the divorce, she first went into business and worked as a street vendor, selling perfume and makeup. Later, she would open a small store, before starting to travel to Kazakhstan (and other countries) for trade purposes.
Address: No. 22, No. 12 Alley, Behit Street, Ghulja City, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁市幸福街12巷22号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was taken to camp in February 2017, not long after going to see relatives in Turkey in late December 2016. After staying for a week or two in Turkey, she disappeared after returning to China in early January (with relatives abroad unable to contact her after her arrival in China).
At some point, she was given a 17-year, 10-month prison sentence, of which her son learned in April 2020.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown, though the testifier does mention that she went on a pilgrimage to Mecca in the past. The testifier also mentions that she used to help others apply for visas and passports [which could be a potential reason].
Victim's status
Sentenced to 17 years and 10 months in prison.
A relative reportedly visited her in prison and saw that her health had deteriorated, with Aliyem asking for money to see a doctor.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
From relatives, who told Eli and others that his mother was taken to camp (before themselves falling out of contact).
It's not stated how Eli learned of the prison sentence, though he does say that a relative had visited her there.
Additional information
Eli says that he contacted the Red Cross to ask for help, but was told by the organization that their staff in China told them not to inquire the victim's whereabouts as this could put her in more danger.
Article about the victim in Living Otherwise: https://livingotherwise.com/2020/04/16/17-years-and-10-months-a-uyghur-son-learns-of-his-mothers-pri son-sentence-%ef%bb%bf/
Victims among relatives
Abdugheni Yarmemet (1485), Abdulla Ablimit (1486)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipk7zZaxtpU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuZ1tXouQAQ Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZJaPJCXiPA Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNIf-YrVIYU Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/Hettap1989/status/1095125981310922752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 6: https://twitter.com/Hettap1989/status/1249899788084162560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1484_4.png
Entry created: 2018-12-21 Last updated: 2021-01-14 Latest status update: 2021-04-07 1487. Rozahun Ehet
Chinese ID: 6531??19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Salahidin exet, Uyghur man from Kashgar. He currently lives in Bermuda.
Victim's relation to testifier
Younger brother
About the victim
Rozahun exet, Uyghur man from Kashgar. 33 years old. He was arrested in October, 2016. He was first placed in concentration camp then sentenced to prison 10-12 years. His 2 brothers were arrested earlier than him in 2016. He was asked to go to local police station in Kashgar for political studies during the day time everyday before his detention. He was running the store his brother has opened in Urumqi. He has never visited overseas, he has never committed a crime.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
October, 2016
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status unknown
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Indirect. Learned from other relatives living inside and outside China.
Additional information
3 brothers from one family are in prison without committing any crime. https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/MassDetention_of_Uyghurs.pdf
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD3dqI5C4bw
Entry created: 2018-12-21 Last updated: 2021-01-30 Latest status update: 2018-12-11 1488. Hajim Ehet
Chinese ID: 6531??19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Salahidin exet, Uyghur man from Kashgar. He currently lives in Bermuda.
Victim's relation to testifier
Older Brother
About the victim
Hajim Exet, Uyghur man from Kashgar. He was arrested in June, 2016. He was first placed in concentration camp then sentenced 10-12 years to prison. He was a farmer, he was working on agriculture and raising farm animals. He was a very kind/calm person, has never committed crime.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
June,2016
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status unknown
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Indirect. Learned from other relatives living inside and outside China. Additional information
His 2 brothers are also in prison. https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/MassDetention_of_Uyghurs.pdf
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD3dqI5C4bw
Entry created: 2018-12-21 Last updated: 2021-01-30 Latest status update: 2018-12-11 1489. Tohtahun Ehet
Chinese ID: 6531??19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Salahidin exet, Uyghur man from Kashgar. He currently lives in Bermuda.
Victim's relation to testifier
Older brother
About the victim
Toxtaxun Exet, Uyghur man from Kashgar. 46 years old. He was arrested in March, 2016 and placed in concentration camp. Later he was sentenced for 10-12 years in prison. He opened a small store at Urumqi before his detention. In 2015, he was asked by Kashgar police department to answer some questions, and later he went back to Urumqi for his business. In early 2016, he was asked by Kashgar police back to Kashgar, and got arrested. First placed in concentration camp then sentenced for prison. He never visited overseas, never committed any crime.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
March, 2016
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status unknown How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? indirectly, from other relatives living inside and outside china.
Additional information
His 2 brothers are also got arrested and sentenced to prison in 2016. https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/MassDetention_of_Uyghurs.pdf
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD3dqI5C4bw
Entry created: 2018-12-21 Last updated: 2021-01-30 Latest status update: 2018-12-11 1524. Baqytkeldi Adu (巴合提开力也·阿都)
Chinese ID: 654126196410061617 (Mongghulkure)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (26 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|7|8: Qyran Baqytkeldi, born in 1996, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (son)
Testimony 6: Nurzat Asan, born in 1970, is a Chinese citizen with residence in Kazakhstan. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Baqytkeldi Adiluly (阿都*巴合提开力也) is a Chinese citizen. He was the muezzin and cashier in a mosque.
Testimony 3: He was an imam. The testifier heard that his father was sentenced to 26 years of prison.
Regular address: Renmin Street 17, Kashazhar township, Zhaosu county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China (新疆昭苏县喀夏加尔乡人民街17号).
Victim's location
Testimony 7: Qarabura Prison in Kunes County.
When victim was detained earlier: November 2017
Testimony 7: he spent three months in a camp and then was given a prison term.
Likely (or given) reason for detention unclear
Victim's status earlier: in a re-education camp Testimony 3: heard to be sentenced
Testimony 5: sentenced to 26 years in February 2018
Testimony 6: sentenced to 25 years.
Testimony 7: sentenced to 26 years.
Testimony 8: the victim's wife, Kulshai Ahmet (testifier's mother), cannot contact the testifier now. He was sentenced in February 2018 to 26 years.
[There is a high likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at Qarabura Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 8: After the testifier's video appeals his father had been allowed to meet his family members once every half year and once every three months through video calls.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH-ZQCBgVlA Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atwbFk9wAhc Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkOX1FYNJlA Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=devmUNu9CHE Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYOyESjuDCc Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebpfL6SyHvQ Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npn-zZ2t-Uk Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb2qABmB52k Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1524_6.png
Entry created: 2018-12-23 Last updated: 2020-10-16 Latest status update: 2020-01-27 1528. Mutellip Imin (穆塔力浦·伊明)
Chinese ID: 653224198802010537 (Lop)
Basic info
Age: 26 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "separatism"|--- Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Mutellip Imin, a student of Ilham Tohti, and formerly a student in Turkey. He was arrested and sentenced with a number of other Tohti students in 2014. (the victim)
Testimony 2: Li Fangping, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 3: Global Times, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 4: Atikem Rozi, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (girlfriend)
Testimony 5: Ilham Tohti, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (former teacher)
Testimony 6: Guzelnur Eli, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)
Testimony 7: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 8: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
About the victim
Mutellip Imin was a sociology student at Istanbul University, and a moderator of "Uighur Online" (a website founded by Ilham Tohti). He had graduated with a bachelor's in English from Minzu University in June 2012, after which he received a Turkish government scholarship and went to study in Istanbul for his master's.
Victim's location
Sentenced in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
His first detention started in July 2013, when he went from Istanbul to Beijing to visit his girlfriend, Atikem Rozi. As he was about to return to Turkey to continue his studies, he was detained at the Beijing Airport on July 14, 2013, just before his flight took off.
The next day, three security officials escorted him to Urumqi, where he was detained and periodically interrogated for almost three months. On October 1, 2013, authorities escorted him to Lop County (his home region), but his documents and other items remained confiscated, making it impossible for him to leave or to return to Turkey to continue his studies.
Around January 15, 2014, he was arrested again, this time in Lop County, at around the same time as Ilham Tohti.
On December 8, 2014, he was among the seven students sentenced to 3-8 years in prison (all having worked for Ilham Tohti).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Presumably the same charges as Ilham Tohti ("separatism").
Victim's status
Sentenced to 3-8 years in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Mutellip Imin's account of his initial detention is an eyewitness testimony.
Li Fangping was able to obtain some information about the trial from the victim's lawyer.
Global Times is a state-media outlet, with direct access to the victims and relevant information regarding their case.
Additional information
Reuters coverage: https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-rights-xinjiang/china-jails-seven-students-of-uighur-scholar-for-se paratism-idUKKBN0JN0B020141209
Mentioned in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/04/21/welcome-to-the-uighur-web/
Mentioned in the New York Times: https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20141124/c24uighurs/
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/student-07222013204016.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/arrest-02262014185533.html
Uyghur Human Rights Project entry: https://uhrp.org/political-prisoners-2015
Eyewitness account on the victim's blog: https://archive.vn/jadkA (Mandarin version: https://www.uyghur-archive.com/uighurbiz-net/20336.html)
He is also mentioned in a long list of victims compiled by the Rights Protection Network: https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/08/201983147-1040_48.html
His Weibo (inactive since January 14, 2014): https://archive.vn/ko9S4
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1528_1.png Turkish student ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1528_2.jpg
Entry created: 2018-12-23 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2014-12-09 1565. Adilgazy Muqai (阿地力阿孜·木哈依)
Chinese ID: 650203197211180076 (Karamay)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"extremism", "terrorism", "disturbing public order" Health status: has problems Profession: energy
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|4|5|6|7|9|11: Bikamal Kaken, born in 1976, now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (wife)
Testimony 3: Bulbulhan Karipkan, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (mother)
Testimony 8: Bikamal Kaken, as reported by Radio Azattyq. (wife)
Testimony 10: Bikamal Kaken, as reported by Deutsche Presse-Agentur. (wife)
Testimony 12: Bikamal Kaken, as reported by The Believer. (wife)
Testimony 13: Zhang Xiao, as reported by Global Times.
Testimony 14: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Adilgazy Muqai is a Chinese citizen who, nevertheless, has been approved for Kazakhstan citizenship since September 2017. Prior to retiring in 2016 because of health reasons, he used to work in the oil industry in Karamay, generating steam for the oil pumps.
He and his wife, Bikamal, have two (underage) children together.
Address: No. 7, Building 30, Beidou Neighborhood, Karamay District, Karamay City, Xinjiang (新疆克拉玛依市克拉玛依区北斗小区30幢楼房7号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as he has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained He was initially arrested on his way back from Kazakhstan on May 2, 2017 at the Korgas border crossing, originally being sent to a camp in Karamay proper, but later being transferred to one in the Maytagh district as the first was too crowded. At some point after the Chinese spring festival of 2019, he was reportedly transferred to another facility (unclear if camp or a detention center).
As reported by Zhang Xiao of the Chinese mission in Kazakhstan, he was given a 9-year prison sentence by the Karamay City Intermediate People's Court in December 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to his wife, he was detained because of their having an alcohol-free wedding party back in 2013. A copy of the Quran was also found at their house.
His wife also believes that her giving birth to their children in Kazakhstan may be a reason, as officials reportedly came to the victim's sister's house and told the sister that the wife of the victim was as guilty as the victim, because the wife had given birth to their children in Kazakhstan.
The official reasons, as reported by the Chinese ambassador in Kazakhstan, were "encouraging acts of extremist terrorism" and "disturbing the region's social order" (the victim was allegedly found "acquiring, storing, and spreading a large number of video and audio files which encouraged terrorism and religious extremism").
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
He presumably has certain health issues, as signaled by his early retirement.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Bikamal and Bulbulhan presumably learned about the detention and subsequent transfers from relatives.
Zhang Xiao is a Chinese ambassador and presumably got the information from the Xinjiang government directly.
Additional information
The victim was written about, albeit anonymously, by dpa international (http://www.dpa-international.com/topic/energy-executives-abroad-ensnared-china-xinjiang-crackdown-1 90221-99-75048):
"Kaken Bikamal’s husband, who also used to work for a Chinese oil and gas company in Kazakhstan, was detained in April 2017 in Karamay, she said.
"They said if he didn’t go to China, they would stop paying his salary," Bikamal said.
Now, she and the couple’s two young daughters support themselves with the help of relatives and local nonprofits." ---
Bikamal's interview to The Believer (https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/):
In China, my husband was working at the Karamay oil fields. He’s a steam worker, generating steam for the oil pumps.
When he retired, we moved to Kazakhstan with our two children. Then my daughter was born here, in December 2016. In May 2017, when she was six months old, his oil field boss called and said he had to come back to China. There was no reason. You have to visit us, they said. Just come. He did as he was told. As soon as he crossed the border at Khorgos, he was taken away. First they took him back to the oil fields. From there, they took him to a reeducation camp nearby—the Maytau camp. The police brought my husband’s bag to his sister’s and told her they were interrogating him. She knew this meant he was heading to study.
It’s been two years now and he hasn’t been released. I heard he was transferred to a second camp, and as far as I know, he’s still there. The irony is that not long before he went to China, he’d submitted our paperwork for Kazakh citizenship. As of September 2017, we’re all Kazakh citizens! But I can’t even tell him. I have no communication with my husband. Last winter I heard that my mother-in-law had a meeting with him at the camp. But there was a mesh screen between them. They could speak only by phone. I asked her why he was detained, but no one knows. We don’t have any debts. We have no legal issues. I just can’t think of a reason.
My relatives did tell me this: They said officials came to my husband’s sister’s house and told them I was as guilty as my husband, due to the fact that I gave birth to my child in Kazakhstan, and implied that if I came to China, I, too, would be detained. They simply said it was the wrong thing to do, to go to Kazakhstan and have a child.
State-media report(s)
Source: https://archive.vn/P7BRG
CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO KAZAKHSTAN REFUTES US EMBASSY’S SMEARING OF XINJIANG
By Liu Xin and Deng Xiaoci
Source: Global Times
Published: 2020/6/26
It is an old trick for the US to use amateur "actors" to play victims and smear the vocational education and training centers in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Zhang Xiao, Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan, told the Global Times, responding to the US Embassy in Kazakhstan's recent attempt to release stories on its website and social media accounts, claiming they are "interviews" from people or relatives of those who have been mistreated in Xinjiang.
The series of stories as well as the recent Uygur bill signed by the US President Donald Trump last week, attempts to "hype up" the topic of Xinjiang, interfere with China's domestic affairs, creates obstacles for harmony in Xinjiang among the region's ethnic groups, restricts the region's economic development and stability, and sows unnecessary discord between China and its Central Asian neighbors, Ambassador Zhang said. The stories, titled "Voices from Xinjiang," are from those who claim they or their relatives were detained in "training centers" in Xinjiang; for example, one woman, named Bikamal, now based in Kazakhstan, claims her husband is being detained in "camps" in Xinjiang.
Ambassador Zhang clarified that Bikamal's husband, Adelhaze, was actually sentenced to prison for nine years in December 2019 by the Intermediate People's Court in Karamay for encouraging acts of extremist terrorism and disturbing the region's social order. In fact, Adelhaze was found acquiring, storing, and spreading a large number of video and audio files which encouraged terrorism and religious extremism, violating China's Criminal Law.
Bikamal claimed her husband was detained in a "camp," but the fact is her husband is serving his prison sentence, and was never in any training center.
Bikamal and her husband were never fined for having more than two children, and US Embassy's propaganda is "full of lies, without a single sentence of truth," Ambassador Zhang said, noting that it updated "my knowledge of its [the US'] bottom line."
For a long time, the US has crowned itself as defenders of human rights, falsely pretending to care about Muslims from around the world; however, it has only stained the world with Muslim mistreatment. For example, after the Cold War, the US has taken its military operations to many Muslim countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Iran, bringing pain and suffering to Muslims (and non-Muslims) around the world. In fact, the majority of those individuals detained and tortured in Guantanamo Bay are Muslims, Zhang noted.
The current US administration, since it took office in 2016, only continued to block those wishing to enter the US from Muslim countries, and its policies reflect the country's anti-Muslim agenda, vigorously trampling international laws. It's hard to believe that a country that is so very anti-Muslim would truly argue that it cares about the human rights of Muslims in Xinjiang, several thousands of miles away.
With its domestic failure of dealing with COVID-19, and endless protests and social disputes, the US has ramped up its efforts to cover Xinjiang-related topics in an attempt to shift its troubles from domestic issues to blaming China, distracting the public's attention, Zhang noted.
The Chinese government's moves to curb terrorism and extremism have earned the support of people from all ethnic groups in Xinjiang as well as across the country; and they also benefit those countries in Central Asia, as well as the international community, the Ambassador said.
In fact, there have not been any violent attacks in Xinjiang for nearly three years, and with only three deaths related to COVID-19 among the region's 24 million people, there is clear evidence that the region has been developing, and its people's health is guaranteed.
"No matter how hard the US hypes up topics related to Xinjiang, it can never change the Chinese government's resolution to crack down on terrorism and extremism; it can never impede China's development, nor can it drive a wedge between China and Central Asian countries. It can only hurt itself," Ambassador Zhang said.
Victims among relatives
Nurdana Qabden (1566) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZr_XjF4888 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvxp4lWwpd0 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFXugIcAXvk Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TqrIVdVp5w Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNdKZ7ci7q4 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9J9KfyR_dE Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MIjzkvC-QY Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iij60hJ9lLM Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz8RLCQJrkY Kazakh + Chinese IDs: https://shahit.biz/supp/1565_7.png Testimony 9: https://shahit.biz/supp/1565_11.png
Entry created: 2018-12-23 Last updated: 2020-06-28 Latest status update: 2020-08-07 1569. Asenzhan Toqtasyn (艾山江·托合塔森)
Chinese ID: 654101198512203518 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 33 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Faruh Rapih, born in 1993, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 2: Unknown, but with a verified identity. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Asenzhan Toqtasyn (艾山江*托合塔森) visited Kazakhstan in March 2017, then went back to China in April 2017 and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Address: Fourth Alley 30-1, Liuqiduan village (六七段), Yingye’er township (英也尔乡), Ghulja municipality, Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture.
DOB: December 20, 1985. Chinese ID: 654101198512203518. Kazakhstan Residence permit IIN: 851220000680.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
April 21, 2017
Testimony 3: Came to Kazakhstan in March 2017 for 10 days. When he went back to China in April, he was detained and sent to re-education camp. After several months, he was sentenced to 14 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 3: Visiting Kazakhstan and observing the Islamic prayer rituals.
Victim's status Sentenced to prison term.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
His wife and 3 children don't have anyone to support them now.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqpNAPE51o0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTaKdE1An7A Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUWwG2jiBPM Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1569_4.png
Entry created: 2018-12-24 Last updated: 2020-08-06 Latest status update: 2019-02-07 1597. Shadiye Zakir (夏地叶木·扎克尔)
Chinese ID: 652401196210031445 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uzbek Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: has problems Profession: energy
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Nazaket, originally from Ghulja but now living in the United States. (niece)
Testimony 2: Merhaba Turahun, originally from Ghulja's Power Station District, but now living in the Netherlands, where she has been for almost a decade. (daughter)
Testimony 3: Merhaba Turahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (daughter)
About the victim
Shadiye Zakir is from Ghulja. She had worked for the Ili River electric power plant for over 30 years prior to retirement. She is a CCP member.
ID address: Apt. 303, Floor 3, Entrance 2, Building No. 21, 130 Ili River Road, Ghulja City, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁市伊犁河路130号21栋2单3楼303房).
Chinese passport: G46420847.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She and her husband were arrested in early March 2018. After 2 months in "camp" [possible that this was a pre-trial detention center], they were sent to prison on May 1 [however, the same testimony also says that they're still awaiting judgment].
According to Merhaba - as reported by RFA - the victim has been sentenced to 7 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
After retiring in 2016, she visited her daughter overseas twice together with her husband. They were pressured by local officials on their return, and it is believed that this ultimately led to their detention.
Victim's status
Believed to be serving a prison sentence.
According to her daughter, Merhaba, she is not in good health.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-tutqun-09052019212139.html
Victims among relatives
Turahun Joribay (1598), Ilyar Turahun (1599), Shawket Zakir (1596), Shepqet Repqet (1600)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JGhXODewc0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM13F-wNv3s Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/1597_3.jpeg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1597_4.png
Entry created: 2018-12-25 Last updated: 2020-04-12 Latest status update: 2019-11-07 1598. Turahun Joribay (吐拉洪·居日把衣)
Chinese ID: 652401195607081438 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 63 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uzbek Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: has problems Profession: energy
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Nazaket, originally from Ghulja but now living in the United States. (niece-in-law)
Testimony 2: Merhaba Turahun, originally from Ghulja's Power Station District, but now living in the Netherlands, where she has been for almost a decade. (daughter)
Testimony 3: Merhaba Turahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (daughter)
About the victim
Turahun Joribay worked for the Ili River electric power plant for over 30 years prior to retirement. He is a CCP member.
ID address: Apt. 303, Floor 3, Entrance 2, Building No. 21, 130 Ili River Road, Ghulja City, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁市伊犁河路130号21栋2单3楼303房).
Chinese passport: G46420848.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He and his wife were arrested in early March 2018. After 2 months in "camp" [possible that this was a pre-trial detention center], they were sent to prison on May 1 [however, the same testimony also says that they're still awaiting judgment].
According to Merhaba - as reported by RFA - the victim has been sentenced to 8 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
After retiring in 2016, he visited his daughter overseas twice together with his wife. They were pressured by local officials on their return, and it is believed that this ultimately led to their detention.
Victim's status
Believed to be sentenced to prison.
At one point, while still in detention prior to sentencing, he passed out and had to be taken to the hospital.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-tutqun-09052019212139.html
Victims among relatives
Shadiye Zakir (1597), Ilyar Turahun (1599), Shawket Zakir (1596), Shepqet Repqet (1600)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JGhXODewc0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM13F-wNv3s Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/1598_3.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1598_4.png
Entry created: 2018-12-25 Last updated: 2020-04-13 Latest status update: 2019-11-07 1605. Erken Zhanamir
Chinese ID: 654022??????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Quandyk Nursapa, born in 1983, is originally from China but immigrated to Kazakhstan and obtained Kazakhstan citizenship in 2008. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Erken Zhanamir.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was among a group of people who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 4 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".]
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUTJyYwvKqs
Entry created: 2018-12-25 Last updated: 2021-01-22 Latest status update: 2018-11-07 1614. Yalqun Abdurahman
Chinese ID: 65300119????????O? (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Shadiye Shawket, originally from Ustun'atush Township in Atush City, but later a resident of Konsul Street in Urumqi. She has been residing abroad since the early 2010s. (daughter-in-law)
Testimony 2: @MeTooUyghur1, an unverified Twitter account. (child)
About the victim
Yalqun Abdurahman, Uyghur man 64 years old. He lives in Education building (Ma'arip binasi), Bext residence area of Atush city. He was detained and imprisoned in May, 2017. Current status unknown.
Testimony 2: he was a director of a school.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: May,2017 (Testimony 2: taken to camp)
Testimony 2: sentenced to 10 years in 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status unknown
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? unclear
Additional information
8 years old grandchildren called Meryem has no information.
Victims among relatives
Esqer Turdi (1613), Gulbahar Turdi (1618), Guljeminem Tursun (1615), Ezizjan Yalqun (1616), Ilyas Yalqun (1617), Abdurehimjan Obul (1619)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHxbi6bDhF8 Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/MeTooUyghur1/status/1254269047115591680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1614_2.jpg
Entry created: 2018-12-26 Last updated: 2020-05-17 Latest status update: 2020-04-26 1626. Berzat Bolathan (别尔扎提·波拉特汉)
Chinese ID: 654221198504290616 (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"extremism" Health status: has problems Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|9|12: Erzat Bolathan, born in 1982, is a painter who now resides in Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 6: Erzat Bolathan, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (brother)
Testimony 7: Erzat Bolathan, as reported by National Public Radio. (brother)
Testimony 8: Erzat Bolathan, as reported by The Believer. (brother)
Testimony 10: Mekei Qani, born in 1962, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 11*: Official arrest notice, as reported by Gene A. Bunin.
About the victim
Berzat Bolathan was a farmer, who also did woodworking on the side and devoted significant time to looking after his sick father. His brother, Erzat, describes him as very shy and modest.
Address: Narynshagankol Village, Zhel Agash Municipality, Dorbiljin County, Tacheng Prefecture.
Victim's location
Believed to be in Wusu Prison.
When victim was detained
He was initially detained in April 2017, taken to a "prison" [unclear what exactly this was, likely custody], but then transferred to a detention center [possibly camp] as it was too crowded. In April-May 2018, he was allegedly given a 17-year sentence - the verdict given orally. According to the report from National Public Radio, he was sentenced in August 2018 [this may have been the formal sentencing].
He was transferred to Wusu Prison sometime in 2019. Likely (or given) reason for detention
In one testimony, his brother says that he was originally detained for sharing Kazakhstan-related things on WeChat, although he admits in another interview that he really cannot imagine what he could have been detained for (and even guesses that it may have been Berzat's abstinence from cigarettes and alcohol).
Another relative of his says that it was for having a prayer mat at home.
The official arrest notice says that he was detained for "extremism".
Victim's status
Allegedly imprisoned for 17 years and subjected to forced labor, according to his brother. The prison he is at has a registered agricultural products company, further suggesting the likelihood of the inmates there being forced to labor.
His relatives allegedly have to pay 200RMB per month for his meals, though sometimes this can go up to 100USD [unclear why the difference in currency]. His father has visited him several times, each time bribing the police in order to be given permission. Erzat notes that their father would bring Berzat medicine, as the latter is suffering from some health issues.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Presumably through the victim's father.]
The official arrest notice comes from the government bodies responsible for his arrest.
Additional information
NPR coverage: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Mention in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Erzat found a photo from a prison on the internet and says that one of the men in the photo is the victim.
---
Erzat Bolathan's interview to the Believer (https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/):
There was no reason. You have to understand—none. My brother never committed a crime. He got detained, and my father, who lives in China, couldn’t meet with him. For more than two years, my father couldn’t see his son.
Bierzat is three years younger than I am. I came to Kazakhstan to study painting at the arts academy, but my younger brother and father have always lived in China. Bierzat visited me here twice, but that’s all. He doesn’t travel much. He’s a farmer like our father. Mostly wheat. He was always modest, very shy—almost debilitatingly shy. We never argued growing up; he was so quiet. He liked working with wood. As a side job, he was producing unfinished wood for furniture makers in our village. But his main job was taking care of our father. I was out here; he was close by. Our father is old and crippled, and Bierzat cared for him and worked the farm.
They came for him last April while he was treating wood in his workshop. At first, they brought him to a detention center of some kind. As soon as he was arrested, our father went to the police station. They told him not to worry. Probably we’ll let him out soon, they said. We already have too many people in prison. Instead, he was sentenced to seventeen years in prison. Neither my father nor I know why. They notified my father only once he’d already been sentenced. I’m not even aware of any trial having taken place. But my brother didn’t pray. He didn’t practice Islam. He didn’t even keep a Koran in the house. He never touched anyone, he was so reserved. He was married briefly, but they got divorced the very next year.
I’ve tried to find out through my father what kind of crime he committed and why he received such a long sentence. But he didn’t know anything. I know that he doesn’t drink or smoke. That’s all I can think of. This has become a liability in Xinjiang. It’s the religious implications. One of my relatives told me a story about visiting a nearby village and finding a cultural association there, and the members were all drunk. They were always drunk, he learned. One of them explained why. If we don’t drink, he said, they’ll get us. So maybe—I’m guessing—my brother’s guilt was that he doesn’t drink or smoke. I don’t know. He’s a loner, shy and modest. They couldn’t just leave him alone.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTaKdE1An7A Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJrwx9Q8Yv4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JQ0tpOmrAQ Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk8I9yGfBU0 Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2lkOAp2htQ testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1626_5.png registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/1626_7.png Testimony 5: https://shahit.biz/supp/1626_8.mp3 Testimony 12: https://shahit.biz/supp/1626_9.jpg brother with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1626_11.jpg resemblance photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1626_12.png
Entry created: 2018-12-27 Last updated: 2020-07-12 Latest status update: 2020-02-29 1689. Qausar Kemenqan
Chinese ID: 654221199002090061 (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|5|6: Qabilhan Shariphan, born in 1988, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 4: Mamyrbek Orazhan, born in 1978, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (uncle)
Testimony 7|8|10: Zhanat Zaken, born in 1986 in the Tarbagatai region. She is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 9: Kumishan Baban, born in 1984, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (in-law)
Testimony 11: Orazhan Aitmuhambet, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (aunt-in-law)
About the victim
Kausar Gemanqan, lives in Emin county, Tacheng prefecture. Has a Kazakhstan Residence Permit. Sister of victim Baglan Kemanqan, wife of victim Arystanbek Za’ken.
DOB: February 9, 1990.
Testimony 9: Address: 57, Urumqi pasture, Emin county.
Victim's location
Unknown
When victim was detained earlier: Arrested on May 6, 2018
Testimony 7: August 2018
Testimony 8: September 2018 Testimony 9: She was detained in July 2018 for receiving religious education abroad. (Her child was 2 years old when she was detained.)
Testimony 10: detained around August 2018. The testifier learned from her relatives on September 26, 2020 that she was given 7 and half years of prison term.
Testimony 11: Detained approximately in July-August 2018 from her house.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 9: receiving religious education abroad.
Victim's status
Testimony 6: Transferred to a forced labour camp. (presumably in January/February 2019)
Testimony 9: sentenced to 7 years in prison.
Testimony 10: Her son, Nurali Arystan (4 years old), couldn't recognize his mom when he was once allowed to meet her in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Bagdangul Kemenqan (1688), Aizada Qalysbek (8084), Arystanbek Zaken (2694), Zhezira Shariphan (1687), Qyzyrbek Asilbek (1686), Anihan Orazhan (2037), Shariphan Aqan (1685), Kadika Kapas (2034), Uisin Baban (876), Qalysbek Baban (8083), Ernar Zaken (2695)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE-kaicztcE Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS9AtK7l2l8 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeTPT9pgeqA Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oamr2-kQT90 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am4IQnfufWc Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEFVmf4kamo Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91PdkeFJBH0 Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAULPzX3-Wo Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvtl28tWyTA Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMWCLzOvS_I Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQxkLzlcm_s Entry created: 2018-12-30 Last updated: 2021-08-09 Latest status update: 2020-11-08 1695. Gheyret Niyaz (海来提·尼亚孜)
Chinese ID: 65????19590614??O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"endangering state security", revealing "state secrets" Health status: --- Profession: media/journalism
Testifying party
Testimony 1: PEN International, a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote literature and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere.
Testimony 2: Multiple Chinese scholars, writing in support of the victim.
Testimony 3: Committee to Protect Journalists, an American independent non-profit NGO, based in New York City, that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.
Testimony 4: The Guardian, a British daily newspaper.
About the victim name: Gheyrat Niyaz / Hailaite Niyazi / 海莱特.尼亚孜 gender: male ethnicity: Uyghur age: 14/06/1959 occupation: journalist and editor health status: unknown
He was arrested on 1 or 2 October 2009 at his home Tianshan District, Tacheng Prefecture. He worked as a freelance journalist, reporter and columnist for Xinjiang Economic Daily and Xinjiang Legal News and was the editor of the website Uighur Online (www.uighurbiz.net) owned by Ilham Tohti. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for leaking state secrets/endangering state security by Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on 23 July 2010.
Victim's location first detained in Tianshan Detention centre, Urumchi; late 2016 in Changji prison
When victim was detained 1 or 2 October 2009
Likely (or given) reason for detention giving critical interviews to foreign media following the Urumqi riots in July 2009, accused of and sentenced for endangering national security/leaking state secrets (After the July riots, Niyaz was interviewed by a Hong Kong-based outlet, saying that he had warned officials about the imminent unrest, but had been ignored.)
Victim's status sentenced to 15 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: https://pen.org/rapid-action/uyghur-journalist-and-editor-detained/ (published 16 JUNE 2010) Testimony 2: https://www.nchrd.org/2011/02/prisoner-of-conscience-hailaite-niyazi/ (published 15 FEB 2011) https://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2010/07/201007302150.shtml Testimony 3: Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Imprisoned in 2017 - Gheyrat Niyaz (Hailaite Niyazi), 31 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid /5a5c93e84.html [accessed 30 December 2018] https://cpj.org/2010/07/china-sentences-uighur-journalist-to-15-years.php
Testimony 4: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/25/writer-jailed-15-years
Additional information
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Supplementary materials
Photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1695_1.png
Entry created: 2018-12-30 Last updated: 2020-02-09 Latest status update: 2016-10-01 1706. Erlan Serik
Chinese ID: 6542251990??????O? (Chaghantokay)
Basic info
Age: 28-29 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı, a Turkish citizen, PhD student in Soviet history, and a volunteer for the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization.
Testimony 2: Tolqyn Qali, born in 1970, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Erlan Serikuly Kazakh
[Testimony 2: born in 1990, deputy imam of a county mosque]
Victim's location
Shagantogai, Tarbagatai [unclear, since he's been sentenced according to Testimony 2]
When victim was detained
2016 (date is unknown)
[Testimony 2: detained in 2015 and given 7 years in prison in 2018]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Praying (namaz)
Victim's status
In prison [Testimony 2: sentenced to 7 years]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Through a friend with connections to the region.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jh6TWG4Fmk
Entry created: 2018-12-30 Last updated: 2020-02-24 Latest status update: 2019-12-26 1727. Gulshen Abbas (古丽先·阿巴斯)
Chinese ID: 650103196206122322 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 58 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|"terrorism", "disturbing public order", assisting "criminals" Health status: has problems Profession: medicine
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Rushan Abbas, as reported by Associated Press. (sister)
Testimony 2: Rushan Abbas, as reported by Washington Post. (sister)
Testimony 3: Rushan Abbas, as reported by New York Times. (sister)
Testimony 4: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 5|6|9|12: Ziba Murat, the daughter of Gulshen Abbas, lives in the US. (daughter)
Testimony 7: Hanna Burdorf, a postgraduate research student at the University of Newcastle.
Testimony 8: Rushan Abbas, an Uyghur-American activist. (sister)
Testimony 10: Nurbagh Petroleum Hospital employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (colleague)
Testimony 11: Zemire Murat, a resident of the United States. (daughter)
Testimony 13: Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Testimony 14: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Gulshen Abbas was a doctor at the Xinjiang Nurbagh/Mingyuan Petroleum Workers Hospital. She spent her whole life in Urumqi, and at one point had to retire because of personal health issues.
Address: Apt. 302, Third Floor, 318 Shengli Road, Urumqi.
Chinese passport number: E23022399 Phone number: 13999880877
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was disappeared on September 11, 2018.
In March 2019, she was reportedly sentenced to 20 years in prison.
(Police records from Urumqi make note of her undergoing a check on March 7, 2018, at which time she was marked as "completely normal" (一切正常). The police office carrying out the check was the Donggou Police Station in Dabancheng, with the police officer (冯晓刚, 15276650696) an "intelligence People's policeman" (情报民警). The GPS coordinates of the check are not provided, which is rare. [It is not clear if this was a routine and inconsequential check or something more.])
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Both Rushan Abbas's sister and aunt disappeared soon after Rushan spoke publicly about the situation in Xinjiang, and so it is very likely that the reason is Rushan's activism.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, she was sentenced for "participating in a terrorist organization", "assisting in terrorist activities", and "gathering a crowd to disturb social order".
Victim's status
Sentenced to 20 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Rushan Abbas got information about her sister's disappearance from contacts in the region. There is also eyewitness information from someone who went to her apartment to find it sealed off.
Her detention was also confirmed by a staff member at the hospital where she used to work.
Ziba Murat learned of the prison sentence from an informed source in late 2020. Days later, this was confirmed by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs during a press conference.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia investigation: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/detained-06022020173828.html
Daughter's website: https://all4mom.org/
Sister's written testimony: https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/040919_Abbas_Testimony.pdf
Coverage in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/democracy-post/wp/2018/10/19/my-aunt-and-sister-in-china-hav e-vanished-are-they-being-punished-for-my-activism/
Coverage in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/world/asia/uighur-muslims-china-detainment.html
Coverage in the New Statesman: https://www.newstatesman.com/world/asia/2019/08/chinas-missing-million-search-disappeared-uyghurs
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR033
Mention in UHRP report: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_RepressionAcrossBorders.pdf
This victim is also included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Official communication(s)
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China
------
[This is an excerpt from the regular press conference held by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 31, 2020.]
Reuters: The United States has called for the release of a Uyghur named Gulshan Abbas. Do you have any comment on this?
Wang Wenbin: Gulshan Abbas was sentenced to jail by Chinese judicial authorities for crimes of participating in a terrorist organization, aiding terrorist activities and assembling crowds to disrupt social order. China is a country with rule of law, where criminals must be held accountable.
We urge some American politicians to respect facts, stop making lies to smear China, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Xinjiang-related issues.
Victims among relatives
Maynur Abliz (2289), Abdurehim Idris (5411)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7SEuS4Q3Cw Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn2cIwj6CSw Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J84mUp0BXDs Testimony 6: https://twitter.com/ziba1218/status/1095522844983869441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw CNN interview: https://twitter.com/ziba1218/status/1126129193966817280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 9: https://twitter.com/ziba116/status/1293962395593965569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 11: https://twitter.com/zamira207/status/1333468063740665857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo with sister: https://shahit.biz/supp/1727_2.jpg Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/1727_3.jpg official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_1727.png Entry created: 2018-12-31 Last updated: 2021-08-23 Latest status update: 2021-03-28 1733. Tursunjan Hezim
Chinese ID: 6529??1973??????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 46-47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: no news for over a year When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Erkin Sidiq, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (friend)
Testimony 2: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4|5: Erkin Sidiq, an Uyghur-American NASA engineer living in the United States. He was born in Aksu and is a graduate of Xinjiang University. (friend)
About the victim
Tursunjan Hezim is originally from Aksu and graduated from Xinjiang University's history department in 1996. He used to work as a high-school history teacher at the Aksu No. 1 Middle School, and curated Orhun, a well-known website that focused on Uyghur history and culture.
He is married and is a father of three.
Victim's location
---
When victim was detained
He was detained after the July 5 incident in 2009. In July 2010, the Aksu Intermediate People's Court sentenced him to seven years in prison. The trial was closed, with Tursunjan's relatives being informed of the sentence but not of the charges.
After 7 years, he was released from prison, but would be arrested again in 2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention ---
Victim's status
Whereabouts unknown since his second arrest.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
This victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Mentioned in the UHRP report: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_Disappeared_Forever_.pdf
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/tursunjanhezim-03062011164000.html
Other mention: https://cpj.org/2011/03/uighur-website-editor-sentenced-in-secret-in-china.php
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMXohwsg4VU Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQsNp3bbHO0
Entry created: 2018-12-31 Last updated: 2020-10-02 Latest status update: 2020-03-14 1735. Adil Reshit
Chinese ID: 65300119????????O? (Atush)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: unclear (hard) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): other|--- Health status: --- Profession: publishing
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Kewser Wayit, a resident of the United States. He is originally from Atush. (relative of friend)
Testimony 3: World Uyghur Congress, an international organization of exiled Uyghur groups.
About the victim
Adil Reshit was an employee of the XUAR Regional Department of Education and, along with Omerjan Hesen Bozqir (who has also been arrested), an administrator for an Uyghur website advocating for the preservation of Uyghur language and culture.
He resided in Urumqi, and though he was from Atush, most of his relatives live in Aksu's Bay County. He is married and has two twin daughters, Dilare and Dilraba.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as possibly sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Adil was detained in March 2016, when authorities took him from his home at night, in addition to taking his personal computer. There would be no information about him for months.
According to Kewser Wayit, he was later sentenced to 15 years in prison [however, the testifier reports the same 15-year term for multiple webmasters, including one who was reportedly released, and so it's not clear how reliable this is].
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Related to a "sensitive" post written by Omerjan Hesen. Victim's status
---
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Mention in Uyghur Human Rights Project report: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_Disappeared_Forever_.pdf
Mention in World Uyghur Congress report: http://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/?p=33854
Adil is also included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEf_njJPKAY family photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1735_2.jpg
Entry created: 2018-12-31 Last updated: 2021-07-20 Latest status update: 2020-12-09 1741. Buzeynep Abdureshit
Chinese ID: 65????199???????E? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: medicine
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Anonymous, as reported by AidET. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
Testimony 3: Almas Nizamidin, as reported by The Guardian. (husband)
Testimony 4: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, the department of the Government of Australia responsible for foreign policy, foreign relations, foreign aid, consular services, and trade and investment.
Testimony 5|6: Almas Nizamidin, as reported by Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (husband)
Testimony 7: Almas Nizamidin, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (husband)
Testimony 8: Almas Nizamidin, an Uyghur refugee who moved to Australia in 2009 and is now an Australian citizen. (husband)
Testimony 9: Almas Nizamidin, as reported by Justice For All. (husband)
About the victim
Buzeynep Abdureshit completed a degree in health science at a university in Wuhan (2009-2013), after which she went abroad and studied Arabic and the Quran at the Al-Azhar University in Egypt. She completed these studies in 2015 and returned to China, planning to study medicine.
She then got married to Almas in Urumqi, and would apply for a partnership visa in Australia. As part of the application, she had to go back to Egypt to get an attestation from the Chinese Embassy there, stating that she had no criminal record, had been in Egypt only to study, and had not acted unlawfully while there. Afterwards, she returned to Xinjiang, where she took care of her parents and worked at a women's health helpline. In the latter half of 2016, she also spent six months in the United States looking after her father-in-law. Victim's location
Xinjiang Women’s Prison.
When victim was detained
On March 29, 2017, Buzeynep received a panicked phone call from her mother, who said that the police were at their house (in Urumqi) and asked that Buzeynep return immediately. When she did, the police put a bag over her head, forced her into a car, and drove her off.
She was thereafter transferred to an unspecified location in Aksu, prior to being given a 7-year sentence on June 5, 2017 (to be served at the Xinjiang Women's Prison).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the Chinese embassy in Canberra, the victim was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and 2 years deprivation of political rights on June 5, 2017 for the crime of "assembling a crowd to disturb social order".
Her husband, Almas, says that the real reason is her having studied Islam in Egypt.
Victim's status
In prison, serving a 7-year sentence (to theoretically be followed by 2 years of deprivation of political rights).
There was also some concern about her health as she was reportedly pregnant at the time of her detention. According to the Chinese side, medical examinations conducted before her arrest showed that she was not.
In November 2019, Almas was able to get answers to some questions regarding his wife from the Chinese authorities via the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs. However, Almas's request to talk to his wife on the phone was rejected.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Most of the information appears to come from Almas Nizamidin, the victim's husband. After learning of the arrest from his mother-in-law, he immediately went to Urumqi and started going to local police stations. One police officer told him, in exchange for a bribe, that Buzeynep had been taken to Aksu City. He then flew to Aksu and visited more police stations, but was told that the reason for his wife's detention was a "state secret", and that she would soon face trial in Urumqi.
A confirmation of the prison sentence came from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, who obtained it from the Chinese authorities.
Additional information
A number of publicly available reports (NGO and media) have covered her case: UHRP report: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_Disappeared_Forever_.pdf CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/feb/25/i-miss-her-so-much-australian-man-pleads-for -wifes-release-from-chinese-prison ABC (Australia): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-24/uighur-community-in-australia-fear-reports-of-crackdown-in-ch ina/9824554 Radio Free Asia: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/australia-mother-08192019154513.html
Amnesty International campaigns: https://action.amnesty.org.au/act-now/china-release-buzainafu https://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent-actions/urgent-action-update-uyghur-woman-held-incommunicado-f or-2-years-china-ua-222-17/
Official communication(s)
Source: Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
------
Your wife, Ms Buzainafu Abudourexiti, was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and 2 years deprivation of political rights on 5 June 2017 for the crime of "assembling a crowd to disturb social order".
The authorities say that body examinations conducted before her arrest showed that she was not pregnant.
Your mother, Ms Zuyipiya Jiala, was arrested on 6 November 2018 also for assembling a crowd to disturb social order. Her case is still under investigation.
Chinese authorities advised that if you would like to get in touch with your wife, you could apply for a visit through local law enforcement agencies in line with Chinese law.
Victims among relatives
Zulpiye Jalalidin (1177)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-axd1Ht_J8 Testimony 8: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/sbsnews/videos/7697908 80112689/&show_text=1&width=350 photo with husband: https://shahit.biz/supp/1741_1.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1741_2.jpg photo (left): https://shahit.biz/supp/1741_6.png Testimony 9: https://shahit.biz/supp/1741_7.pdf official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_1741.png Entry created: 2018-12-31 Last updated: 2021-05-02 Latest status update: 2020-10-18 1742. Perhat Halmurat (帕哈提·哈力木拉提)
Chinese ID: 6541??19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Li Fangping, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 2: Guzelnur Eli, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)
Testimony 3: Global Times, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 4: QQ News, the news branch of Tencent Media's QQ service.
About the victim
Perhat Halmurat (栢尔哈提*哈力木拉提) is Ilham Tohti's student. He worked as a volunteer on Professor Ilham Tohti's website, Uighurbiz.
Testimony 2: the victim is originally from Ghulja/Yining. He was a student at the Central University for Nationalities.
Victim's location
Sentenced in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: detained in Beijing on 15 January 2014 and soon transferred to Urumqi. (The victim's family received a letter from the Urumqi police at an unspecified date informing them of the victim's detention in Urumqi. The victim's family was informed via telephone on 24 February 2014 of the charges against the victim and told that the victim had been placed in a facility in Urumqi. The victim's family was served with formal documents relating to the arrest of the victim on 25 February 2014.)
In September 2014, he made a statement critical of Ilham Tohti in a CCTV broadcast.
Sentenced to prison in December 2014. Likely (or given) reason for detention
"separatism"
Victim's status
Testimony 3: The Global Times (9 December 14), reported that on December 8, 2014, the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi municipality, XUAR, imposed prison sentences of between 3 and 8 years on all 7 students for alleged work on the Uyghur-language news website Uyghur Online.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: Li Fangping was told by the victim's lawyer.
Testimony 2: Through friends/relatives of the victim.
Testimony 3-4: this is a state-media outlet.
Additional information
Reuters coverage (Testimony 1+3): https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-rights-xinjiang/china-jails-seven-students-of-uighur-scholar-for-se paratism-idUKKBN0JN0B020141209
UHRP report: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_Disappeared_Forever_.pdf
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Interview with Chinese media (Testimony 4): http://archive.is/amqn9
RFA coverage (Testimony 2): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/arrest-02262014185533.html
Brief mention in an article about the "three evil forces": https://archive.is/i11oL
Mentioned in partial transcript of court session: https://archive.is/DI0lU
Entry created: 2018-12-31 Last updated: 2021-05-21 Latest status update: 2014-12-09 1743. Shohret Nijat (肖克来提·尼加提)
Chinese ID: 6501??19????????O? (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Li Fangping, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 2: Guzelnur Eli, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)
Testimony 3: Global Times, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 4: QQ News, the news branch of Tencent Media's QQ service.
About the victim
Shohret Nijat (肖克来提·尼加提) is Ilham Tohti's student, 26 years old at the time of his arrest (he is reported as "Shohret Tursun" by RFA). He worked as a volunteer on Professor Ilham Tohti's website, Uighurbiz. He was sentenced to prison in December 2014.
Testimony 2: The victim's family is from Urumqi. The victim studied at the Central University for Nationalities.
Victim's location
Sentenced in Urumqi, but whereabouts unclear.
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: detained in Beijing on 17 January 2014. The victim's family was informed via telephone on 24 February 2014 of the charges against the victim and told that the victim had been placed in a facility in Urumqi. The victim's family was served with formal documents relating to the arrest of the victim on 25 February 2014.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"separatism" Victim's status
Testimony 3: The Global Times (9 December 14), reported that on December 8, 2014, the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi municipality, XUAR, imposed prison sentences of between 3 and 8 years on all 7 students for alleged work on the Uyghur-language news website Uyghur Online.
Reports do not specify Nijat's exact sentence or whereabouts.
One of Tohti's lawyers stated authorities had held Nijat in a solitary cell with his legs shackled. In September 2014, he made a statement critical of Ilham Tohti in a CCTV broadcast.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: Li Fangping was told by the victim's lawyer.
Testimony 2: Through friends/relatives of the victim.
Testimony 3-4: this is a state-media outlet.
Additional information
Reuters coverage (Testimony 1+3): https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-rights-xinjiang/china-jails-seven-students-of-uighur-scholar-for-se paratism-idUKKBN0JN0B020141209
UHRP report: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_Disappeared_Forever_.pdf
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Interview with Chinese media (Testimony 4): http://archive.is/amqn9
RFA coverage (Testimony 2): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/arrest-02262014185533.html
Entry created: 2018-12-31 Last updated: 2020-11-16 Latest status update: 2014-12-09 1744. Abduqeyyum Ablimit
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|revealing "state secrets" Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Li Fangping, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 2: Guzelnur Eli, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)
Testimony 3: Global Times, as reported by Reuters.
About the victim
Abduqeyyum Ablimit (阿布杜凯尤木*阿卜力米提) is Ilham Tohti's student. He worked as a volunteer on Professor Ilham Tohti's website, Uighurbiz. He was sentenced to prison in December 2014.
Testimony 3: The victim studied at the Central University for Nationalities.
Victim's location
Sentenced in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was detained in Beijing on 15 January 2014. (The victim's family was informed via telephone on 24 February 2014 of the charges against the victim and told that the victim had been placed in a facility in Urumqi. The victim's family was served with formal documents relating to the arrest of the victim on 25 February 2014.)
Sentenced in December 2014.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: "revealing state secrets"
Victim's status Testimony 3: The Global Times (9 December 14), reported that on December 8, 2014, the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi municipality, XUAR, imposed prison sentences of between 3 and 8 years on all 7 students for alleged work on the Uyghur-language news website Uyghur Online.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: Li Fangping was told by the victim's lawyer.
Testimony 2: Through friends/relatives of the victim.
Testimony 3: this is a state-media outlet.
Additional information
Reuters coverage (Testimony 1+3): https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-rights-xinjiang/china-jails-seven-students-of-uighur-scholar-for-se paratism-idUKKBN0JN0B020141209
UHRP report: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_Disappeared_Forever_.pdf
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
RFA coverage (Testimony 2): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/arrest-02262014185533.html
Entry created: 2018-12-31 Last updated: 2020-11-16 Latest status update: 2014-12-09 1745. Atikem Rozi
Chinese ID: 6529??199104????E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 29-30 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: --- When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Li Fangping, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 2: Global Times, as reported by Reuters.
Testimony 3: Guzelnur Eli, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)
Testimony 4: CGTN, an international English-language news channel based in Beijing and owned by China Central Television.
About the victim
Atikem Rozi (阿提开木*肉孜/阿提克木•如孜) is Ilham Tohti's student, 22 years old at the time of her arrest. She worked as a volunteer on Professor Ilham Tohti's website, Uighurbiz. She was detained on January, 2014 and sentenced to prison in December 2014. She was previously detained in February 2013 for writing online posts about difficulties in obtaining a passport for Uyghurs. Her application for passport was denied three times between 2010 to 2012 for the reason of political grounds and political records.
Testimony 3: she is originally from Aksu.
Testimony 4: she was born in April 1991.
Victim's location
The 2014 sentence took place in Urumqi, but it's not clear where she is now.
When victim was detained
January 2014
Testimony 3: The victim was initially arrested in Beijing on 15 January 2014 but released that evening. She went to the home of Ilham Tohti (899) the following day (16 January 2014), but was barred from entering the building and taken into custody again. Testimony 4: She was sentenced to 4 years in prison. [The CGTN film does not specify if this is the sentence from 2014 or if it's a new sentence - however, she is shown in what appears to be a prison uniform in the video.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: presumably on the same charges as Ilham Tohti ("separatism")
Testimony 4: The CGTN film attempts to convey the image that she was influenced by "separatist" material in Uyghur textbooks when she was in junior high school.
Victim's status
Testimony 3: The Global Times (9 December 14), reported that on December 8, 2014, the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi municipality, XUAR, imposed prison sentences of between 3 and 8 years on all 7 students for alleged work on the Uyghur-language news website Uyghur Online.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: from the victim's lawyer.
Testimony 2: this is a state-media outlet.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Testimony 4: CGTN put the victim on camera.
Additional information
UHRP report: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_Disappeared_Forever_.pdf
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Reuters coverage (Testimony 1-2): https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-rights-xinjiang/china-jails-seven-students-of-uighur-scholar-for-se paratism-idUKKBN0JN0B020141209
RFA coverage (Testimony 3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/arrest-02262014185533.html
State-media report(s)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlzunwilGM
Almira Muhter: "It was terrifying."
Kadir Memet: "Not an isolated attack." Reporter: "Not a lone-wolf?"
Kadir Memet: "No."
Adil (Police Officer): "They're in the shadows."
Reporter: "The recruits?"
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "Young people."
Abdul Tursuntohti: "I'm proud of my deeds."
Kadir Memet: "If we didn't, Urumqi would be..."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I'm a 'two-faced' man."
Murat Sheripjan: "Get rid of the 'two-faced'."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "Get them on the right track."
Dilnur Eziz: "I've grown up."
Kadir Memet: "The cost is high."
[Identity unclear]: "A battle without smoke."
=== The War in the Shadows.
A CGTN Production 2021. ===
=== WARNING
The following documentary contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing. Some footage is released to the public for the first time. Viewer discretion is advised. The terrorist attacks in the documentary are only a small part of the archives.
All interviewees have given permission to use their images. At the request of certain counter-terrorism organizations, the identity of some interviewees has been obscured for security reasons. ===
=== Part One The Networks ===
=== Urumqi === Yang Shaoheng (Victim's Family Member): "You see this little courtyard. My father-in-law was always working here... You can see all the tomatoes and peppers he planted."
Reporter: "He really loved life."
Yang Shaoheng: "Yes, he really loved life."
Reporter: "Did he spend a lot of time here every day?"
Yang Shaoheng: "Yes, every day, the whole morning, working in the garden."
Yang Shaoheng: "Whenever I enter the courtyard, I think of him. He left on the morning of May 22nd and never came back..."
[On-screen]: "May 22, 2014, Urumqi. 39 civilians killed, 94 injured."
Yang Shaoheng: "His face was unrecognizable."
Yang Shaoheng: "We'd been together for so long, but I couldn't recognize him."
Narrator: "Police officer 'Adil' says whenever he thinks of the victims, it's hard to take."
[On-screen]: "North Park Street, Urumqi"
Narrator: "This incident keeps torturing him."
Adil (Police Officer): "There were fire engines, ambulances and SWAT teams... Many people were lying on the ground. Smoke was rising from two SUVs."
Yang Shaoheng: "There was a morning market on the street, with fresh produce at reasonable prices."
Adil: "I questioned the main suspect. He said they had surveyed the area many times. They thought more deaths guaranteed entering Paradise."
Kadir Memet (Fmr. Deputy Chief, Urumqi Public Security Bureau): "Two off-road vehicles had exploded. Four of the bodies we confirmed to be the suspects."
Kadir Memet: "Look at the aftermath. 39 people died, and over 90 were wounded. It was still very dangerous. There might be a second explosion. Once I arrived, I sensed it must be a terrorist attack."
Reporter: "So it wasn't a lone wolf attack?"
Kadir Memet: "No. Because there were many explosives, one or two persons couldn't have built them. After the Urumqi attack, they had planned something similar in Hotan's Pishan county."
Reporter: "Where did they get the materials?"
Kadir Memet: "They bought potassium permanganate and other chemicals on the internet and produced them. They learned on the internet.” Reporter: "Was there other evidence?"
Kadir Memet: "Yes, his cellphone. He used a chat app to contact terrorist groups outside China and to download videos. The flags were also taken from Hotan. They hung the flags on top of the vehicles beforehand."
Reporter: "What did this mean?"
Kadir Memet: "It's a statement of their 'jihad'. It was a suicide mission."
---
Reporter: "What stands out in your memory?"
Yang Shaoheng: "They are also human beings, those terrorists. Well... I don't know what they were thinking, either. Didn't they have parents and children at home? How could they be so brutal?"
---
Adil (Police Officer): "We soon caught the main suspect, about six or seven hours later."
Kadir Memet: "After the interrogation, we had a clear picture of the case. The terrorist group headed by Abliz orchestrated the incident."
Adil: "He was so resistant. We explained the state's policies and laws, he just wouldn't listen. I tried to explain it from a religious perspective. He just sat there and looked at me. 'If there had been someone who explained to me about Islam and the Quran like you, I wouldn't have taken part in the terrorist attack'."
Kadir Memet: "They are also victims. Why? Their minds were poisoned by the 'Three Evil Forces'. None of the masterminds committed suicide. They just took control of their minds and instructed them to (undertake suicide attacks) like a death squad. The significance was that it prevented similar incidents from happening."
Narrator: "Kadir Memet is a highly respected veteran of the Public Security Bureau of Urumqi. He has solved numerous cases. He figured out the attacks were part of a region-wide network."
Kadir Memet: "We've come to see the pattern that so many cases of violent terrorism were not isolated. They had unified command and planning. And they had very specific targets."
[On-screen]: "June 21, 2014, Yecheng County. 13 terrorists killed, 3 policemen injured."
Narrator: "Years of investigation have shown Kadir Memet the big picture."
[On-screen]: "February 25, 1997, Urumqi. 9 civilians killed, 68 injured."
Narrator: "He says the terrorists are working in the shadows, forming a vast network."
[On-screen]: "April 30, 2014. 3 killed, 79 injured."
Narrator: "His job is to bring them to light. Extremism ruins lives. Young people are radicalized in various ways."
Almira Muhter: "At first it didn't leave much of an impression on me. There're instructions like 'Only satisfying your mother's wishes ensures a place in Paradise'... Then it gradually moved to 'jihad', martyring oneself to enter Paradise. It was terrifying."
Muhter Kadir (Father of Almira): "She was a very hardworking student, first in her school."
Almira Muhter: "I came to believe the teachings, such as women should stay at home. Then I figured that continued education in college would be the wrong direction, and that I should give up. So I refused to go to college."
Muhter Kadir: "I was so angry. The extremist ideas ruined her."
Almira Muhter: "Back then I longed to live in another country and thought about moving there for the 'jihad'."
Narrator: "In 2012, Almira Muhter was convicted of inciting 'jihad' and extremism online, and other crimes. She was sentenced to 10 years."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "She thought she was correct. She was eager to sacrifice her youth to the so-called 'jihad'."
Almira Muhter: "I thought I was doing the right thing and it didn't count as breaking the law. I'd considered the consequences, but I thought my goal was to wage 'jihad' and I must carry it to the very end. After I entered prison, I was still influenced by such ideas. So I committed more crimes."
Narrator: "In 2018, Almira was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and arson in the prison. Her sentence was extended to 2035. Radicalized individuals can be a hard case. Abdul Tursuntohti is serving 9 years for inciting terrorism and other crimes."
Reporter: "Do you still believe you've done nothing wrong or illegal?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "I committed no crime, I'm proud of what I did."
Reporter: "You're willing to kill for Allah?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "If Allah orders, I will even kill my son, to say nothing of infidels."
Reporter: "What is your biggest wish?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "To do Allah's bidding, of course, and enter Paradise to fulfill myself."
Reporter: "What's Paradise like?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "Paradise is a beautiful garden, broader than Heaven and Earth. There are 72 houris for the faithful. There're divine delicacies mortals have never seen, never really appreciated and never heard of. There're double the amount of rewards ever imagined by humans. And it's eternal."
Reporter: "If Paradise is so great, why not go there now?" Abdul Tursuntohti: "The days in prison are the highest test Allah has given me. And it's the best life Allah has given me."
Reporter: "You don't think you're being deceived?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "Rather than regret, I'd leap into fire and burn to death."
Reporter: "Will you change your mind some day?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "When I wake up each morning, I pray 100 times to Allah that I will never change."
=== Urumqi ===
Narrator: "Dilnur Guanfengbao is a police officer. She is also a prison psychological consultant. She says she studies why some young people become easy targets for extremists, and how to bring them back to normal."
Dilnur Guanfengbao (Psychologist): "We find some of the convicts are very obstinate. They fit the anti-social personality profile. It's hard for them to change... Their minds are like alkaline soil, hardened alkaline soil. You can't grow anything there. This group of people craves help but pushes you away at the same time. Their religious fervor pursuit is a psychological distortion. So during the counseling, we keep them company to find the reasons. I will keep bringing him back to reality. He might insist what he's been pursuing was what he needed. We aim to offer them a link. So the counselors offer warmth, which will be internalized. They would learn for the first time that 'I've actually never known myself'."
Reporter: "What are we doing to prevent recidivism?"
Dilnur Guanfengbao: "After he returns to society, his family has to re-understand him and accept him as someone new. Society might have to provide him all kinds of opportunities, in terms of employment, education, and skill training. Our efforts in prison are far from enough for them."
---
Almira Muhter: "Now I truly realize that I had really been an ignorant fool."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "I keep having heart-to-heart talks with her. I try to approach it in terms of feelings and understanding of the law."
Almira Muhter: "I used to think that law was a word far removed from our life."
Bai Fengjie: "I hope even more they will truly transform on the inside."
Almira Muhter: "The Paradise I used to yearn for is a fiction. It's a cancer."
Bai Fengjie: "I think it's necessary to crack down on the dissemination of such misleading information."
Almira Muhter: "I think I failed my mother the most. She had such great expectations of me. I just want to be a good daughter." Bai Fengjie: "I'm a police officer. But I'm more like a teacher. I want to help these straying children, these students, back on the right track. We shouldn't be afraid that one or two heart-to-heart talks have no effects. We mustn't give up on them. We have to believe they will eventually change."
---
Bai Fengjie: "How's your health recently?"
Almira Muhter: "Really good."
Bai Fengjie: "Did you make the video call?"
Almira Muhter: "Dad was busy. Mom and my brother came. They are both well.
Bai Fengjie: “Keep your confidence up."
Almira Muhter: "Thank you, instructor."
---
Kadir Memet: "Urumqi is the political, economic and cultural center of the autonomous region. The enemy aims their destruction at Urumqi."
Narrator: "Some of the cases have never been made public before."
Kadir Memet: "This is the foiled December 11 terror plot in 2014. They had planned explosions and knife attacks around Urumqi. If it hadn't been stopped, Urumqi could've been... This is a violent terrorist group. It was controlled by a family. Two daughters joined. The father was the leader. Both sons-in-law were part of it. They recruited a dozen more people. They were going to convert a gas cylinder into a bomb. They were going to drive the car into a shopping center."
Reporter: "What is the priority of the crackdown?"
Kadir Memet: "Foiling their plans would be..."
Adil (Police Officer): "This is the most difficult."
Reporter: "We've paid such a high price."
Adil: "The biggest challenge is that they're hidden in the dark. They can see our operations. But we can't see their plans. If we go soft, there might be more deaths and suffering."
[On-screen]: "April 23, 2013, Seriqbuya. 15 police officers & community staff killed."
Adil: "So this is a lesson learned from blood."
[On-screen]: "2020 Counter-terrorism Drills. Urumqi Public Security Bureau"
[Footage of counter-terrorism drills plays.]
Kadir Memet: "Urumqi is such a beautiful place. Solidarity and prosperity, that's an Urumqi I'd like to see."
=== Part Two The Enemies Within ===
=== Hotan ===
Narrator: "Hotan was one of the hardest hit by terrorism in Xinjiang. Murat Sheripjan showed us the weaponry seized. He said many young people had been brainwashed. Insiders, dubbed the 'two-faced persons', were able to exploit the system."
Murat Sheripjan (Deputy Director, Hotan Public Security Department): "The infiltration of extremism had taken root. Also, some 'two-faced people' among us were secretly collaborating with them and facilitating their activities. This presentation lists a number of 'two-faced people' once occupying our key positions. A case in point is Shirzat Bawudun. He had been long hidden buried deep in our system as a 'two-faced person'. He created many obstacles in our work. He used to be one of us, and he protected many separatist forces. He finally became an agent for ethnic separatists and terrorists from outside China. He helped them expand their influence."
Shirzat Bawudun (Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Political & Legal Committee, Xinjiang): "All this now feels like a nightmare. It's like a bottomless pit, in which I kept sinking."
=== Shirzat Bawudun Fmr. Director, Public Security Bureau, Moyu County Fmr. Director, United Front Work Department, Urumqi Fmr. Director General, Department of Justice, Xinjiang Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Political & Legal Committee, Xinjiang ===
Narrator: "Shirzat Bawudun became a teacher at the Xinjiang Police College in Urumqi after graduating in 1988. But he applied to return to his hometown in Hotan. Even then he had certain ambitions."
Shirzat Bawudun: "Veteran separatists vigorously promoted their ethnic separatism and religious extremism, which began to spread and take hold. So I decided to go back and see what I could use to do something big."
Narrator: "During a crackdown on terrorists, Shirzat Bawudun was wounded and commended as a 'Counter-terrorism Hero'. For this, in 2001 he became the head of the Moyu County Public Security."
Shirzat Bawudun: "Then I got the position and the power. I had long considered the so-called dream of a country of our own. So I began to get in touch with prominent figures in religious extremism."
Narrator: "Shirzat Bawudun chose Ablajan Bakri."
[On-screen diagram: A photograph of Shirzat Bawudun is shown connected to a photograph of Ablajan Bakri. The word "Egypt" is displayed below the diagram.] === Ablajan Bakri Fmr. Imam, Moyu Mosque Fmr. President, Islamic Association, Moyu County Fmr. CPPCC Member, Xinjiang Fmr. Member, China Islamic Association ===
Shirzat Bawudun: "His words and theories all contained religious extremism. I knew many things about it."
Ablajan Bakri: [sic] "I was promoted to the Iman of the Grand Mosque in 2005. At the same time, people started to gossip behind my back. As the Moyu county chief, Shirzat Bawudun used all means to suppress those people to remove the negative comments about me."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I regarded him as an instrument to draw believers to our cause."
Memet Memetimin (Imam, Moyu Mosque): "Ablajan Bakri was the mosque's imam. He used the religious platform to promote extremism. To achieve his own ends, he was distorting the teachings of Islam. I remember when I was small, religious extremism in Moyu was very deep. They said dancing was not allowed; weeping was not allowed at funerals. They even forbade living in government-built housing and using IDs and RMB. Some of the preachers had their own motives. They had parents send their kids to underground madrasas to be indoctrinated. Many young people strayed and became criminals."
Murat Sheripjan: "That kind of fallacy confuses them and drives them to engage in terrorist activities."
Ablajan Bakri: "I believe Shirzat Bawudun had a role in this change."
[On-screen diagram: The photos of Shirzat Bawudun and Ablajan Bakri are connected to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas. The word "Egypt" is displayed below the diagram.]
Narrator: "In 2003, Ablajan Bakri introduced Shirzat Bawudun to Tayir Abbas, a key member of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, or ETIM."
=== Tayir Abbas East Turkistan Islamic Movement (Islamic Party of Turkistan) ===
Narrator: "It's been listed as a terrorist organization by the UN since 2002."
=== United Nations Security Council Since 2002, the ETIM has been listed as a terrorist organization by the UN. In 2004, the ETIM changed its name to the Islamic Party of Turkistan, or TIP. ===
Narrator: "In 2004, the ETIM changed its name to the Islamic Party of Turkistan, or TIP." Shirzat Bawudun: "He said he mainly worked in tourism over there. And he was in touch with an ETIM (TIP) Egypt branch. I was thinking of Uygurs having a country of our own. I was muddle-headed and stupid."
Narrator: "Connecting with the ETIM (TIP), Shirzat Bawudun took action."
Shirzat Bawudun: "To accomplish anything, you need an economic base."
[On-screen diagram: The photo of Shirzat Bawudun is connected to Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri.]
Shirzat Bawudun: "So I thought about the Ablimit family and recruited the two brothers."
=== Ablimit Ababakri ETIM (TIP) Member ===
=== Abduehet Ababakri ETIM (TIP) Member ===
Abduehet Ababakri: "Shirzat Bawudun told my elder brother he was born in Moyu county. He urged us to invest here. He asked us whether we had any projects needing his support and help."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Now I realized that while he seemed to push us to do business in Moyu, he actually had some other motive, which we weren't aware of."
Narrator: "With the help of Shirzat Bawudun, the two brothers soon made money and their business began to thrive."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Of the four companies with which he had financial connections, these three -- real estate, road transport and gas stations, in each firm, Shirzat had a half-million shares. All did good business and paid dividends every year. He could draw funds as needed. That's how it was for a long time."
Narrator: "In 2011, Shirzat Bawudun was appointed Director of the United Front Work Department of Urumqi. Police say he secretly supported the spread of extremism. The same year, he encouraged the brothers to go to Egypt and meet with Tayir Abbas."
[On-screen diagram: A photo of Shirzat Bawudun is linked to photos of Ablajan Bakri, Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri. The latter three photos are linked to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas, next to which the word "Egypt" is displayed.]
Ablimit Ababakri: "In September 2012, my brother told me his wife had a baby there and asked me to come over. Nearly 30 people were there, including Tayir Abbas. One of them said, 'Let us work for Xinjiang's independence, for founding the Islamic Caliphate.' While talking with Abduehet, I found he was on good terms with some members of the group. They were key members of the ETIM (TIP). He wanted to join their organization. I said Tayir Abbas knew Shirzat Bawudun, who knew about the organization. After all, he was a police officer, we should ask Shirzat Bawudun when we got back." Shirzat Bawudun: [sic] "From what they said, I thought they had found the right people or that organization."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Shirzat said, 'That's right. You should join the organization.'"
Shirzat Bawudun: "They had given more than 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) to the ETIM (TIP) people."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Then Shirzat asked how much his half-million shares in the transport firm were worth. I said the shares plus dividends were worth some 1.2 million yuan. He said, 'You give all 1.2 million to Tayir Abbas and the ETIM (TIP) people as operation funding.'"
Shirzat Bawudun: "The two brothers told me they bought a 200-square-meter apartment for me in Cairo. I said I couldn't go and had to wait until I retired, and Tayir Abbas and his people could use it for the time being."
Ablimit Ababakri: "After saying this, he stressed three times, 'What I told you must not be told to a second person and must be kept secret."
Narrator: "In 2013, the ETIM (TIP) had a meeting and brought together some Uygur students. They were planning to send some to join the IS and work for 'jihad'. They were supposed to train for war. When they were ready to return, they could make greater contributions for the next step."
Abduehet Ababakri: "They had to do the ETIM (TIP) 'jihad' training. The aim was to turn these trainees into future successors of the ETIM (TIP)."
[On-screen diagram: A photo of Shirzat Bawudun is linked to photos of Ablajan Bakri, Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri. The latter three photos are linked to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas, next to which the word "Egypt" is displayed.]
Narrator: "Police investigation shows that over 60 Uygur teenagers aged 14-18, have been sent overseas by the two brothers - Ablimit and Abduehet."
[On-screen: "Some joined ISIL"]
Narrator: "Some of them have joined the so-called Islamic State group, some have come back to Xinjiang."
[On-screen: "Some came back to Xinjiang"]
Ablimit Ababakri: "They said once Xinjiang was liberated, Shirzat would become the national leader of East Turkistan."
Shirzat Bawudun: "They appointed me the leader of ETIM (TIP) in Xinjiang and after nationhood, I'd be the leader. I was so excited and happy. I was muddle-headed."
Ablimit Ababakri: [sic] "He told us, 'When you work outside China, in China you must keep a low profile and work secretly. Don't draw the attention of public security and learn to be patient. You should wait for the chance.'"
Narrator: "Police say in 2015, during an official visit overseas, Shirzat Bawudun secretly met with key members of the ETIM (TIP) twice. He revealed anti-terrorism information in Xinjiang. And Shirzat Bawudun had his own strategy."
Shirzat Bawudun: "So I only rooted out those units already exposed and left alone those only suspected and being groomed. On the one hand, once they were ready, I'd have targets to strike. On the other hand, I could protect some of them. So the result was repeated strikes which just missed, and the ashes could burn again. After the strike, it's like chive roots. Prune the stalks and leaves, and fresh sprouts grow."
Murat Sheripjan: "Such arrangements gave terrorists an advantage. While we struggled to discover, the terrorists already knew. There was one of their own in our ranks. That's why they could act so boldly."
Ablajan Bakri: "Now I realize that Shirzat Bawudun had been using me all along. He was trying to use me as a front in Moyu to control the local clergy."
Ablimit Ababakri: "We were in a trap. We didn't clearly see Shirzat's true intentions. I should have seen through him earlier, but I didn't, and I didn't have the guts to do it."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I believe I kept it rather clandestine and well concealed. It's not easy to see through these. But one must wake from a dream."
=== Shirzat Bawudun Two-year Suspended Death Sentence Deprived of Political Rights for Life ===
Murat Sheripjan: "We have to first remove the 'two-faced persons' in our ranks. Otherwise, we can never remove the soil for terrorism."
Narrator: "Murat Sheripjan says even the term 'two-faced' doesn't properly describe such persons. They are the enemy, the enemy in the shadows."
=== Part Three The Textbooks ===
=== Urumqi ===
Narrator: "In 2016, there were reports of errors in the 2003 and 2009 editions of the Uygur-language textbooks for primary and middle schools. An investigation followed. Shehide Yusup, who worked on these textbooks, showed us the problems."
Shehide Yusup (Art Editor, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "These are textbooks published by our company. They contain many errors. I worked on the 2003 editions of the primary school textbooks, mainly in cover design and illustration coloring. Take this graphic for example. The national emblem is that of East Turkistan. It shouldn't appear in textbooks at all. This is the legend of seven heroic Uygur girls. It's all fabricated. Han Chinese soldiers trapped them at a cliff and they jumped to their death to defend their homeland. It's meant to incite ethnic hatred and it will misinform the students." Shehide Yusup: "That's unimaginable. The mere thought of this would scare me."
=== Sattar Sawut Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Education & Work Committee, Xinjiang Fmr. Director General, Education Department, Xinjiang Fmr. Leader, Basic Education Curriculum Reform Group, Xinjiang ===
Narrator: "An investigation shows that starting in 2002, the then Director General of the Xinjiang Education Department, Sattar Sawut, set up a special group, as a front for criminal activities."
[On-screen diagram: A photograph of Sattar Sawut is shown connected to photographs of Alimjan Memtimin, Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir. The latter two are connected to photos of Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman.]
Narrator: "It included the Deputy Director General of the Education Department, the two consecutive presidents of the Xinjiang Education Publishing House, as well as two editors with radical separatist thoughts."
Sattar Sawut: "The idea was to use the power given by the Party and the people to spread our ethnic chauvinist sentiments and extremist errors among more Uygurs. It was meant to control their minds, influence them in childhood in order to turn them into separatists. In 2003, new Uygur-language textbooks were scheduled to be compiled for primary and middle schools. I was head of the Xinjiang Basic Education Curriculum Reform Group. So I saw an opportunity. I assigned Alimjan Memtimin and Abdurazaq Sayim to the project."
[Photographs of Alimjan Memtimin, Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir are displayed on-screen.]
Sattar Sawut: "I had several meetings with them and instructed them about compiling the textbooks."
Abdurazaq Sayim (Fmr. President, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "He said the textbooks were an excellent opportunity and it should proceed as we meant it to. It could help groom our 'successors'. So I picked Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman, who were quite persuasive, to join the committee. I instructed them to include more content on 'ethnic oppression' in the textbooks, mainly 'woeful tales' about the past. I asked them to add more Turkic heroes, especially those revolting against the state for independence."
[Photographs of Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman are displayed on-screen.]
Alimjan Memtimin (Fmr. Deputy Director General, Xinjiang Education Department): "Such textbooks would be approved and issued to all schools and allow many teachers to elaborate and incite ethnic hatred and such thoughts."
Narrator: "When Tahir Nasir succeeded Abdurazaq Sayim as president of the publishing house, he continued the editorial policy."
[Photographs of Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir are displayed on-screen.]
Tahir Nasir (Fmr. President, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "When Sattar and Alimjan approached me and proposed that the new textbooks should push religious extremism, my mind was excited and clear about the meaning."
Shehide Yusup: "The art director is supposed to handle all the visuals. But in making the 2003 and 2009 textbooks, the editors intervened quite a lot."
Suriya Mirhadam (Editor, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "For the 2003 and 2009 textbooks, Wahitjan Osman and Yalqun Rozi were responsible for text content. They simultaneously served as text editors, publishing editors, and initial and final proofreaders. Exercising such authority violates publishing protocol. Their superiors arranged it. They put it into practice."
Narrator: "Police say Sattar Sawut acted unilaterally to determine textbook content. Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman were instructed to fabricate separatist material for the 2003 and 2009 textbooks."
Alimjan Memtimin: "The primary school Uygur textbooks are full of 'Pan-Islamism' and 'Pan-Turkism'. The historical figures in them were meant to encourage the kids to seek their cultural origins and roots from outside China."
Suriya Mirhadam: "The 2003 and 2009 textbooks contain a lot of gore, violence, terrorism and separatism. By distorting historical facts, they wanted to instill separatism in students and incite ethnic hatred, with the end of splitting the motherland."
Shehide Yusup: "As guidance for students, such textbooks would obscure and undermine their sense of national identity; also the students would be exposed to 'Pan-Islamism' and 'Pan-Turkism'."
Suriya Mirhadam: "Textbooks should include the national flag, emblem and anthem. But these textbooks had none."
Narrator: "Investigation found a large quantity of material inciting extremism was included in the textbooks. From 2004, these textbooks were used region-wide for 13 years."
Shehide Yusup: "They were using such textbooks from primary school through junior high. So the insidious effects must be enduring. Some might be led astray and even led to commit crimes."
Sattar Sawut: "Many participants in the July 5 Incident and following terrorist attacks had used our textbooks. I think we had ruined these children."
=== Atikem Rozi Born: April 1991 Four-year sentence ===
Atikem Rozi: "When I was in junior high school, I learned some things from the textbooks. I also got the idea of doing something, too."
Kadir Memet: "The 'Three Evil Forces' have been trying to infiltrate our ideological sectors such as education, culture and religion. They've never given up. The sustained increase in terrorism in recent years is closely linked to such efforts."
Narrator: "Kadir Memet says the greatest danger often comes from the enemy within." Alimjan Memtimin: "I am a double-dealing 'two-faced man'."
=== Sattar Sawut Two-year Suspended Death Sentence Deprived of Political Rights for Life ===
=== Alimjan Memtimin Life Sentence ===
=== Abdurazaq Sayim Life Sentence ===
=== Tahir Nasir Life Sentence ===
Narrator: "The war in the shadows is being fought on many fronts. Kadir Memet says ideology is only one of the battlegrounds. Suriya Mirhadam was responsible for editing part of the new editions of the 2019 and 2020 textbooks."
Suriya Mirhadam: "This is Part One of the first grade's Uygur-language textbook. Here's the national emblem, and the national flag, and the statement 'We are Chinese'. Here is the flag-raising ceremony."
Narrator: "Suriya Mirhadam says the Kazak- and Kirgiz-language textbooks have the same content."
Reporter: "What are we telling the students with these pictures?"
Suriya Mirhadam: "They should know that they are citizens of the People's Republic of China, that Xinjiang is an inalienable part of the motherland. The textbooks are meant to keep students from separatism and ensure they have a sound mind so they can serve their family, their society and their nation."
=== Part Four The Black Hands ===
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "The internet is truly a battlefield without the smoke. I'm a special ops soldier. I identify and neutralize the threats, so youngsters won't be misled. I wipe the propaganda from the internet. I think our work is very meaningful. The violent ETIM (TIP) audios and videos have a domestic target, especially in Xinjiang, with specific purposes. The groups they try to recruit are mainly young people. Terrorist audios and videos are often well-concealed. They use special packaging, like encryption. And they use covert channels to transfer and share the content. Some are camouflaged, so to say. It looks like a regular video, but when it reaches a specific point, it will switch to terrorist content."
Narrator: "'Abduweli' has been working at the Xinjiang Internet Information Office since it was established in 2013. From his experience, the online materials are categorized as preaching, training, making weaponry, and specific groups like women and students."
Abduweli: "For a time after 2008, about ten each year on average. Since 2012, there has been an increase, with 200 to 300 each year."
Mirzat (Police Officer): "The terrorist audios and videos actually serve as their initial approach. It resembles a pyramid scheme in a way. It tries to brainwash its audience repeatedly. If the brainwashing succeeds, people will join the violent terrorist activities. Such activities aim to cause maximal impact at minimal cost, that is, maximal destruction. That's their aim."
Narrator: "The fight against the criminal activities to spread radicalization materials has been going on for some 20 years. Police officer 'Mirzat' says nearly 90 percent of young people participating in terror attacks have watched such products. The main sources are from outside of China, mostly from the ETIM (TIP)."
Mirzat: "The terrorist content often wraps itself in religion and conceals its ulterior motive through such pretense. The observation and analysis in recent years indicate that the content has been produced by professional teams. They used to distribute the content at specific websites. But now they are using regular social media apps and point-to-point messaging apps. The storage devices are mostly hard disks. Other common devices are flash drives, storage cards, smartphones, tablets and so on."
Mirzat: "Here are the storage devices we seized in 2014 and 2015; they were all used to store terrorist audio and video."
Reporter: "Where did the content come from?"
Mirzat: "They were all downloaded from outside China."
Mirzat: "These are some CD-ROMs. All the content promotes violent terrorism."
Narrator: "Young people have always been the key recruitment targets."
Abduweli Heber: "They showed us ETIM (TIP) members doing physical training and making explosive devices. They asked us to join the ETIM (TIP). And they urged us to learn the skills so that we could use them some day. That is, after returning to Xinjiang, we could carry out 'jihad' and 'hejiras'."
Narrator: "Dolqun Yalqun went abroad for an advanced degree. While there, he became involved with a terrorist organization, the ETIM (TIP). In 2019, Dolqun was sentenced to 7 years for inciting terrorism and other crimes."
Dolqun Yalqun: "My thinking was gradually eaten away. I began to regard people with no religious faith as infidels. I now think the ideological damage is even greater. The philosophical influence can be gradual and subtle. Once I was taken in by such religious extremism, the pursuit of my life goals shifted to those of religious faith. I began to seek self-fulfillment in this regard. I felt all I'd done was worthless."
Reporter: "How can you help them change?" Dolqun Yalqun: "I can explain my current thinking to them, and this will inspire them to think for themselves. Through these lessons and examples, people can re-establish their hopes for a future life."
Narrator: "Girls were also recruited."
Dilnur Eziz: "They were all like me. At first it's just curiosity, and then only going to the Quran lectures. It was a steady trickle of indoctrination. At first I thought nothing of it, but just felt the inside atmosphere was off, everyone wearing black. Watching videos, then training, then going to do stuff in some countries, like this, like that."
Mother of Dilnur: "I never regret she came back."
Reporter: "And if you hadn't come back?"
Dilnur Eziz: "I don't know where I would be."
Mother of Dilnur: "She was quite a handful, but very smart and sweet."
Dilnur Eziz: "At first I hated myself for going there. Then I came to learn enough to conclude that they had ulterior motives. Otherwise it wouldn't be free. At first they sweet-talked me, then they told me you must wear this and must do that. I think if I had stayed there for a long time, I could possibly become like those others."
Mother of Dilnur: "I hate them. They led my daughter astray."
Dilnur Eziz: "I feel deceived and used. I hate them so much."
Mother of Dilnur: "Whenever she could call, she said 'Mom, I miss you and want to go home soon.'"
Dilnur Eziz: "I regret it very much."
---
Reporter: "What's the greatest meaning in life?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "It is to walk the right path and realize one's value. I think this is also what the Quran says. People should do good works, deal with others harmoniously."
Reporter: "Do you dare face this matter (when made public)?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "I can totally face this. I've made mistakes, and I don't want to see more people follow my example."
Reporter: "You're not afraid this will have a negative influence on you?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "I'm not afraid."
---
Abduweli Heber: "When I sleep at night, I always dream about them. I dream about dinner with my family and a happy life. I dream about playing with my younger brothers. I really miss hearing them call me 'Brother, Brother'. I also want to go back to study and have fun with my friends. Although I want all this very much, I've committed a crime and these chances can never come back."
Mother of Dilnur: "I hate those who took her away. If they hadn't done that, we would be having a normal life."
Dilnur Eziz: "I'm sorry for them."
Mother of Dilnur: "[She could be at home] helping me and talking with me."
Dilnur Eziz: "Her beloved daughter has grown up. I know I was wrong."
Narrator: "Lawmakers also grapple with cause and effect."
Li Juan (Chairperson, Legal Affairs Committee, People's Congress of Xinjiang): "Among the Measures for Implementation of the Counter-Terrorism Law for Xinjiang, Section 7 is about educational management. Articles 38 and 39 provide for the establishment of vocational training centers and their training content and methods. They serve as a solid legal basis."
Li Juan: "These are common practices in many other countries. We've seen such measures adopted in Singapore and Britain. They all use such practices in educating people misled by extremist thinking, including vocational training centers. It's an international practice. It's about how to educate and rectify."
Li Juan: "The Autonomous Region also enacted the Internet Security Regulations. Online dissemination of violent content, especially incitement, are our crackdown priority."
Reporter: "What if some internet companies don't follow the rules?"
Li Juan: [sic] "Then we will hold them accountable. When we saw some young people carry out violent crimes and being charged, we felt they were actually victims. They were victims of those who incited them. They themselves didn't commit terrorism but they incited others. So it was based on the harm to society, China's Criminal Law stipulates that we hold you responsible for the making and dissemination of violent terrorist audio and video materials. Even if we block violent terrorist content, terrorism and extremism will not cease and they will try to find new ways. Terrorism is one of their methods. So I believe the challenge will remain for a long time."
Mirzat (Police Officer): "The challenges are more likely from outside China. The invisible hand of incitement from outside China has always been trying to mislead our people."
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "Now we're focusing on identifying the source of terrorist content and taking targeted measures. When such content appears on internet platforms, we can find it as early as possible and then block it."
Mirzat: "We used to watch a number of spots, but now we're covering the whole picture. We have to cut off the paths by which terrorist content enters our country."
Abduweli: "We should work with other countries regarding the sources, including national security cooperation. Through such cooperation we can curb the terrorist organizations' living space. As long as terrorist organizations are out there, we can't relent in cracking down on such audio and video content."
Mirzat: "The ultimate goal is to uproot extremism and leave it no soil to grow back. That is the way to solve the problem effectively."
Kadir Memet: "Four years without violent terrorism. This is a preliminary victory of our previous work. It's hard won."
Adil (Police Officer): "I have two kids. But in a year, I have to be away for some 300 days. Why? Because the duty on our shoulders is so heavy. I hope more police officers' kids can have more time with their fathers."
Narrator: "'Adil's' greatest hope is to walk out of the War in the Shadows... in a safe and secure Xinjiang."
[Credits begin. A propaganda song about Xinjiang plays to clips from various state media documentaries.]
=== Special thanks to: The China Society for Human Rights Studies The Xinjiang Development Research Center The Public Security Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region ===
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlzunwilGM photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1745_2.jpeg photos before and after detention: https://shahit.biz/supp/beforeafter_1745.png
Entry created: 2018-12-31 Last updated: 2021-05-18 Latest status update: 2021-04-01 1757. Manapqan Zeinolla
Chinese ID: 654321196?0703??O? (Burchin)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"illegal business", "picking quarrels", other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abdesh Muhametsagi, now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (in-law)
Testimony 2: Rahat Abdesh, born in 1986, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (son)
Testimony 3|4: Qaraqat Abdesh, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (daughter-in-law)
Testimony 5|6: Erzat Ahmettursyn, born in 1988, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (friend of relative)
Testimony 7: Qaraqat Abdesh, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (daughter-in-law)
About the victim
Manapqan Zeinolla, born in 1962/1963, is a Chinese citizen.
Address: No. 228, Qatai Village, Oymok Township, Buerqin county
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Originally detained on April 21, 2017. Sentenced to 11.5 years in prison and fined 360000 USD on December 12, 2018.
Testimony 5-6: Sent to re-education camp on January 15, 2017 [likely erroneous as this seems quite early]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[On March 31, 2019, a concluding trial was held in the Burchin county court. Manapqan Zeinolla - presumably, as only the first character, Ma, is given - and others (including, a presumably ethnic minority individual identified as Ba-) were charged with “violent conduct, racketeering, bullying, forceful extraction of management fees, wantonly picking fights, picking quarrels and provoking trouble, hindering public procedures, participating in illegal operations at the Kanas tourist site”. The degree of the punishment was not made clear in the state media report (https://archive.vn/xIWQD). Qaraqat Abdesh, the victim's daughter-in-law, had previously shared the video accompanying this story.]
Victim's status sentenced to prison
Testimony 7: Qaraqat in the RFA article is reported as saying that the victim was sentenced to 11 years and fined 200000RMB, and that she learned this from a state media article [presumably the one linked above, though this article does not mention this].
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
His three sons are in a re-education camp as well.
Testimony 2: Four men detained from one family and two Han males are living with the remained four ladies.
Radio Free Asia Mandarin coverage (Testimony 7): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xinjiang-05022019172931.html
Testimony 7: Qaraqat said her family had been running a travel business in Kanas area. Years back, her husband’s father (the victim) had been offered a bribe and a good position elsewhere by the government to monopolize the business and take it away from ethnic Kazakhs, but he refused.
Victims among relatives
Erbolat Manapqan (1760), Erkesh Manapqan (1759), Bikesh Manapqan (1758), Qaraqat Abdesh (1754), Muhtar Bekesh (1755), Aqerke Bekesh (1756)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV50bhA9j_A Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-qzgFqYPIU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHRNVex5H4Q Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFnVPPqopzw Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yAnWOGE6uI Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK0laPXQ4vE
Entry created: 2019-01-01 Last updated: 2021-05-19 Latest status update: 2019-05-22 1758. Bikesh Manapqan (别克什·马铁甫汗)
Chinese ID: 654321198501010573 (Burchin)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"illegal business", "picking quarrels", other Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abdesh Muhametsagi, now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (father-in-law)
Testimony 2: Rahat Abdesh, born in 1986, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 3|5|9: Qaraqat Abdesh, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (wife)
Testimony 4: Talgar Omiruzaq, born in 1987, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6|7|8: Erzat Ahmettursyn, born in 1988, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10|11: Qaraqat Abdesh, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (wife)
About the victim
Bekesh Manapqanuly (别克什*马铁甫汗), born in 1985, is a Chinese citizen. He was an entrepreneur.
Address: No. 228, Oymok village (窝依莫克村), Hatai township, Buerqin county [this is an error and should be Qatai Village in Oimaq Township]
Kazakhstan Residence Permit IIN: 850101399084. Chinese passport no. G45366548.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as he has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
April 21, 2017
Testimony 7: Sent to re-education camp on January 15, 2017 [likely erroneous as this is quite early] Likely (or given) reason for detention unclear
Victim's status earlier: in a re-education camp
Testimony 3: sentenced to 7 years in prison
Testimony 11: Qaraqat said that her husband had lost a lot of weight. He originally weighed around 100kg, and Qaraqat said he had lost more than half of that.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 2: Four men detained from one family and two Han males are living with the remained four ladies.
Testimony 9: the relatives were coerced into eating pork at home, but the Han cadre allowed them to just leave it in the fridge to show the inspection group.
Radio Free Asia coverage (Testimony 10-11): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xinjiang-05022019172931.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xj-05082019101424.html
Testimony 10:
In early 2019, Qaraqat Abdesh found information about her family’s court case in an article “Clearing out the underworld: the first public compilation of suspected “dark forces” cases in Burchin county (扫黑除恶，布尔津县首次集中公开宣判涉黑恶势力案件), dated March 31 [this article cannot be accessed now, though an archived version of the same or similar article is here: https://archive.vn/xIWQD.]
Victims among relatives
Manapqan Zeinolla (1757), Erbolat Manapqan (1760), Erkesh Manapqan (1759), Qaraqat Abdesh (1754), Muhtar Bekesh (1755), Aqerke Bekesh (1756)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV50bhA9j_A Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-qzgFqYPIU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHRNVex5H4Q Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9i8Mr3EmI Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFnVPPqopzw Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmuf-61BpRM Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yAnWOGE6uI Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK0laPXQ4vE Azattyq coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DHG9ipA7W4 Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prjng8N7bFs Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/1758_9.png judgments enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/1758_12.png
Entry created: 2019-01-01 Last updated: 2021-05-19 Latest status update: 2019-05-22 1759. Erkesh Manapqan
Chinese ID: 65432119880803??O? (Burchin)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"illegal business", "picking quarrels", other Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abdesh Muhametsagi, now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (in-law)
Testimony 2: Rahat Abdesh, born in 1986, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 3|4: Qaraqat Abdesh, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 5|6: Erzat Ahmettursyn, born in 1988, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (friend)
Testimony 7: Qaraqat Abdesh, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister-in-law)
About the victim
Erkesh Manapqanuly, born in 1988, is a Chinese citizen. He was an entrepreneur.
Address: No. 228, Oymok village (窝依莫克村), Hatai township, Buerqin county [this is an error, as Qatai is the village and Oimaq is the township]
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
April 21, 2017
Testimony 6: Sent to re-education camp on January 15, 2017 [likely erroneous as this is quite early]
Likely (or given) reason for detention unclear Victim's status in a re-education camp
Testimony 4+7: sentenced to 11 years
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 2: Four men detained from one family (brothers and father) and two Han males are living with the remained four ladies.
Radio Free Asia coverage (Testimony 7): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xinjiang-05022019172931.html
Testimony 7: In early 2019, Qaraqat Abdesh found information about her family’s court case in an article “Clearing out the underworld: the first public compilation of suspected “dark forces” cases in Burchin county (扫黑除恶，布尔津县首次集中公开宣判涉黑恶势力案件), dated March 31 [this article cannot be accessed now, though an archived version of the same or similar article is here: https://archive.vn/xIWQD.]
Victims among relatives
Manapqan Zeinolla (1757), Erbolat Manapqan (1760), Bikesh Manapqan (1758), Qaraqat Abdesh (1754), Muhtar Bekesh (1755), Aqerke Bekesh (1756)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV50bhA9j_A Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-qzgFqYPIU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHRNVex5H4Q Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFnVPPqopzw Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmuf-61BpRM Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yAnWOGE6uI
Entry created: 2019-01-01 Last updated: 2021-05-19 Latest status update: 2019-05-22 1760. Erbolat Manapqan
Chinese ID: 65432119901113??O? (Burchin)
Basic info
Age: 28 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"illegal business", "picking quarrels", other Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abdesh Muhametsagi, now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (in-law)
Testimony 2: Rahat Abdesh, born in 1986, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 3|6: Erzat Ahmettursyn, born in 1988, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (friend)
Testimony 4|5: Qaraqat Abdesh, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 7: Qaraqat Abdesh, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister-in-law)
About the victim
Erbolat Manapqan, born in 1989, is a Chinese citizen.
Address: No. 228, Oymok village (窝依莫克村), Hatai township, Buerqin county. [township and village appear to be reversed]
Testimony 5: was born on November 13, 1990. He was a successful businessman who had bought real estate in Kazakhstan.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: April 2017
Testimony 3: Sent to re-education camp on January 15, 2017 [likely erroneous as this is quite early]
Testimony 5: April 21, 2017 Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 5: being a "member of a criminal gang"
Victim's status earlier: in a re-education camp
Testimony 4-5: sentenced to 3 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-3+6: not stated
Testimony 4-5: she was in Xinjiang herself during the mass incarcerations, and presumably witnessed some of these events.
Additional information
Testimony 2: Four men detained from one family and two Han males are living with the remained four ladies.
Testimony 4: The local government confiscated the farmland and facilities that the family built in the tourist spot they owned. According to the Chinese state news (https://archive.vn/xIWQD), they've used the land without authorization and sowed grain crops on the land that caused huge damage to the land.
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia (Testimony 6): https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Radio Free Asia coverage (Testimony 7): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xinjiang-05022019172931.html
Testimony 7: In early 2019, Qaraqat Abdesh found information about her family’s court case in an article “Clearing out the underworld: the first public compilation of suspected “dark forces” cases in Burchin county (扫黑除恶，布尔津县首次集中公开宣判涉黑恶势力案件), dated March 31 [this article cannot be accessed now, though an archived version of the same or similar article is here: https://archive.vn/xIWQD.]
Victims among relatives
Manapqan Zeinolla (1757), Erkesh Manapqan (1759), Bikesh Manapqan (1758), Qaraqat Abdesh (1754), Muhtar Bekesh (1755), Aqerke Bekesh (1756)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV50bhA9j_A Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-qzgFqYPIU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yAnWOGE6uI Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHzVh0CJsHY Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHRNVex5H4Q friend with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1760_6.jpg
Entry created: 2019-01-01 Last updated: 2021-05-19 Latest status update: 2019-10-30 1764. Hesenjan Qari (艾山江·卡日)
Chinese ID: 653021196912201618 (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tumshuq Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"terrorism", "extremism" Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Fatime Hesenjan, an Uyghur girl from Kazakhstan. (daughter)
Testimony 2: Arzigul Mamytilimova, originally from Chochek, but now living in Kazakhstan. She and her family fled to Central Asia during the Cultural Revolution. (mother-in-law)
Testimony 3: Adiljan Mamutov, an Uyghur who was born in Kyrgyzstan but is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
Testimony 4: Nesridin Ablimit Maratov, a citizen of Kazakhstan, born in 1969. (relative)
Testimony 5|7: Gulghuncha Manapova, an ethnic Uyghur and a citizen of Kazakhstan. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 6: Gulshen Manapova, an ethnic Uyghur and Uzbekistan citizen, now living in Kazakhstan. (wife)
Testimony 8|9|11: Gulshen Manapova, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (wife)
Testimony 10: Gulshen Manapova, as reported by Apple Daily. (wife)
Testimony 12: Gulshen Manapova, as reported by The Believer. (wife)
Testimony 13: Official incarceration notice, which provides the details about a given inmate's upcoming internment.
Testimony 14: Gulshen Manapova, as reported by Raise the Voices. (wife)
Testimony 15: Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government body charged with handling Uzbekistan's foreign relations.
About the victim
Hesenjan Qari, born in Atush, is a Chinese citizen. He got into business after completing middle school, and would spend many years as a textile trader, coming and going between China and Central Asia.
In 1997, he got married to Gulshen Manapova in Uzbekistan. The couple spent some years in Tashkent and later moved to Shymkent, Kazakhstan, where they would run a fabric shop as a family business. Their six children all hold Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan passports.
Registered address in China: 090 Great Bazaar Road, Suntagh Village, Suntagh Township, Atush City, Xinjiang (新疆阿图什市松他克乡松他克村大巴扎路090号).
Chinese passport: G57431746. Kazakhstan green card: 040758336.
Victim's location
In Tumshuq Prison.
When victim was detained
Hesenjan returned to Xinjiang in February 2017, following summons from the local authorities and relatives also urging him to come. A week after, he received a call from a local government official and had to come in for questioning, with officers confiscating his passport and Kazakhstan resident card, making it impossible for him to go back to Kazakhstan.
He was taken to a camp in October 2017. In April 2018, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison, with the relatives in Atush receiving a corresponding paper document. However, the relatives reported receiving a call from the police in December 2018, where the authorities told them that they were taking Hesenjan back to camp - the Fifth District Camp in Atush - and asked for the relatives to send over clothes. In early May 2019, his wife Gulshen wrote an appeal letter to an EU delegation in which she stated that she had recently learned that he had been transferred to a C-level camp (the worst kind).
At some point, Hesenjan was given a 14-year, 6-month prison sentence, and was transferred to the Tumshuq Prison on July 24, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the official incarceration notice, "joining a terrorist group" and "using extremism to undermine law enforcement".
Victim's status
Believed to be in a prison and sentenced for 14 years and 6 months.
According to his wife Gulshen in her appeal letter, his mental health appears to have worsened significantly, based on a phone conversation with his family.
[It is likely that the victim has been subjected to forced labor at the Tumshuq Prison, as the existence of "labor-skills workshops" has been documented at the facility.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
His wife has been getting news through relatives in the region, and had been able to have limited communication with Hesenjan before his arrest (though the conversations were monitored). In October 2017, he let her know that he was going to be taken to a camp "to study".
The incarceration notice is an official document from the Xinjiang prison system.
Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs presumably obtained the confirmation directly from the Chinese authorities.
Additional information
The victim's absence has taken a significant toll on his wife and six children, as they have been left without their main source of financial support. Five of these children are underage.
That Hesenjan was first sentenced but then transferred back to camp is rare. However, the testifier claims that she's heard of Uyghurs in Bishkek also mentioning news of Uyghurs (in Atush, perhaps) who were first sentenced but then transferred back to camp, and that this was fairly common.
Coverage by the Apple Daily: https://uat-xinjiangcamps.appledaily.com/尋親者/Gulshan-Manapova/全文
Story in Raise the Voices: https://raisethevoices.org/2020/10/06/the-trip-of-no-return-raise-the-voices/
---
Gulshen's first-person testimony as given to "The Believer":
Mostly men are taken to the camps. What happens then? The authorities send loyal Chinese families from the coast to live with the women in the homes of the disappeared. A Han Chinese man is sent to Xinjiang and placed in the house where the detained person had lived. Or it could be a couple. Or a family with kids. But sometimes it’s just one man who is sent to live in a house full of women...
They lecture their hosts about the Communist Party. They continue to live among the family even when the detained family member returns. Everyone I know who spent some time in the camp, who was released to their home in China—in every case I know about, they have Chinese families living with them, lecturing them. And the families will report on any misbehavior. If you so much as look at them in a disagreeable way, they might tell the authorities and have you taken away to the camp. My husband’s relatives have such people living with them. As a result, these days their phones are almost always switched off. They’re afraid. I try to reach them to find out about my husband, but they call only when the “visitors” are out of the house.
I grew up speaking Uighur. My family is Uighur. My parents escaped to the Soviet Union in 1969 and settled in Kazakhstan. Back in China they were cattle herders, but in Kazakhstan they became cooks. Later, when I was young, we went to Uzbekistan looking for work. They opened a café there. I’m an Uzbek citizen, actually. I met Aishanjiang and we were married in Tashkent in 1997. He was visiting from China, doing some business there. He worked with textile factories, importing fabric from China into Central Asia. The border was easy at the time: you just crossed it. I came with my husband to Kazakhstan and we opened a shop here. We were just starting our business when he was arrested.
He was going to visit some of our factories in Ürümqi. As soon as he entered China, his passport was taken from him. He was brought to Atush, his birthplace. And from there he wasn’t allowed to leave. At the time, we hadn’t heard anything about the camps. He went into China without any knowledge of them. Such cases of people being taken to camps are rare in Ürümqi, where he did business, so when they told him to come in for questions, he went.
The day he was taken, he had some idea of what was happening. He called me to say he was going to be taken to a camp. I don’t know if I’m going to be back or not, he said. He couldn’t say any more. He couldn’t describe his situation. What are you going to do? I asked. Why are you being sent to a camp? To study, he said. But you’re old, I told him. You’re almost fifty. He said that one of his relatives—almost eighty years old— was already studying in the same camp. Age is irrelevant, he said. That was last October. Since then, he’s vanished. I heard he’s in prison now.
And others—there are many others. My husband’s older brother died in the same camp where my husband was. He was almost sixty years old. The authorities said he had a precondition, an illness of some kind, but he was healthy when I knew him. And my husband’s sister’s son was sentenced to twenty years in prison for making hajj. My sister-in-law’s husband, the imam at Atush, was sentenced to fourteen years. I’ve heard from his wife that he’s in the prison hospital. His condition isn’t good. And there are many other relatives whose fate I don’t know. Probably they’re all in prison but I don’t know. I can’t tell.
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_3.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_3.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=3
Official communication(s)
Source: Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
------
Dear Gulshan Ablemitovna,
Your appeal concerning your husband detained in China, addressed to the human rights representative of the Supreme Assembly of the Republic of Uzbekistan, has been reviewed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' department for processing the appeals of individuals and legal entities.
In reviewing your case, we have learned that your spouse, K. Aishanzhan, is a Chinese citizen, and that he is in detention for re-education by the competent authorities. As the relations between a foreign country and its citizens are considered to be the internal affairs of that country, it is not allowed, in accordance with the principles of international law, for another country to interfere in the given case.
As such, the case as stated in your application is not within the jurisdiction of Uzbekistan. As the wife of K. Aishanzhan, you are recommended to appeal directly to the relevant authorities in China.
In accordance with the requirements of the "Law Regarding the Appeals of Individuals and Legal Entities" of the Republic of Uzbekistan, you have the right to appeal to a higher-level body, or to appeal directly to the court, should you not be satisfied with the given reply.
Head of the Department B. Alikulov
Victims among relatives
Memtili Ablet (2609), Abdulla Weli (2702), Imam Husen Muhemmet (2610) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51zcCcAAcaU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixZczimPhYk Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bBxwfC5T1c Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGwvhh-Ey30 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks1Q_apRl6A Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W6LtaJUmN4 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj2W5ObNAMk photo with daughter: https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_8.jpg appeal to EU delegation: https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_19.pdf photo with son: https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_20.png photo with kids (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_21.png photo with baby (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_22.png photo with baby (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_23.png photo with kids (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_24.png portrait: https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_25.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_26.png Kazakhstan residence card: https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_27.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_28.png reply from Kazakh MFA: https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_29.png MFA reply (English translation): https://shahit.biz/supp/1764_30.pdf official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_1764.png
Entry created: 2019-01-01 Last updated: 2021-04-08 Latest status update: 2020-07-30 1831. Zeydun Ziyawudun
Chinese ID: 65280119????????O? (Korla)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Yusup Helil, originally from Korla's Awat Township, but residing in Turkey since 2016. (brother-in-law)
About the victim
Zeydun Ziyawdun, Uyghur man. He's been in concentration camp for 1.5 years (detained roughly in May, 2017).
Testimony 2: 65 years old (as of July 2020).
Testimony 2: Address of victim: Group #3, Qarayulghun Village, Qarayulghun Town, Korla City.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained around May, 2017 (been in camp for 1.5 years)
Testimony 2: Victim was detained in a concentration camp for "nearly 3 years". - seemingly sentenced to 25 years prison at the end of 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: the victim travelled to Turkey with his wife (Patem Helil, 1832) in April 2016.
Victim's status
Testimony 2: serving a 25-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Testimony 1: all three members of this family are in concentration camps.
Victims among relatives
Patem Helil (1832), Ayshem Zeydun (10674), Ilham Osman (10675), Abdullah Ilham (10676), Raziye Ilham (10677), Muhemmet Helil (1833)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtAUvU05K8I Testimony 2: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php%3Ffbid%3D113 8249326575381%26set%3Dp.1138249326575381%26type%3D3&width=300
Entry created: 2019-01-03 Last updated: 2020-09-05 Latest status update: 2020-07-19 1832. Patem Helil
Chinese ID: 65280119????????E? (Korla)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Yusup Helil, originally from Korla's Awat Township, but residing in Turkey since 2016. (brother)
About the victim
Patem Helil, 60 years old Uyghur woman. She's been in concentration camp for 1.5 years (detained roughly around May, 2017).
Testimony 2: 63 years old (as of July 2020).
Testimony 2: Address of victim: Group #3, Qarayulghun Village, Qarayulghun Town, Korla City.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: around May, 2017 (been in camp for 1.5 years)
Testimony 2: Victim was detained in a concentration camp for "nearly 3 years". Seemingly sentenced to 25 years prison in 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: the victim travelled to Turkey with her husband (Zeydun Ziyawudun, 1831) in April 2016.
Victim's status
Testimony 2: serving a 25-year sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Testimony 1: Her husband and only son are also in concentration camp. Her 2 sisters are missing. One brother is in prison with his wife.
Victims among relatives
Zeydun Ziyawudun (1831), Ayshem Zeydun (10674), Ilham Osman (10675), Abdullah Ilham (10676), Raziye Ilham (10677), Muhemmet Helil (1833)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtAUvU05K8I Testimony 2: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php%3Ffbid%3D113 8249326575381%26set%3Dp.1138249326575381%26type%3D3&width=300
Entry created: 2019-01-03 Last updated: 2020-09-05 Latest status update: 2020-07-19 1873. Mutellip Abduwayip
Chinese ID: 65320119????????O? (Hotan City)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Buhelchem Obulqasim, originally from Hotan, but living abroad since 2016, after going to Egypt to study. She later fled to Germany. (daughter)
About the victim
Mutellip Abduwayip (this is how it's written on his chinese ID card), 47 years old Uyghur man from Hotan city. He was detained in October, 2016 and was tortured by police so badly that their police neighbor couldn't even recognize him. In May, 2017 he was sentenced for 12 years in prison (Testimony 2: Buhelchem learned of this in June 2017). He has heart problems.
Address: NO.3 road (3- kocha), group 7 (7-dadui), Ilchi shimalbagh, Hotan city.
Testimony 2: he was a merchant.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
October, 2016
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status unknown
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? unclear
Additional information
His two sons are in detention. Other members of his family have no information, including wife Rozinisa Nuri, son Muhemmet and daughters Ayishe, Sumeyye and Raziye.
Victims among relatives
Mihribulla Obulqasim (1872), Abduweli Obulqasim (1871), Rozinisa Nuri (6765), Muhemmed Obulqasim (3624), Ayshe Obulqasim (11109), Sumeyye Obulqasim (11110), Raziye Obulqasim (11111), Merziye Obulqasim (11112)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWkY4MgPkUg Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/1873_2.pdf
Entry created: 2019-01-03 Last updated: 2020-10-12 Latest status update: 2019-10-12 1880. Dilshat Oralbai (迪力夏提·吾力拜依)
Chinese ID: 65412119620722??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 58 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: has problems Profession: media/journalism
Testifying party
Testimony 1|5|6|8|10|11|13|14: Gulaisha Oralbai, born in 1972, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
Testimony 2|4: Malike Mahmut, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 3: Qabit Oralbai, a citizen of Kazakhstan. He was born in 1975 in Ghulja. (brother)
Testimony 7: Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı, a Turkish citizen, PhD student in Soviet history, and a volunteer for the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization. (friend of relative)
Testimony 9|12: Gulaisha Oralbai, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
Testimony 15: Gulaisha Oralbai, as reported by Global Voices. (sister)
About the victim
Dilshat Oralbai was a journalist, translator, and editor-in-chief of a newspaper in Kuytun City. He was originally from a small village in Ili before moving to Kuytun.
After graduating from the Xinjiang Agricultural University in 1985, he first worked at the Ili News newspaper in Ghulja County (1985-1990), then went to work as a translator at the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture Congress (1990-1994), as director of a Kuytun Kazakh-language newspaper (1995-2003), and as the head of the Language Bureau for the Ili prefecture (2004-2008). In 2008, he moved to Kazakhstan and opened a plastic-door-and-window production factory.
Over his career, he's translated 15 books (including "Captain Grant's Children" by Jules Verne and "Russian Character" by Tolstoy), over 30 stories, and 150 volumes of TV series from Chinese to Kazakh, and has been awarded numerous times for his journalistic articles.
Address: Kuytun City, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China.
He holds a Kazakhstan residence permit. Chinese passport number: G30141360. Victim's location
In prison in Ili (unclear which, as in some testimonies his sister says it is in Kuytun City, while in others that it's in Kunes County).
When victim was detained
According to the most recent testimonies from his sister, he went back to China in November 2016 for what was intended to be a brief family visit, had his documents taken then, and was under de facto house arrest until March/May 2018 (testimonies differ), when he was taken to camp.
He was allegedly sentenced to 25 years, but it's not clear when, as some testimonies say October 2019, while another says in June 2018. No official verdict has been given to the family.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
According to his sister's most recent testimony, he has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. He is allowed a video call with his family once a month and a visit once every 3 months. However, Gulaisha mentions that he had only been able to see his wife once prior to November 2019.
Gulaisha also mentions that he's previously undergone three major surgeries. Dilshat's wife also told Gulaisha that Dilshat had become very thin and looked seriously ill.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Through relatives in Xinjiang.
The victim's wife told Gulaisha in late 2019 that she (the wife) was now allowed to visit Dilshat in prison and to call him once a month (previously she had had no news about him during his two years in pre-prison detention).
Additional information
His translation for sale on Amazon: http://archive.is/Wo8dc
Global Voices coverage: https://globalvoices.org/2020/01/22/kazakh-family-of-writers-and-musicians-caught-in-the-xinjiang-vortex /
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-11192019064034.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-11252019105435.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-04202020080926.html
Victims among relatives Baqtygul Oralbai (1881), Zhurat Oralbai (1879), Auahan Qurman (1883), Bagila Oralbai (1882)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsL51CQdNeU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QClYScwWl0c Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrSJcQ7AqRc Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imba8966U6I Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EiuL3IDjj8 show-of-support testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlbUaVqk9J4 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nkttKNhF6c Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV_-ZGk9E9g Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDlMWvcQ1Vw Testimony 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijTWSSK-qLM Testimony 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EOjcmkwjrk Testimony 10: https://twitter.com/Malike20905887/status/1284691976516927490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/1880_6.png photo with son: https://shahit.biz/supp/1880_12.jpeg old photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/1880_15.jpg biography (in Kazakh): https://shahit.biz/supp/1880_16.jpg
Entry created: 2019-01-04 Last updated: 2020-10-27 Latest status update: 2021-03-06 1890. Aqyl Qazez (阿合力·哈再孜)
Chinese ID: 65230119751117473X (Changji)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Changji Status: in custody When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"murder" Health status: has problems Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3|4: Alnur Ahat, born in 1973, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
Testimony 2: Zhenis Qazez, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 5: Zhaqsylyq Dastan, born in 1960, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 6: Local People's Procuratorate, a local prosecution body in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 7: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Aqyl Qazez was the official government-appointed imam of Nurzha Village in Changji Municipality (official sources say that he was a religious worker at the No. 1 mosque in Autan Village, however).
ID address: 253 Ashyl Township Office, Changji Municipality, Xinjiang (新疆昌吉市阿什里乡机关253号).
Victim's location
At the Changji City pre-trial detention center (昌吉市看守所).
When victim was detained
He was arrested on June 31, 2018. According to his brother-in-law, he was taken to "camp" on July 1, with 20 days in this "camp" leaving him severely injured and in need of medical attention. He was taken to a hospital by an ambulance after losing consciousness.
He was sent home after 10 days of treatment. However, after just 3 days at home, the government called him back to the "camp". His wife, Sagdolla Anarqan, committed suicide on July 31, allegedly in the hopes that her husband wouldn't be taken if she did. Waking up the next morning to go to the camp, Aqyl allegedly found the door locked from the outside, and had his neighbors help him get out. Searching for his wife in the yard, they found her in a well used for methane production.
The government's account of events is different. According to the official records, the couple got at a fight at Aqyl killed his wife at 1 in the morning on August 1, 2018, hid her body in the methane well, and was detained by the public security bureau the same day, before later being officially arrested on September 30, 2018 (this appears to contradict the official arrest approval notice, however, which was only posted on November 26).
The materials regarding his case were then delivered to the Changji People's Court / Procuratorate on December 17, 2018, but the public security organs were given an extra month of investigation between January 16 and February 16, 2019, as the evidence was not sufficient. On March 5, 2019, the procuratorate decided that he was guilty and asked that he be sentenced by the court.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unclear what the initial detention was for - possibly for his being an imam - but the official and recent is for "murder" (though the victim's relatives contest this).
Victim's status
His relatives have claimed that he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, although the official procuratorate document from 2019 (after these claims were made) does not mention a sentence, requesting only for the court to prosecute the victim and sentence him.
According to his brother, Aqyl went mad after the initial detention. (The official court document claims that Aqyl had no mental problems, however, and as such is fully legally responsible for his actions.)
The family's house has been sealed by the authorities, and the couple's two children are living with relatives.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not clear how his relatives in Kazakhstan learned about the detentions and events.
The arrest notice and indictment are official government sources, however.
Additional information
On June 13, 2018, an article expressing Aqyl's "hard-line stance" against "two-faced" and "separatist" behavior, his great love for the Party, the spirit of the Nineteenth People’s Congress, the brotherhood of nations (民族团结) and the unity of the motherland was published on a Changji government website (https://archive.vn/m291j, https://archive.vn/CZOf4) - less than three weeks before his arrest.
His arrest notice was initially posted at http://www.ajxxgk.jcy.cn/html/20181126/1/8796882.html, but has since been deleted (a screenshot is available below).
The public version of his indictment: https://archive.vn/WvZWK
Court verdict Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_37.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_37.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=37
Investigation announcement
"The Changji City People's Procuratorate has authorized the arrest of Aqyl Qazez, suspected of intentional murder, as the investigation of the case moves forward." - Changji City People's Procuratorate (November 26, 2018)
Source: https://shahit.biz/supp/1890_7.png
Victims among relatives
Sagdolla Anarqan (3631)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Y8K7b5uYE Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5JrduYiE_Y Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wZNVTK79wA Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Z5h6si5LY Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjgUBNdksE Testimony 6: https://shahit.biz/supp/1890_7.png Chinese ID card: https://shahit.biz/supp/1890_9.png
Entry created: 2019-01-04 Last updated: 2020-08-05 Latest status update: 2019-03-05 1901. Abduwasip Omer
Chinese ID: 653123??????????O? (Yengisar)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Abdukerim Omer, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (brother)
About the victim name: Abduwasip Omer gender: male ethnicity: Uyghur place of origin: Saghan township, Kashgar's Yangisar (Yingjisha) county
He was first detained in a “re-education” camp and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October 2017 without a hearing, according to his brother Borhan (earlier reported as Abdukerim). He was taken to prison before the family was notified. The court verdict was read out to the family by five persons (including village cadres) who came the family's home. According to his brother Borhan, other persons were also sentenced and most of the verdicts had been filled out by officials in charge of the village Political Law Committee.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained unknown, sentenced to 10 years in prison in October 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status in prison How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The verdict was read out to the family.
Additional information
RFA coverage: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/trials-10312017151531.html (published 31 OCT 2017) https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/headscarf-09192017174307.html
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Victims among relatives
Heyrinisa Omer (3829)
Entry created: 2019-01-04 Last updated: 2020-08-17 Latest status update: 2017-10-31 1916. Memet Abla
Chinese ID: 65312819????????O? (Yopurgha)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Abduqadir Abdureyim, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim name: Memet Abla (also "Memet Ablet") gender: male ethnicity: Uyghur age: 39 (as of 24 July 2017) place of origin: No. 8 Neighborhood, No. 3 Township, Yekshenbe Bazar, Yopurgha county, Kashgar prefecture occupation: ran a business in Urumchi, had previously worked as an imam husband of Buzorigul Rishit and father of Hezritieli Memet (both have been detained)
Memet Abla went to Egypt for religious education in 2016, but returned after three months (in February 2017) when Chinese authorities asked him to come back to Xinjiang to register with the government. He, his wife and son were immediately arrested upon their return to Yopurgha county, Kashgar prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained detained in February 2017, sentenced to 7 years on May 23, 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
CECC report: sending his son to study in Egypt
Victim's status detained
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/boy-07242017153914.html (published 24 JULY 2017)
Additional information
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Victims among relatives
Buzorigul Rishit (1917), Hezritieli Memet (1918)
Entry created: 2019-01-05 Last updated: 2020-08-07 Latest status update: 2017-07-24 1935. Erkin Mamyrhan
Chinese ID: 65432419620416??O? (Kaba)
Basic info
Age: 56 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Altay Status: sentenced When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Nagzat Abilmazhinqyzy, born on November 7, 1966, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. Her ID number is 033021750.
Victim's relation to testifier husband's friend
About the victim
Erkin Mamyrhan, born on April 16, 1962, is a Chinese citizen. His brother in China called him to visit his 80-year-old mother as she was in a critical situation, so he went to China on February 9, 2018, and was sent to a re-education camp and later was sentenced to a year/according to other sources sentenced to three years.
Address: Habahe county, Altai region, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Victim's location
[Presumably in Altay.]
When victim was detained
February 9, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention unclear
Victim's status in prison How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nqec9Tlu7s
Entry created: 2019-01-07 Last updated: 2021-02-01 Latest status update: 2018-12-18 1999. Qisa Orynbai (黑沙·吾尔拜)
Chinese ID: 65422419541006092X (Toli)
Basic info
Age: 64 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: --- When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Merei Abilhan
Victim's relation to testifier mother
About the victim
Qisa Orynbai holds a Kazakhstan green card (042002846).
Victim's location
Kubi village, Tuoli county, Tacheng region
When victim was detained not stated
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
---
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information ---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brnocC2e6Bs Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/1999_2.png
Entry created: 2019-01-07 Last updated: 2019-01-07 Latest status update: 2018-12-22 2022. Anarbek Malgazhy
Chinese ID: 65232319891008??O? (Kutubi)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Ardaqbek Malgazhy, born in 1981, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother)
About the victim
Anarbek Malgazhyuly, born on October 8, 1989, is a Chinese citizen. He visited Kazakhstan in April 2017 and stayed a week. When he came back to China from that visit he was arrested.
Address: Daquan village (大泉村) 5, Wugongtai town (五工台镇), Hutubi county, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture
Victim's location
[unclear, as sentenced]
When victim was detained
May 2, 2017
Testimony 3: sentenced to 8 years in the summer of 2019
Likely (or given) reason for detention probably for visiting Kazakhstan
Victim's status
Testimony 2: in camp (according to translator)
Testimony 3: presumably serving an 8-year sentence
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
The testifier lost contact with his parents since September 2017 (father: Malgazhy Abdigali; mother: Yryszhan Ashimbai)
Testimony 3: The cadres constantly visited the victim's parents' house for six months after his detention
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dshmwaWvIsc Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZFG5cqk7nc Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YkjAOtamWo
Entry created: 2019-01-08 Last updated: 2020-08-06 Latest status update: 2019-11-19 2096. Birlesbek Ermekbai (不列斯白克·叶尔买克巴依)
Chinese ID: 654123197103244531 (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|10|11: Nurzat Ermekbai, a Kazakhstan citizen, born in 1975. (sister)
Testimony 8: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
Testimony 9: Nurzat Ermekbai, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (sister)
Testimony 12: Nurzat Ermekbai, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
About the victim
Birlesbek Ermekbai was a government-approved imam and had worked as an imam for over 20 years. In 2008 or 2009, he made a Hajj to Mecca.
Address: 084 Guangming Road, No. 3 Garden Company, No. 61 Bingtuan Corps, Korgas City, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州霍尔果斯市兵团六十一团园林三连光明路084号).
Victim's location
A prison in Kuytun.
When victim was detained
Birlesbek was first detained on either October or November 28, 2018 (testimonies differ). He was initially taken from the No. 61 Corps to a camp in the No. 66 Corps.
In July 2019, Birlesbek was allegedly sentenced to 11-12 years (testimonies differ) and transferred to a prison in Kuytun.
[There are, however, contradictions with dates, as a later testimony mentions him being sentenced in October 2018 (possibly this is in reference to his initial detention).] Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to his sister, Nurzat, he was detained after being falsely accused of "propagating non-traditional religion" [possibly "illegally propagating religion", as this is a more standard charge].
Less formally, he is believed to have been detained simply for being an imam.
(A relative told Nurzat that her brother was sentenced because of her appeals, but she does not believe this.)
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Nurzat mentions having received information about the sentencing from a relative.
Additional information
On January 24, 2019, Nurzat received a call from China [identity of caller not stated] that told her to stop her video appeals.
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10072019063854.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-04022020072302.html
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cKnL1ev86E Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om8KUgO3NBU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0WhOvQNOLM Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VXbkZOtvxg Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd1rIS5TFAU Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCxhbb4alSo Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHiXp0X-AMw Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=136832RSnos Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZQoe5jDAGY testifier with victim's photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/2096_8.png testifier with victim's photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/2096_10.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2096_13.png
Entry created: 2019-01-13 Last updated: 2020-12-16 Latest status update: 2021-06-05 2135. Erlan Qabden (叶尔兰·哈比登)
Chinese ID: 654226196903040828 (Kobuksar)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (19 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"extremism", "picking quarrels" Health status: --- Profession: medicine
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Gulbaqyt Sharapi, born in 1970, has been a citizen of Kazakhstan since 1998. (friend)
Testimony 3|5|6: Bolathan Qumarbekov, born in 1962, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 4: Bauyrzhan Qumarbekov, born in 1959, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 7: Official incarceration notice, which provides the details about a given inmate's upcoming internment.
About the victim
Erlan Qabden was a medical professional.
Address: Hefeng County, Tacheng region, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China.
Victim's location
The Xinjiang Women’s Prison in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
There is some conflict in the testimonies regarding the time of the initial detention, with Bauyrzhan insisting that it was in March 2019. However, as the first testimonies for her were from before that, it is likely that what is reported there (June 2018) is closer to the truth. According to Bauyrzhan, she was held at a women's prison [possibly detention center] in Qaramay before officially being transferred to the women's prison in Urumqi on June 14, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was allegedly detained for attending a morning flag raising ceremony while wearing a headscarf. She did so because the day before she had blood drawn from her head as a treatment for her headaches. The official crimes for which she has been sentenced are "using extremism to undermine law enforcement" and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".
Victim's status
In prison, serving a 19-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Presumably through contacts in the region.]
Additional information
---
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_1.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_1.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=1
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZsScUeYQek Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GYOp_f4ozQ Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVAdBKCf3bw Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJGpcOEwoYA Testimony 6: https://shahit.biz/supp/2135_6.jpeg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2135_8.png
Entry created: 2019-01-14 Last updated: 2019-08-06 Latest status update: 2020-01-07 2136. Nurbol Buqaiqozha (努力波力·波克伙加)
Chinese ID: 654122197502184613 (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|5|6: Elbol Buqaiqozha, born in 1980, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother)
Testimony 4: Gulmina Buqaiqozha, born in 1989, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
About the victim
Nurbol Buqaiqozha was an imam. He had visited Kazakhstan once in 2016.
Address: Sopymbulaq village (索墩布拉克村) No. 48, Ulkenbura township (琼博拉乡), Chapchal county, Ili.
Victim's location
Cell 45-22, Wusu No. 4 Prison [might mean the No. 4 area of the Wusu prison, but not clear]
When victim was detained
March 2, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention unclear
Victim's status earlier: in a re-education camp
Testimony 4: sentenced to 8 years at some point at the end of 2018 / beginning of 2019
Testimony 6: Sentenced to 5 years in or before April 2019.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOxmb0rrCXs Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbXbkXeLiSI Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLdiivwzb_s Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bB4B-U_h3g Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNMTXLGWdKk Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2136_7.png
Entry created: 2019-01-14 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2019-07-22 2137. Qaster Bolatqan
Chinese ID: 65422619910612001X (Kobuksar)
Basic info
Age: 28 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): nationalism, patriotism|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Qauaria Amangazy, born in 1994, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 2|3|4|5|6: Medal Rysqan, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
About the victim
Qaster Bolatqan is a Chinese citizen. He's not married.
Address: Hefeng county, Tacheng region, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Victim's location
Testimony 5: believed to be in a prison in Wusu.
When victim was detained
May 10, 2017 (Testimony 5: arrested at his work place; Testimony 6: May 4, 2017)
Testimony 5: given a 15-year prison term in October 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 4: he sent messages calling for Kazakhs to marry Kazakhs.
Victim's status earlier: in a re-education camp
Testimony 3: sentenced to 3 years
Testimony 4: in prison in Emin county. Testimony 5: sentenced to 15 years
Testimony 6: his relatives can visit him once every 3 months.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX0cLT80b7A Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ0HAqAOPwA Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAbnjtuuzko Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaXQCnByKUU Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVtk4POYMzo
Entry created: 2019-01-14 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2020-01-07 2138. Asetbek Qadis (阿山别克·卡迪斯)
Chinese ID: 652222198610253119 (Barkol)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Testimony 1+3: Duisenbek Qadisuly, born on March 2, 1981, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. His ID number is 034766441.
Testimony 2: Moshan Qabylbahy
Testimony 3+5: Omarbek Qadis, born on October 2, 1978, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. His ID number is 033199855.
Testimony 4: Qurmangul Madinam Islamqyzy and others (group testimony video)
Victim's relation to testifier
Testimony 1+3+5: brother
Testimony 2: unclear
Testimony 4: unclear
About the victim
Asetbek Qadisuly (阿山别克•卡迪斯) is a Chinese citizen. He's from Barkol county in Hami region but he was called to Urumqi and disappeared since.
Address: Hua’erci village (花儿刺村) 13, Dahongliuxia township (大红柳峡乡), Barkol Kazakh autonomous county
Victim's location earlier: Presumably in a camp near Urumqi
When victim was detained August 2016, then sent to re-education camp on May 12, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention earlier: probably for visiting Kazakhstan with his family in 2016
[M. Volkan: for religious reasons]
Testimony 3: Because his classmate Zhumabek was put into a camp for posing a photo with Kazakhstan public figure, and Asetbek and Zhumabek (no. 1912) are are close friends.
Victim's status
Testimony 4: allegedly sentenced to 2.5 years
Testimony 5: sentenced to 3 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RpdyCyqf2c Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uqHvjuZ50s Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaucz5HOGko Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7o9D3L_4lQ Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2138_6.png
Entry created: 2019-01-14 Last updated: 2019-05-21 Latest status update: 2019-02-19 2139. Baqythan Myrzan (巴合提汗·木尔赞)
Chinese ID: 652222196207071535 (Barkol)
Basic info
Age: 58 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"extremism" Health status: critical Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|13|14: Almahan Myrzan, a Kazakhstan citizen, born in 1972. (brother)
Testimony 9: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
Testimony 10: Almahan Myrzan, as reported by National Public Radio. (brother)
Testimony 11: Almahan Myrzan, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (brother)
Testimony 12: Official incarceration notice, as reported by Anonymous.
About the victim
Baqythan Myrzan was a government-approved imam.
Address on ID: 6 Minzu Road, Hongshan Farm, Barkol County, Hami Prefecture, Xinjiang. [Some testimonies put him in Dahongliuxia Township (大红柳峡乡), however.]
Victim's location
Bingtuan Urumqi Prison.
When victim was detained
Detained on August 14, 2018 and taken to some sort of detention facility in Hami, before being transferred to the Bingtuan Urumqi Prison on May 28, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the testifier, simply for being an imam.
The official reason given on his incarceration notice: "propagating extremism" (宣扬极端主义罪). Victim's status
Serving a 14-year sentence.
Two months ago (as of September 2019), he was in the hospital because of kidney issues and called his wife to say that he was ill. The phone call lasted 5 minutes.
He's classified as being second-degree handicapped, as he is missing 4 fingers.
According to an NPR report, he sounded very weak during a phone call from prison and struggled to remember his own name.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
An official incarceration notice for the victim is available.
Additional information
The testifier mentions her relatives in Xinjiang recently being harassed by the local authorities (as of November 2019).
The testifier also says that she will sue Aitqalym Sagatqan and the Hongshan police office for accusing her brother. The phone number of the Hongshan police station: 6853110. Aitqalym also put pressure on the victim's wife, to make her confess that she passed on the information about the victim's detention.
NPR coverage: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
BBC mention: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56986057
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10072019063854.html
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
A 2016 court verdict about a debt-repayment case where the victim was found guilty: http://archive.is/QWWl1
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_4.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_4.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=4
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDd3SQMrpo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08GsxfVkNDw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlHOp8MES8s Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQovD8KJOmo Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8eoEFD3KiE Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pvwAQgHTYM Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8_bvO6kp5Y Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vry0v2hTkp4 Testimony 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvXhD6e5Ibk Testimony 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5vTWcbNwEY Chinese ID (old): https://shahit.biz/supp/2139_7.png testifier with victim's photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/2139_9.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2139_13.png testifier with victim's photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/2139_17.jpg judgment enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/2139_18.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2139_20.png
Entry created: 2019-01-15 Last updated: 2020-07-25 Latest status update: 2020-11-19 2171. Hesenjan Niyaz
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|"inciting ethnic hatred" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Qurban Niyaz, as reported by New York Times. (brother)
Testimony 2: Qurban Niyaz, as reported by Alliance. (brother)
About the victim name: Hasanjan Niyaz gender: male ethnicity: Uyghur
Youngest brother of Kurban Niyaz, 47, RFA journalist He was sentenced to 6 years in prison in July 2017 for “holding ethnic hatred”.
Victim's location unknown
When victim was detained
May 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention sentenced to 6 years in prison in July 2017 for “holding ethnic hatred”
Victim's status in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/world/asia/china-xinjiang-rfa.html (Testimony 1) (published 1 MAR 2018) http://www1.alliancefr.com/actualites/les-musulmans-ouigours-en-chine-maltraites-pour-les-reportages- de-leurs-proches-aux-etats-unis-6072795 (Testimony 2) (published 13 DEC 2018)
Additional information
Mentioned in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry created: 2019-01-16 Last updated: 2020-08-06 Latest status update: 2018-12-13 2181. Qanadil Muhtarhan
Chinese ID: 654123197208010096 (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: has problems Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4: Meirash Seitbattal, born in 1944 in Ghulja, is now a resident of Kazakhstan. (mother)
Testimony 5|6: Abylaihan Muhtarhan, a resident of Kazakhstan. (brother)
About the victim
Qanadil Muhtarhan. Worked as an imam.
Before becoming an imam, he had studied religion for 5 years with the permission of local authorities. He came to Kazakhstan and one of his son was born in Kazakhstan. In 2017, he went to his hometown in China to continue his work as an imam and he was told to go to Urumqi to take a one month of religious course and was awarded as a Good Imam ("三好阿訇").
Address: Huocheng county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Victim's location
Testimony 3: now in Xinyuan County
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: he was put into a camp on March 2, 2018 and later was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Testimony 6: detained on March 12, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention unclear
Victim's status
Testimony 1: in a re-education camp Testimony 2: in a hospital as he has an illness with blood vessels (sentenced to prison)
Testimony 6: his family members are not allowed to visit him, and can only talk to him through video call.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
NPR report: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Victims among relatives
Nurqalifa Qanadil (5674)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV_SXVxlqkQ Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxTSKoglc4E Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT0aoaRbt_c Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doMLWwFSbi8 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaptxlRwIgM Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzOdbMeDJWc
Entry created: 2019-01-17 Last updated: 2021-02-02 Latest status update: 2019-11-05 2183. Bazargul Qaden (巴扎尔古丽·卡依丁)
Chinese ID: 654124197606272522 (Tokkuztara)
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|related to religion Health status: has problems Profession: housemaker
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|5|6|7|8|9|10: Qaden Adilbek, born in 1949, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (father)
Testimony 4: Zhanylhan Matqurman, born in 1954, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (mother)
Testimony 11: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Bazargul Kaden (巴扎尔古丽*卡依丁), a housewife, married with two children (one is a university student and another is a 11th grade pupil).
It's mentiond that she had Uyghur neighbors and learned how to pray for them.
Address: Third Group, Muye village (牧业村) Dongmaili township (东买里乡), Gongliu county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Victim's location
Testimony 5: allegedly is in a camp in Bayanday in Yining.
Testimony 6: prison in Bayandai town (巴彦岱镇), Ghulja municipality.
When victim was detained earlier: April 2018
Testimony 3: June 2018
Testimony 5: put in camp in March 2018
Testimony 6: She was sent to re-education camp in March 2018. In 2019, she was sentenced to 12 years. Testimony 9: March 2018
Testimony 11: police records from Urumqi list her as going through a police check in the city's Saybagh District on March 10, 2018, being deemed "completely normal" (一切正常) and "blue" (蓝色).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: probably for praying
Testimony 9: Detained for praying and wearing headscarf. She was part of a charity group with her Uighur neighbours and it seems all of them were detained in the same day, accused of donating to religious groups.
Victim's status earlier: in a re-education camp
Testimony 4: heard that she was imprisoned after a closed trial.
Testimony 8+10: according to some sources she was sentenced to 10 years, and some other sources indicate she was given 12 years prison term
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Her husband, Qanat Tursynbek, has gone mad after his wife's detention and now is in a mental hospital.
Testimony 7: She was detained at the same time with a group of her Uyghur friends (one of which is named Buchelchem). She reportedly suffered beating in the camp, which contributed to a deterioration of her health.
Testimony 9: the last time the testifier saw his daughter was in 2016.
Testimony 10: the Kazakhstan MFA answered the testifier's letter by saying that this case was "China's internal affairs".
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql-10172019064718.html
A person with the same name as the victim runs a restaurant in Gongliu county: http://archive.is/FhpYM A person with this name also holds shares in an embroidery cooperative: https://xin.baidu.com/detail/compinfo?pid=QnqSyQzx7Vp81uzOvbkf7nqkrYITI1gl7wbM
Victims among relatives
Qanat Tursynbek (2184), Ershat Qaden (5119) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M-cl2W3lWU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOnuqjZnO5U Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaI-DSt4x5s Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYrrddPvs-E Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx67I0wlQeI Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwSJzsf74a0 Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLrXaPMMpqs Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4voQAAlr1vw Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qD9Qi_M1gw Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDpVZ3C7C2s Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2183_11.png possible business listing: https://shahit.biz/supp/2183_12.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2183_13.jpg
Entry created: 2019-01-17 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2020-12-26 2204. Oken Mahmet (吾肯·马合买提)
Chinese ID: 652625196806011017 (Kaba)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"terrorism", "extremism", "disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|6: Azharqan Adik, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (mother-in-law)
Testimony 2|3|7|11: Mariyash Ugytai, born in 1964, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 4: Qadys Ygylymzhan, born in 1989, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
Testimony 5: Zhanat Zhen'is, born in 1990, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relation unclear)
Testimony 8: Xinjiang Courts Web (新疆法院网), a website, based at xjcourt.org, that is an official portal of the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 9: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (relation unclear)
Testimony 10: Sholpan Amirken, born in 1984, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 12: Official detention notice, provided after the initial detention of a suspect in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 13: Official arrest notice, provided following the formal arrest of a suspect in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Oken Mahmet was an imam, born in Altai's Madi Village (马迪村).
Address: House No. 240, Teketurmas Village, Sartam Township, Qaba County, Xinjiang (新疆哈巴河县萨尔塔木乡铁克吐尔玛斯村240号).
Kazakhstan green card number: 026384631.
Victim's location Reported to be in a prison in Shihezi.
When victim was detained
He was first detained by the local police of Burchin County on April 22, 2017, before being arrested formally on May 23, 2017. He was held at the Burchin County detention center on South Sulushoqy Road during this time.
According to a local court website, the initial hearing of his trial was scheduled to take place between 16:30 and 18:30 on June 20, 2017 (stated to be an open session). According to Zhanat Zhen'is, it was also in June 2017 that he was given a 10-year prison sentence [although this was already reported before June 15].
According to a later testimony, he was transferred to a prison in Shihezi in November 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
There are a number of official accusations against him.
According to the local court website, he was being put on trial for "propagating terrorism" (宣扬恐怖主义), "extremism" (极端主义), and "instigating and carrying out terrorist activities" (煽动实施恐怖活动).
According to his detention notice, he was being suspected of inciting people to violate national laws in officiating marriage, education, and public governance, in addition to making and propagating items related to extremism. The arrest notice says that he has been arrested on suspicion of propagating extremism.
His sister-in-law says that he was detained for preaching at Friday prayers and officiating marriages in a mosque (this is her assumption). The official accusations, according to her, were "extremism", "illegally obtaining religious publications", and "gathering a crowd to disturb social order" (Article 290 of the Penal Code).
Victim's status
Reported to be serving an 8-10 year prison sentence (majority of testimonies report 8 or 8.5).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not clear how his relatives and others in Kazakhstan got news of the situation [presumably through relatives in Xinjiang], but the confirmations of his detention and trial come from official government sources.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/ethnic-kazakh-imam-dies-in-custody-of-chinese-police-in-xinjia ng-06152017113623.html
BBC mention: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56986057 His court case listed among others (no longer available - see screenshot below): http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:iL18B-UxB5sJ:altbej.xjcourt.org/public/detail.ph p%3Fid%3D852+&cd=1&hl=ru&ct=clnk&gl=kz
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_10.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_10.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=10
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_11.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_11.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=11
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig5VzpSg_bo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-xxfndVU9E Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HwwFWmdf4U Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAHOMOOp-9w Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IelZe97qfw8 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb83JZDcyrM Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWog1_yFTug Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXN3BKVQ5_c Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxkdzXS2Mzo photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2204_5.jpg court case listing: https://shahit.biz/supp/2204_9.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2204_14.png
Entry created: 2019-01-19 Last updated: 2020-03-27 Latest status update: 2020-10-26 2208. Zhiger Toqai
Chinese ID: 65420119941222??O? (Chochek)
Basic info
Age: 25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): nationalism, patriotism|"separatism" Health status: has problems Profession: student
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|5: Barbolsyn Aitzhan, born in 1952, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (neighbor of relative)
Testimony 3|4: Dinagul Zhumagul, born in 1972, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (aunt)
Testimony 6*: Anonymous, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (detained together)
About the victim
Zhiger Toqai, a Chinese citizen, immigrated to Kazakhstan in 2013, living in Kentau (Turkistan Region) for a year before starting his studies at Almaty’s Satbayev University.
Address: Sary'olen Village (萨热吾林村), Emil Township (也门勒乡), Tacheng Municipality.
Victim's location
Allegedly in Wusu Prison.
When victim was detained
He went back to China during the summer break of 2017, both for health reasons and to obtain a new passport. The passport was not issued, making it impossible for him to return and finish his degree. In June 2017, he was arrested and sent to camp.
Based on the ex-detainee's testimony, it follows that Zhiger was at some point transferred to the newly finished camp facility on Saimachang Road in Tacheng, before being sentenced towards the end of 2018 and transferred to prison (as confirmed by a source on February 3, 2019, and later by the ex-detainee in September 2019).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the testifiers, he was arrested for "writing a verse that leads to ethnic separatism" (he allegedly wrote a poetry verse disapproving of Kazakh women marrying Han Chinese men). Victim's status
Presumably in prison serving a 10-year sentence.
[Because the Zhongxin LLC (乌苏众鑫农工贸有限责任公司) operates out of Wusu Prison (http://archive.is/RbYxM), there is the likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It isn't clear how Barbolsyn and Dinagul learned about Zhiger's status, though very likely through contacts in the region. The ex-detainee was in the same cell as Zhiger for some time.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z5a6h5Qk6s Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv8WF4svv8E Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkUlpUjJcj8 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pss6R6g8uA Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIS1GbuzNlo photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2208_6.png
Entry created: 2019-01-19 Last updated: 2020-03-13 Latest status update: 2020-01-16 2326. Nusypali Zholaman
Chinese ID: 65402619870118??O? (Mongghulkure)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Baqytgul Burlibai, born in 1977, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
Testimony 2: Qurmangazy Zhamalbek, born in 1982, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 4: Lazzat Belqozha, presumably a resident of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 5: Kenzhegul Alqaq, born in 1970, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Zholaman Nusipali, born on January 18, 1987, is a Chinese citizen. He lived on a stud farm in Zhaosu County and worked in a mosque.
Victim's location
Zhongmachang (stud farm), Zhaosu county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Testimony 2: allegedly transferred to Xinyuan prison.
When victim was detained earlier: August 2017
Lezzat Belqozha's victims list has his detention time as February 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Victims list (Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/list_006.pdf): reciting the Quran
Victim's status
Testimony 1: in a re-education camp Testimony 2: allegedly been sentenced to 15 years in prison
[There is a high likelihood of him being subjected to forced labor, as this practice is documented at Kunes Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 2: He's allegedly been transferred to a prison in Xinyuan county.
Testimony 3: a CCTV camera has been installed in his house.
This victim is included in the lists of Zhaosu victims provided to Qazaq Uni (https://qazaquni.kz/2018/09/28/90575.html) by Lezzat Belqozha, also available at: https://shahit.biz/supp/list_005.pdf and https://shahit.biz/supp/list_006.pdf
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA4zA7FytxA Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKSX3qT2aiM Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWhzcJnxJsw Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHhcibQ-DeY
Entry created: 2019-01-26 Last updated: 2020-11-30 Latest status update: 2020-01-06 2375. Kamil Metrehim
Chinese ID: 650102195812282114 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 62 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" literature|"separatism" Health status: has problems Profession: scholar
Testifying party
Testimony 1|6: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Merhaba Kamil, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (daughter)
Testimony 3: Emrulla Ekrem, a student in the US. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4|5: Merhaba Kamil, daughter of Kamil Metrehim, now residing in the Netherlands. (daughter)
Testimony 7: "Al Uygur", an unverified Facebook account. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Kamil Metrehim (Rehim) was working as a principal and professor at the Pedagogical Institute of the Urumqi Vocational University. He was also among the editors responsible for middle- and high-school textbooks in Xinjiang.
Victim's location
The No. 4 prison in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
According to his daughter in an interview to Radio Free Asia, Kamil was detained on April 13, 2018. He was first placed in a re-education camp [possibly: pre-trial detention center].
According to his daughter in a Radio Free Asia interview, he was then transferred to the No. 4 prison in Urumqi at some point in August-September 2018. In a 2021 Facebook post, however, an anonymous testifier says that he spent between April 2018 and April 2020 in camp, and was then sentenced to 8 years in prison [this is more likely to be an error seeing as how the victim's daughter had already reported the sentence in 2019]. Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to his daughter, he was detained for being among those responsible for the editing of middle/high-school textbooks in Xinjiang (from 2002 to 2011).
Abduweli Ayup believes that he was targeted for being one of the scholars to have signed Memtimin Elyar's 2005 petition for the protection of Uyghur-language education.
The anonymous testifier on Facebook states that he was charged with "promoting separatism" (for his work on the Uyghur textbooks).
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
According to his daughter's post on Twitter, he has a history of high blood pressure and heart disease.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
The victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-tutqun-04222019221948.html
Mentioned in Abduweli Ayup's op-ed for PEN/Opp: https://www.penopp.org/articles/abduweli-ayup?language_content_entity=en [mentioned incorrectly as "Kamil Tursun"]
Victims among relatives
Dilraba Kamil (2376)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2iqeelxfPE Testimony 7: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/alim.hamit.948/posts/7822 32669335524&show_text=true&width=300 Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/marhaba1201/status/1095603301670940672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/marhaba1201/status/1100871294147530764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/2375_2.jpeg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/2375_3.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-01-28 Last updated: 2021-06-07 Latest status update: 2021-04-17 2390. Tenilhan Magushan
Chinese ID: 654201197603083516 (Chochek)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): other|past "transgressions" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4: Kulmeshan Baimolla, born in 1963, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
About the victim
Tenilhan Magushan is a Chinese citizen.
Address: Koskopur village (禾斯阔甫尔村), Shashe township (恰夏乡), Tacheng municipality
Victim's location
Testimony 3: prison in Wusu
When victim was detained
March 2018
Testimony 3: given a 5-year prison term in September 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 3: because someone filed a complaint against him for something that happened years ago
Testimony 4: He was accused of receiving a formal complaint from somebody for stealing a cow ten years ago.
Victim's status in a re-education camp
Testimony 4: He was given a 5-year prison term and according to the rumors from the people travelling between Kazakhstan and China, if he pays 10 000RMB, he can be released. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 4: rumors from people able to travel between Kazakhstan and China.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/xinjiang-12092019074656.html/?encoding=simplified
Victims among relatives
Galbiat-Tangyt Tenilhan (2391), Saltanat Ulan (2392)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=himihXkPfKU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG9Zg_UoVM4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cjlsJHkEK8 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3RAVdaYeTU
Entry created: 2019-01-30 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2020-01-17 2392. Saltanat Ulan
Chinese ID: 654201198708????O? (Chochek)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Kulmeshan Baimolla, born in 1963, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
About the victim
Saltanat Ulan, born in August 1987, is a Chinese citizen. He was put into a camp in April 2017 just for receiving a "Zhuma mubarak" (Happy Friday) message from his relative, Galbiat Tenilhan, together with him.
Address: Zhandybai village [unclear which village this is], Shashe township (恰夏乡), Tacheng municipality
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
April 2017
Testimony 3: sentenced to 13 years in prison in September 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention receiving a greeting which read "Happy Friday" from his relative
Victim's status in a re-education camp
Testimony 3: now in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/xinjiang-12092019074656.html/?encoding=simplified
Victims among relatives
Galbiat-Tangyt Tenilhan (2391), Tenilhan Magushan (2390)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=himihXkPfKU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG9Zg_UoVM4 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3RAVdaYeTU
Entry created: 2019-01-30 Last updated: 2020-08-01 Latest status update: 2020-01-17 2403. Abdusemet Ablet
Chinese ID: 654101198404????O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Yarmemet Barat, now residing in Columbus, Ohio. (cousin)
Testimony 3: Enwer Eli, originally from Kashgar City but now residing in the US. (relative)
Testimony 4: Mubarek Yarmemet, an Uyghur woman now residing in the US. (cousin once removed)
About the victim
His name is Abdusemet Ablet. He was born in April 1984. His address is No.235, No.14 Street, Ghalibiyet Road, Ghulja City.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as he's been sentenced.]
Testimony 4: the testifier has heard that he is going to be transferred from Ghulja to somewhere else.
When victim was detained
Testimony 3: taken to camp in 2017, then transferred to prison 2 years later.
Testimony 4: taken to camp in April 2017 and recently sentenced to 8 years
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unclear
Victim's status
Testimony 1-2: "Re-education" camp
Testimony 3: transferred from camp to prison Testimony 4: sentenced to 8 years
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear
Additional information
Yarmamat's father Barat has passed away on Jan 3rd, 2019 not long after being released from the so called "Re-education" camp.
Victims among relatives
Razigul Tursun (7063), Barat Ababekri Tughchi (2409), Guljennet Ablet (2404), Ibrahim Barat (2407), Shakiram Barat (2405), Hamid Israyil (2408)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04yIau6_faU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXuC8s0keBc Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX3OEAiMHK0 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F52H44zZ9t4
Entry created: 2019-01-30 Last updated: 2020-02-14 Latest status update: 2020-01-07 2444. Qonai Qasymhan (霍乃·哈斯木汗)
Chinese ID: 652222197803023577 (Barkol)
Basic info
Age: 42 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Wujiaqu Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"terrorism", "extremism" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Nurgisa Qalau, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 2: Zhen'ishan Sahaba, born in 1970, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 3: Ardaq Tusei, now a citizen of Kazakhstan, was born in 1996. (nephew)
Testimony 4: Official notice of enforcement, issued by a local court to the relatives of a sentenced individual to inform them of the sentence having gone into effect.
Testimony 5: Official notice of meeting, addressed from a local court to a local detention center following a trial, with a request that the detention center arrange a meeting between the defendant and their relatives.
About the victim
Qonai Qasymhan is married and a father of two. He had a small shop in Barkol County and also worked as a security guard at the local post office.
ID address [residential address appears to be identical or in the same village]: House No. 30, Agash'obo Village, Baqiangzi Township, Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County, Hami Prefecture (哈密市巴里坤哈萨克自治县八墙子乡阿格喜沃巴村30号).
Victim's location
Fangcaohu Prison in Wujiaqu City. [In earlier testimonies, relatives had reported that he had been transferred to a prison in Aksai County, Gansu Province, but an official money transfer receipt indicates that he is indeed in Fangcaohu. The source of this discrepancy is not clear.]
When victim was detained
His nephew reports that he was detained in November 2017, but this may be a mistake, since in earlier testimonies relatives had said that he was detained on February 23, 2018, and the latter is corroborated by official documentation, which establishes the start of his prison sentence as February 24 [typically taken as the date of initial detention]. He appears to have been held at the Barkol County Pre-Trial Detention Center (巴里坤县看守所).
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and 5 years' deprivation of political rights, with a 20000RMB fine, at some point in 2018, before being transferred to Fangcaohu Prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The official charge against him was "propagating terrorism and extremism and inciting terrorist activities".
In earlier testimonies, relatives said that he was detained for supporting religious groups. His nephew, however, says that he was not religious and did not pray [it is not clear if this is a contradiction].
Victim's status
Sentenced.
[There is a high likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at the Fangcaohu Prison - the Xinjiang Jungar Cotton & Hemp LTD (新疆准噶尔棉麻有限公司) appears to operate a cotton-ginning mill there.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not very clear how Qonai's relatives learned about his detention, but they do possess some of the official documentation.
The notice of enforcement is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
A limit-consumption order was issued against Qonai by the Barkol People's Court on June 17, 2019, as a result of his not having paid a sum of 2154RMB as ordered by the court.
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_22.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_22.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=22
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_23.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_23.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=23
Victims among relatives
Ardaq Tusei (14470) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Mt6yvXJXU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CasKJuGKDVY Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itPXNuRABPc judgment enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/2444_3.png limit-consumption order: https://shahit.biz/supp/2444_4.pdf Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2444_6.png
Entry created: 2019-01-31 Last updated: 2021-05-16 Latest status update: 2021-02-09 2522. Eziz Nasir
Chinese ID: 65310119????????O? (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: driver
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduhaliq Eziz, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (son)
Testimony 2: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3: Abduhaliq Eziz, a resident of Turkey. (son)
About the victim
Aziz Nasir is an Uyghur man from No. 10 Village, Doletbagh Township, Kasghar. He is married to Amine Abdulla and has multiple children, one of whom is Abduhaliq Aziz (the testifier). Aziz Nasir worked as a driver at the People's Park in Kasghar.
Testimony 3: his address is given as 156 East People's Road in Kashgar (喀什市人民东路156号).
Victim's location
Prison in Maralbeshi.
When victim was detained
The victim and his wife, Amine Abdulla, reportedly sent their son, Abduhaliq Aziz (the testifier) to study Islam at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt in 2015. Abduhaliq Aziz moved to Cairo, Egypt in December 2015 to begin his studies.
Since Abduhaliq Aziz left the XUAR in December 2015, he spoke with the victim only twice.
The victim disappeared shortly afterwards; the last time Abduhaliq Aziz contacted the victim was in February 2016. After that point, whenever Abduhaliq Aziz spoke with the victim's wife, Amine Abdulla, she would tell Abduhaliq that the victim had "gone out" of the house and was not available. Abduhaliq Aziz found this suspicious and suspected that something was wrong. In February 2020, Abduhaliq Aziz received news from an unspecified source who claimed to have knowledge of the situation that both of his parents (i.e. the victim and his wife) had been detained for having sent Abduhaliq Aziz abroad to study Islam.
Testimony 2: a separate anonymous source from the Doletbagh township legal office, who confirmed that the victim had been sentenced to "eight years in Maralbeshi (Bachu) [county]" and was "locked up two years ago". According to the anonymous source from the Doletbagh township legal office, the victim was first sent to an internment camp "for a month or two, maybe three months" and then sentenced to prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to an anonymous source who conversed with Abduhaliq Aziz in February 2020, the victim was detained for having sent Abduhaliq Aziz abroad to Cairo, Egypt to study Islam.
Abduhaliq says that the fact that his parents sent him money while he was abroad is also a possible reason for their detention.
Victim's status
Testimony 2: The victim has been sentenced to 8 years in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: The testifier heard about the victim's detention from an unspecified source in February 2020.
Testimony 2: this is a source from the legal affairs office of the township where the victim resided, and would presumably have more direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-2): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/parents-04282020170829.html
Victims among relatives
Amine Abdulla (2555), Abdubaqi Eziz (12275)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/abduhalikaziz/status/1343638221146779649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2021-01-07 Last updated: 2021-01-07 Latest status update: 2020-12-28 2555. Amine Abdulla
Chinese ID: 65310119????????E? (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kizilsu Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduhaliq Eziz, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (son)
Testimony 2: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Amine Abdulla is an Uyghur woman. She is married to Aziz Nasir and has multiple children, one of whom is Abduhaliq Aziz (the testifier). She was reportedly a housewife up until her arrest and subsequent detention.
Testimony 3: her address is given as 156 East People's Road in Kashgar (喀什市人民东路156号).
Victim's location
Testimony 2: The victim may be detained somewhere in Atush.
When victim was detained
The victim and her husband, Aziz Nasir, reportedly sent their son, Abduhaliq Aziz (the testifier) to study Islam at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt in 2015. Abduhaliq Aziz moved to Cairo, Egypt in December 2015 to begin his studies.
The victim's husband, Aziz Nasir, disappeared shortly after in February 2016. After that point, whenever Abduhaliq Aziz spoke with the victim, she would tell Abduhaliq Aziz that Aziz Nasir had "gone out" of the house and was not available. Abduhaliq Aziz found this suspicious and suspected that something was wrong.
After the victim's husband disappeared in February 2016, calls between Abduhaliq Aziz and the victim reportedly became less and less frequent, going from approximately once a week to approximately once a month. The victim disappeared for the first time in approximately October 2016. She apparently deleted Abduhaliq Aziz from WeChat around this time.
The victim then added Abduhaliq Aziz on WeChat again in January 2017 and spoke with him once before deleting him from WeChat and going silent again.
The victim added Abduhaliq Aziz on WeChat again in April 2017 and told Abduhaliq Aziz that the authorities were getting ready to take her away to "study". The victim reportedly asked Abduhaliq Aziz to delete her from WeChat, saying that she would also delete him from WeChat. She told Abduhaliq Aziz not to add her again. Abduhaliq Aziz agreed, and has not been in contact with the victim since that point in time.
Since the victim was detained, Abduhaliq has not had any contact with his immediate or extended family, including his siblings in Xinjiang.
In February 2020, Abduhaliq Aziz received news from an unspecified source who claimed to have knowledge of the situation that the victim and Aziz Nasir had both been detained for having sent him abroad to study Islam. The unspecified source told Abduhaliq Aziz that the victim had received a 6 year sentence, but they did not know whether the victim was dead or alive.
Testimony 2: a source from the Doletbagh township legal office said that the victim had been sentenced to 5 years in prison. The anonymous source from the Doletbagh township legal office had heard that the victim was in Atush, but did not know exactly where.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to an anonymous source who conversed with Abduhaliq Aziz in February 2020, the victim was detained for having sent Abduhaliq Aziz abroad to Cairo, Egypt to study Islam.
Abduhaliq says that the fact that his parents sent him money while he was abroad is also a possible reason for their detention.
Victim's status
Testimony 1: sentenced to 6 years.
Testimony 2: sentenced to 5 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: The testifier heard about the victim's detention from an unspecified source in February 2020.
Testimony 2: this is a source from the legal affairs office of the township where the victim resided, and would presumably have more direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimomy 1-2): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/parents-04282020170829.html Victims among relatives
Eziz Nasir (2522), Abdubaqi Eziz (12275)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/abduhalikaziz/status/1343638221146779649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2021-01-07 Last updated: 2021-01-07 Latest status update: 2020-12-28 2557. Moldir Zhaqsylyq
Chinese ID: 654128199005172221 (Nilka)
Basic info
Age: 29 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: critical Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Sarsen Koken, a native-born Kazakhstan citizen. (uncle)
Testimony 2: Zhaqsylyq Amire, a resident of China. (father)
About the victim
Moldir Zhaqsylyq.
Address: House No. 6, Team No. 3, Bee Farm (种蜂场), Nilqa County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was arrested on February 18, 2018 and taken to the Nilqa County police station (尼勒克县派出所), where she would be held in detention. Numerous requests by her husband to visit her would be refused.
At a later day (not clear which), her relatives heard that she was going to be taken to the Nilqa County People's Hospital for an examination, and waited at the hospital entrance to see her being brought over by two police officers. She was handcuffed, hooded, and shackled, and the police would not allow her relatives to talk to her.
On May 4, 2018, the relatives were finally able to meet her, during which time they learned that she had been secretly sentenced to 11 years in prison. She was also in really poor health, forcing the police to transfer her to a camp, before taking her back to "prison" on November 23, 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Attempts to learn the reason from the court have only resulted in the relatives' being shown a dozen or so "religious photos" [presumably, she was detained on religious grounds]. Victim's status
Believed to be serving an 11-year sentence, but her father writes that they have not had any news of her since the transfer from camp, and do not know if she is still alive.
The father writes that, during their one meeting, she could no longer walk on one of her legs, and was suffering from lung damage, with her critical health status prompting the police to transfer her to a camp [with presumably better conditions].
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The victim's uncle learned about this from the letter he got from the victim's father in Xinjiang [it is not clear how the letter was delivered].
The father's account in the letter is an eyewitness testimony.
Additional information
The victim's brother, who had already been ill for a long time, passed away on April 18, 2018, following the psychological blow from his sister's detention.
Eyewitness account
[The following is the translation of a letter sent by the victim’s father from Xinjiang, as read at the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization in Almaty, Kazakhstan.]
My name is Zhaqsylyq Amire, a resident of Nilqa County’s bee farm (种蜂场) in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. My daughter, Moldir Zhaqsylyq, was arrested by the Nilqa county police station authorities on February 18, 2018.
On that day, staff from the bee farm local police station came to our house to arrest my daughter, but she wasn’t at home, having gone to the Ulastai Township police station to sort out her ID and other documents. The police proceeded to do an unwarranted search of our house, frightening my wife and son terribly. After learning that my daughter was at the Ulastai police station, they had her arrested there, taking her for detention at the Nilqa County police station. My son-in-law's requests to visit her would consistently be rejected.
We later heard that my daughter was going to be taken to the Nilqa County People’s Hospital for an examination. Standing by the hospital entrance at 10 in the morning, my son-in-law and I would see a policeman and a policewoman bring my daughter to the hospital. She was handcuffed and had a black hood over her head. Her neck and ankles were shackled. When we tried to talk to her, the police prevented us.
Later, we tried to visit her, applying to the relevant government bodies for permission on numerous occasions, but were always rejected. On April 18, 2018, my son, who had already been very ill, passed away, unable to withstand the psychological blow from these events.
On May 4, 2018, our numerous applications to visit were finally met with success, and we were allowed to see my daughter once. She was in a terrible state when we met. She couldn’t walk on one of her legs anymore, and her lungs had been damaged.
Because of her critical condition, the police had no choice but to transfer her to a re-education camp, the so-called “training center”. While talking to her, we understood that she had been secretly sentenced to 11 years. On November 23, 2018, she was transferred back to prison.
Despite our numerous attempts to learn from the Nilqa County People’s Court the reason for her sentencing, we were never provided with any proof – they just showed us a dozen or so religious photos. Since then, we haven’t been able to get any news of my daughter. As of today, we do not know if she is still alive or not.
Our family has also been marked as a “focus family” (重点家庭), with all of us being monitored. Our phones are monitored and listened to 24 hours a day. There’s no one to aid us. I ask the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev to help us, and to help my daughter out of her horrible situation, so that she may return home soon.
Signed,
Zhaqsylyq Ameri
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19_pp90SPyU
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ18y5c5YC8 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19_pp90SPyU
Entry created: 2019-02-05 Last updated: 2020-05-09 Latest status update: 2019-10-31 2572. Qadirhan Seterhan
Chinese ID: 65222219720308??O? (Barkol)
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Hami Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4: Saliha Seterhan, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
About the victim
Qadirhan Seterhan is a graduate of the Xinjiang Islamic Institute. Some years back, he was awarded a free tour of various cities in inner China [possibly together with other state-sanctioned imams, as such tours were common].
Address: Barkol County, Hami Prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Qadirhan was initially detained in a camp from March to September of 2018. He was then sentenced to 8 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
For hiding a Quran at home.
Victim's status
Serving an 8-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated. Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A12pJ-Efsec Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0j3ReXRJ6I Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IymV3weUtRw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRkKZn643kw
Entry created: 2019-02-06 Last updated: 2020-08-20 Latest status update: 2019-02-02 2609. Memtili Ablet (买买提力·阿不来提)
Chinese ID: 653021197201041616 (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (23 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|3: Gulshen Manapova, an ethnic Uyghur and Uzbekistan citizen, now living in Kazakhstan. (aunt-in-law)
Testimony 2: Gulghuncha Manapova, an ethnic Uyghur and a citizen of Kazakhstan. (aunt-in-law)
Testimony 4: Raziye Qari, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 5: Gulshen Manapova, as reported by The Believer. (aunt-in-law)
Testimony 6*: Gulshen Manapova, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (aunt-in-law)
Testimony 7: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Memeteli Ablet was a businessman who had lived in Central Asia and had previously made a pilgrimage to Mecca in the 1990s.
Address: 085 Great Bazaar Road, Suntagh Village, Suntagh Township, Atush City, Xinjiang (新疆阿图什市松他克乡松他克村大巴扎路085号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was taken to camp in around September 2017. He was later sentenced.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Gulshen suspects that it was because his father was an imam and because he had previously made a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Victim's status
Serving a 23-year prison sentence, according to the most recent testimony.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Presumably through contacts in the region.]
Additional information
Mentioned in The Believer: https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/
Victims among relatives
Hesenjan Qari (1764), Abdulla Weli (2702), Imam Husen Muhemmet (2610)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMFbbQ2NWpg Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj2W5ObNAMk Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMKTC91fh-A Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvDg9L94Gxs Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2609_4.png
Entry created: 2019-02-07 Last updated: 2020-04-17 Latest status update: 2020-05-07 2620. Serikzhan Adilhan (塞力克江·阿德勒汗)
Chinese ID: 654125198403033776 (Kunes)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"illegal business" Health status: has problems Profession: driver
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5: Zhazira Zhamalbek, born in 1982, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
Testimony 6: Official arrest notice, provided following the formal arrest of a suspect in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 7*: Zhazira Zhamalbek, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (sister)
Testimony 8: Zhazira Zhamalbek, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
About the victim
Serikzhan Adilhan (塞力克江*阿德勒汗), born on March 3, 1984, is a Chinese citizen. He was doing transportation work at the China-Kazakhstan border. Has two children, 5 and 3 years old (as of September 2019).
Registered at: Qarghaly village (喀尔哈勒村) 999, Talede town (塔勒德镇), Xinyuan county
Victim's location
Xinyuan county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (arrested at the Korgas border though, so may be that he's being held in that area)
When victim was detained
Detained in July 30, 2018, but official notice says September 7, 2018.
[Zhazira Zhamalbek to G. A. Bunin in interview on September 5, 2019 (Testimony 7): the detention date on the notice is wrong. Her aunt attended a trial session at the pre-trial detention center on May 16, 2019. On August 20, 2019, there was another trial held at the People's Court. In both cases, the victim was accused of "illegal business". On August 30, 2019, the victim's relatives received a notice of the verdict being ready. According to them, the victim has been given a 3.5-year sentence.] Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 4: Accused of delivering illegal goods.
Victim's status
Testimony 1: in a re-education camp
Testimony 2-3: in a pre-trial detention center
[Zhazira Zhamalbek to G. A. Bunin in interview on September 5, 2019: the victim has lost a lot of weight while in pre-trial detention, going from 80 to 50kg.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 3: his wife got a notice about her husband's detention. The notice reads that he was detained by the Yining Public serurity bureau with the approval of the Yining procuratorate and now is in a detention house. His wife says the procuratorate is asking for 300000 RMB now (in exchange for his release). Previously they had asked for 500000 RMB).
Additional information
Testimony 5: In the end of February, Qarakala police asked Zhazira where she got the arrest notice from: the official authorities or her sister-in-law and the victim’s wife. At the same time, the police have confiscated her sister-in-law’s phone.
A person with the same name owns a telephone repair store in another town, Qarabulaq. According to online registers, the business has been “disrupted”: https://www.qichacha.com/firm_69cce6d50a0811585eb336929bdc3081.html
RFA coverage (Testimony 8): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-09092019064214.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6KDSnIpXV0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjXEuB0dUS8 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO2uEB2b6rM Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SmBxHBYgXs Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzXOCwtlNes Testimony 6 (arrest notice): https://shahit.biz/supp/2620_6.jpg family photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2620_7.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2620_8.jpg portrait + basic info: https://shahit.biz/supp/2620_9.jpg SMS confirming sentencing: https://shahit.biz/supp/2620_10.jpg testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2620_11.png
Entry created: 2019-02-07 Last updated: 2020-08-05 Latest status update: 2019-09-05 2656. Qurmanali Baitoq-Qusbolat
Chinese ID: 65402419????????O? (Tokkuztara)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Zamzamhan Ashihan, born in 1963, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (aunt-in-law)
Testimony 3|4: Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek, a Kazakhstan citizen originally from Tokkuztara County. He is one of the key volunteers at the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Qurmanali Baitoq (possibly Qusbolat) was born in 1979 (Testimony 3-4: 1981).
Address: Zhirgalang township, Gongliu county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Victim's location
[unclear, as sentenced]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1 (maybe 2): January or February 15, 2018
Testimony 3: January 16, 2018
Testimony 4: Detained on March 22, 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 3: one month of religious training in a medrasa in Kazakhstan.
Victim's status sentenced to 15 years in prison in July 2018 How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
He has two children and his oldest child is in a hospital now.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf4tPwrwykw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkUVFrPBHu8 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOnoY9wj9xk Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MqLdKG0_tI
Entry created: 2019-02-09 Last updated: 2021-01-08 Latest status update: 2020-01-09 2731. Qunapia Qabidolla
Chinese ID: 654225197708162517 (Chaghantokay) >> ID number invalid
Basic info
Age: 42 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Ulbolsyn Aibek, born in 1981, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 2|3|5|6: Ryszhan Kainula, born in 1953, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. Her last name was written incorrectly when she obtained Kazakhstan citizenship, and should actually be "Qabidolla". (sister)
Testimony 4: Ryszhan Kainula, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (sister)
Testimony 7: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
About the victim
Qunapia Qabidolla, born in 1977, studied at a religious school for 7 years and was an imam in Tacheng City. He is a graduate of the Xinjiang Islamic Institute (2009). (Testimony 7: he studied from 2003 to 2010.)
Address: Shawan county, Tacheng region, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Victim's location
[Ryzhan Kainulla in an interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019 (Testimony 4): unclear in which prison.]
Testimony 5: Karazhide prison in Wusu.
Testimony 6: prison in Wusu.
When victim was detained
2018
[Ryzhan Kainulla in an interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: victim was detained 1.5 years ago and there's been no concrete news since. Heard from relatives a month ago that there was a verdict and the victim was given a 6-year sentence.] Testimony 5: detained in 2017 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Testimony 7: sentenced in 2018, about a year after his detention.
Likely (or given) reason for detention possibly for being an imam
[Ryzhan Kainulla in an interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: for refusing to burn prayer mats and storing them in the mosque instead.]
Victim's status sentenced to 10 years in prison
[Ryzhan Kainulla in an interview to G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: serving a 6-year prison sentence.]
Testimony 7: sentenced to 7 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 5: His wife Katipa was detained and released after four months in camp, leaving their 10-year-old son without parents.
RFA coverage (Testimony 7): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-02032020063320.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1-2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz35XpdrgcU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bhGgDy_1TI Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KXcVbnmnlc Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW1sue5k6c4 testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2731_4.png
Entry created: 2019-02-14 Last updated: 2020-05-04 Latest status update: 2020-02-03 2739. Ersin Tursynbek (叶尔森·图尔森别克)
Chinese ID: 654221198611273010 (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: 33 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|6: Nurila Ramazan, born in 1973, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 7: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
About the victim
Ersin Tursynbek.
Address: Qyzyl Zhuldyz (Red Star) Farm, 9th Production Team, Dorbiljin County, Tacheng Region.
Another testimony provides his address as: First Production Team, Hongqi Township, Dorbiljin County, Tacheng (塔城地区额敏县红旗乡一队).
Victim's location
Ersin is believed to be in a Wusu City prison [presumably Wusu Prison].
When victim was detained
Ersin was sent to a re-education camp in May 2018.
In November 2018, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison. After his family paid 20000RMB, the sentence was reduced (to 17-18 years).
At one point, there were rumors that Ersin was taken to a prison in inner China. However, the most recent report puts him at Wusu Prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Praying.
[It is also mentioned that he visited Kazakhstan for a couple of months in 2012, though this is not given as a reason for detention.]
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
[There is a high likelihood that he is subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at Wusu Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/xinjiang-12092019074656.html/?encoding=simplified
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXIzTmMCqvQ Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6niLjesSpcA Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnrfPJ_Nwgk Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVz5VRk0FyU Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRcNhjNWI1s Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozyTEXcnRzo social security card: https://shahit.biz/supp/2739_7.png possible state media mention: https://shahit.biz/supp/2739_8.png
Entry created: 2019-02-14 Last updated: 2020-10-05 Latest status update: 2020-01-16 2777. Qasen Tursynhan
Chinese ID: 654221??????????O? (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Erkingul Toqtagan, born in 1964, has been a citizen of Kazakhstan since 2011. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Qasym Tursynqan, a resident of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 3: Qasym Tursynqan, as reported by National Public Radio. (brother)
About the victim
Qasen Tursynhan, worked as an imam in a mosque in Sarbas village of Kurti township in Emin county. Before his arrest, he had received regular praise from authorities for “upholding ethnic harmony”.
Address: Sarbas village (萨尔巴斯村), Kurt township (二道桥乡), Emin county, Tacheng prefecture
Victim's location
Testimony 3: a prison in Wusu City.
When victim was detained
December 2017
Testimony 2: was put into a re-education camp on December 28, 2017.
Testimony 3: given a prison sentence in summer 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: refusing to hand in his Quran book to be burned.
Victim's status earlier: In camp
Testimony 3: sentenced to 20 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear
Additional information
NPR report (Testimony 3): https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Victims among relatives
Qarqyn Tursynqan (2778)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZSpzdqtG3k Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE9XzB7HGQw
Entry created: 2019-02-17 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2019-10-08 2778. Qarqyn Tursynqan
Chinese ID: 65422119830223??O? (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: 36 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Erkingul Toqtagan, born in 1964, has been a citizen of Kazakhstan since 2011. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Qasym Tursynqan, a resident of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 3: Qasym Tursynqan, as reported by National Public Radio. (brother)
About the victim
Qarqyn Tursynhan
Address: Sarbas village (萨尔巴斯村), Kurt township (二道桥乡), Emin county, Tacheng prefecture
Victim's location
Testimony 3: prison in Wusu City.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: December 2017
Testimony 2: was put into a camp on March 4, 2018
Testimony 3: sentenced to prison in summer 2019
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: attending Friday prayers
Victim's status earlier: In camp Testimony 3: serving a 10-year sentence
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear
Additional information
NPR report (Testimony 3): https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Victims among relatives
Qasen Tursynhan (2777)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZSpzdqtG3k Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE9XzB7HGQw
Entry created: 2019-02-17 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2019-10-08 2793. Mewlidem Abdurehim (麦吾丽旦木·阿不都热衣木)
Chinese ID: 65402319870311??E? (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Testimony 1-3: Ishqiyar Abdurehim, an Uyghur originally from Horgos, Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture.
Victim's relation to testifier
Testimony 1-3: older sister
About the victim
Mewlidem Abdurehim, Uyghur woman. She is in concentration camp.
Passport number: E76983351.
Victim's location
[from private correspondence from brother: was transferred to Ghulja to be sentenced]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: March 2017
[according to private correspondence from her brother: she was arrested in Urumqi on March 20, 2017 for talking to her brother, and in May 2017 was transferred to Ghulja, being sentenced to 3 years in prison]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: Visiting Ishqiyar in Turkey
[according to her brother: for chatting with him]
Victim's status Testimony 2: sentenced to 3 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? unclear
Additional information
5 people from this family are in concentration camps.
Victims among relatives
Menzire Abdurehim (2792), Horigul Tursun (2795), Abdureyim Dawut (2796), Tursun Memetahun (2794), Tursungul Huseyin (5390), Alimjan Abdurahman (5388), Ablikim Tursun (5389), Patime Alimjan (5391), Elkem Tursun (5425), Tursun Muhemmetrehim (5424), Roshengul Tursun (5427), Niyazjan Tursun (5426), Shohret Ablet (5428), Halmemet Tursun (5429), Ehmetjan Tursun (5501), Halmurat Tursun (5502)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suWKODo75yU Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP7bCARuzdg Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjrdnbmqQYU metoouyghur mention: https://twitter.com/AbdulahGulja/status/1100719349302808576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/2793_5.png
Entry created: 2019-02-18 Last updated: 2019-10-28 Latest status update: 2019-05-17 2800. Nagyz Muhamet (那合孜·木哈买提)
Chinese ID: 654322196807160010 (Koktokay)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Altay Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): contact with outside world|"separatism", nationalism, patriotism, other Health status: has problems Profession: art & literature
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Magzat Muhamet, born in 1973, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (brother)
Testimony 2|10: Unbetai Muhamet, born in 1988, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 3: Radio Free Asia Mandarin, the Mandarin-language service of Radio Free Asia.
Testimony 4|5: Anonymous, as reported by Amnesty International. (relative)
Testimony 6: Aibike Nagyz, a student at Nazarbayev University and a citizen of Kazakhstan. (daughter)
Testimony 7: Nastrat Muhamet, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 8: Nurhan Sultanbai Samenbet, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relation unclear)
Testimony 9: Naziken Bikei, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (mother)
About the victim
Nagyz Muhamet, born on July 16, 1968, is a Chinese citizen. He worked in the local culture department and was also a teacher.
His ID address: 46 Jinshan Street. Altay city.
Testimony 3: He was born in Koktogay County and was working in Altay.
Testimony 4: The victim published two books, which were both collections of poetry. He was a member of the Xinjiang Writers Association. He also worked as a writer at Altay's State Intangible Cultural Heritage Office in Xinjiang.
Testimony 9-10: He had worked at Koktogay Bureau of Culture and later at Altay Regional Culture Institute. Victim's location
Testimony 3: in prison 富蕴县监狱 (Koktogay County Prison).
When victim was detained
Testimony 1-2: March 2018
Testimony 3: In March 2018，he returned from Kazakhstan where he had visited relatives and was arrested by Xinjiang police.
Testimony 4: In early 2018, the victim reportedly traveled to Almaty, Kazakhstan to stay with relatives after he had undergone heart surgery in Urumqi. The victim was asked by a colleague in China to "get back to work urgently" in March 2018; later that month, the victim returned to Altay. Upon returning to Altay, the victim was summoned to a local police station and questioned about his last visit to Kazakhstan. Nobody has been able to contact the victim since then.
Testimony 4: In December 2018, the family of the victim was told by an unspecified source that, as a result of being tortured during an interrogation, the victim's health had deteriorated to such an extent that he was sent to a "transformation-through-education" centre. The same source later told the family of the victim in the first half of 2019 that the victim was sent back to a detention centre once his health condition had improved.
Testimony 7: arrested on March 14, 2018 for being a relative of Ospan Batyr.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: He guided American journalists to the tomb of Ospan Batyr when he was working in the Koktogay County Culture department. Another reason is that he sent his two children to study in Kazakhstan.
Testimony 4: In April 2020, the family of the victim was told by an unspecified source that the victim had been convicted of "separatism" and sentenced to 7 years in prison in connection with a dinner the victim attended with friends on Kazakhstan Independence Day approximately 10 years ago. The trial at which the victim was convicted of "separatism" was reportedly conducted in secret and the victim was reportedly not allowed access to a lawyer of his choice.
Testimony 4: The victim's family received official notification of the victim's arrest in early 2019, and no further official information in relation to the victim has been provided since then.
Testimony 5: In September 2020, his family [in Kazakhstan] learnt that the information they received from the source in April 2020 was not true. No official documents were made available to his family [in Kazakhstan] or lawyer, but some [other] relatives [in Xinjiang] were allowed to attend the court hearing behind a screen.
Testimony 5: Nagyz Muhamet was convicted of "separatism" and sentenced to life imprisonment in September 2020 for gathering with his friends on Kazakhstan Independence Day, expressing opinions on Xinjiang's "bilingual education" policy and encouraging Kazakhs living in Xinjiang to move to Kazakhstan. He reportedly refused to plead guilty to the charges, and testified in court that he had been "beaten and burned by cigarette butts during interrogations." (Nagyz Muhamet was denied his right to a fair trial as he was not able to be represented by a lawyer of his choice. He was represented by a government-appointed lawyer.)
Testimony 9-10: Accusations: "nationalist", "caused threat to the country's unity", and political criminal.
Victim's status detained
Testimony 2: He previously had a heart bypass operation (Testimony 6: in Urumqi in early 2018), suffers from hypertension, diabetes and sinusitis.
Testimony 3: in "Koktogay Prison", but it isn't mentioned that he's been sentenced [so, it's unclear if this is a formal prison or a detention center].
Testimony 4: sentenced to 7 years.
Testimony 5: sentenced to life.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-3: not stated
Testimony 4: "through word of mouth".
Testimony 5: presumably through relatives in the region, some of whom were allegedly able to attend the trial.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 3): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-12262019074847.html
Amnesty International Urgent Action: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/2219/2020/en/ (Testimony 4) https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/ASA1732792020ENGLISH.pdf (Testimony 5)
Testimony 6: https://nextcenturyfoundation.wordpress.com/2020/02/15/chinas-concentration-camps-hold-over-one-m illion-muslims/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLsd-3Gz6u0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IVYJFQp2RA Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwptaMprVug Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiAPkEdLm5M Testimony 9-10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeFYE9zyHVI Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2800_2.png hospital discharge certificate: https://shahit.biz/supp/2800_4.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2800_5.jpg
Entry created: 2019-02-19 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-02-28 2852. Abdurehim Emet (阿布都热衣木·艾麦提)
Chinese ID: 653101198705132014 (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: medicine
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2: Qediriye Emet, originally from Kashgar, is now a resident of Turkey. (sister)
Testimony 3: @ethrworg, an unverified Twitter account.
About the victim
Abdurehimjan Emet, a physician at the XUAR Uyghur Medicine Hospital. He graduated from the Xi'an Jiaotong University.
Address: No. 151, First Entrance, Building No. 2, Residence No. 155, Qizildowe Street, Kashgar City, Xinjiang.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 3: taken to "concentration camp" in June 2017 and sentenced to 10 years in 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: unclear, but his sister says that he has never been abroad, is excellent in his work, and is very hardworking.
Victim's status
Testimony 3: sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear.
Additional information
This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals (Testimony 1), available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kcA5Vp5qII Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/ethrworg/status/1395326020501319680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2852_1.png
Entry created: 2019-02-24 Last updated: 2021-06-05 Latest status update: 2021-05-20 2863. Erbolat Muhametqali
Chinese ID: 654226198704061799 (Kobuksar)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|8: Ardaq Qaiyrhan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (mother)
Testimony 3: Zharqynbek Madiyev, born in 1969, resides in Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 4|5: Muhametqali Muqan, a resident of Kazakhstan. (father)
Testimony 6: Qymbat Muhametqali, a resident of Kazakhstan. (sister)
Testimony 7: Qymbat Muhametqali, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
About the victim
Erbolat Muhametqali (叶尔波拉提*木哈买提汗) was born on April 6, 1987. He has been to Kazakhstan twice. Has a wife and two children in China.
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019 (Testimony 6): he had no permanent job, occupying himself with buying/trading livestock]
Victim's location
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: in a prison in Wusu]
When victim was detained
March 2017
Testimony 5: his Kazakhstan visa expired on February 26, 2017 as the local authorities did not give him back his passport, later (March 3, 2017) he was detained.
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: Detained in March-April 2017 in Kobuksar, after he wanted to go to Kazakhstan but his visa application was refused. Given verdict for 17-year sentence 2-3 months ago, transferred to prison in Wusu.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: presumably for praying, but not clear]
Testimony 8: He was given prison term for praying.
Victim's status
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: now serving a 17-year sentence]
Testimony 8: They (authorities) asked his wife Gulnar Zhumaqan to pay 50 000 RMB to reduce the 17-year prison term by half.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: from relatives coming to Kazakhstan, but information is very limited - stating only that there was a trial and verdict, without any additional proof]
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 7): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-11052019064620.html
Testimony 8: His father who was living in Kazakhstan and was suffering from hypertention, passed away on April 6, 2019 worrying about his son.
Victims among relatives
Duman Qaiyrhan (2864)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaucz5HOGko Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAYOYwLyas8 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=378WMhOyIXY Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVfm0-lx_3I Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jrd16zXphE Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-BK_0EUgX4 testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2863_7.png
Entry created: 2019-02-24 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2020-02-19 2864. Duman Qaiyrhan
Chinese ID: 6542261976??????O? (Kobuksar)
Basic info
Age: 43-44 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|nationalism, patriotism Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|5: Ardaq Qaiyrhan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
Testimony 3: Qymbat Muhametqali, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (niece)
Testimony 4: Qymbat Muhametqali, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (niece)
About the victim
Duman Qaiyrhan (杜曼*海尔汗) was born in 1976.
Address: Hoboksar Mongol autonomous county, Tacheng prefecture.
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019 (Testimony 3): he had no permanent job, occupying himself with buying/trading livestock]
Victim's location
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: in a prison in Wusu.]
When victim was detained
2017
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: In 2017, but later than Erbolat Muhamatqali, who was detained in March-April. He was sentenced to 14 years 2-3 months ago.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: for telling a Kazakh girl to speak Kazakh and not Chinese] Testimony 4: According to Qymbat, for saving an Uyghur’s life after he had been injured in a car accident.
Testimony 5: He was accused of telling the Uighur nurse to speak Kazakh when he took his friend to the hospital after a car accident.
Victim's status
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: serving a prison sentence]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[according to Qymbat Muhametqali in interview with G. A. Bunin on September 5, 2019: from relatives coming to Kazakhstan, but the news has been very rough - only that there was a trial and verdict, but not many details.]
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 4): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-11052019064620.html
Victims among relatives
Erbolat Muhametqali (2863)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaucz5HOGko Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAYOYwLyas8 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-BK_0EUgX4 testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2864_3.png
Entry created: 2019-02-24 Last updated: 2021-01-13 Latest status update: 2020-02-19 2876. Zharqyn Raman (加尔肯·热阿曼)
Chinese ID: 65422119770214181X (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: 42 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|6|9: Gulserik Qazyhan, born in 1987, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 3|4|5|7|8: Zhainagul Nurlan, born in 1985, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (niece)
Testimony 10: Gulserik Qazyhan, as reported by National Public Radio. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 11: Zhainagul Nurlan, as reported by The Believer. (niece)
About the victim
Zharqyn Raman was appointed as the head of Zhiek Village in May 2017.
Address: Zhiek Village, Kurty Township, Dorbiljin County, Tacheng Prefecture (塔城地区额敏县二道桥乡吉也克村).
Victim's location
A prison in Wusu City.
When victim was detained
Zharqyn was arrested on November 20, 2017. He was then held in a pre-trial detention center for seven months, where he was handcuffed, shackled, tied to a tiger chair, and interrogated.
He had been healthy before the arrest, but the mistreatment in the detention center caused him to develop health issues. He was taken to the hospital and had to have an operation on his lungs.
He was later sent to a political education camp, where he stayed for eight months. According to him, the conditions there were better than in the detention center.
However, he then got sick again and, after being taken to the hospital, was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison on February 24, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
For attending Friday prayers and donating to a mosque some years earlier.
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
He is in poor health. He has endured freezing conditions during his detention, and this has caused his overall health to deteriorate.
He requires medicine to survive, although his relatives heard that he stopped taking his medicine for two months at one point.
Additionally, he is reported to have difficulties walking now, as a result of having to wear rubber slippers at camp in the winter. Getting a pair of fleece socks was very difficult for him while there, as he allegedly needed to get permission from the local government.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Some of the information appears to come from relatives in China who were able to visit Kazakhstan.
Zhainagul mentions them learning about the situation from Zharqyn's brother, who saw the victim when the latter was hospitalized.
Additional information
The victim's wife is unemployed. Samalhan, his mother, lost her eyesight after her son’s detention. His relatives had to borrow money to pay for Zharqyn's medical expenses.
NPR report: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Local media article from 2017 praising him: https://archive.vn/SqtVb
Local report where he comments on flood prevention: http://archive.is/Kq3ig
He is listed as a member of a local cooperative: http://archive.is/gdDrf
He is also included in a list of people who are at risk of being stripped of some of their driving rights: http://archive.is/DpnOF
Zhainagul Nurlan's interview to The Believer (https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/):
My uncle Raman Zharkyn was born in Zhiek, a small hamlet in Kurty township. His name should be Rakhman. But it was a religious name—forbidden—so my family entered Raman in the ledger. He was a prominent man in our village, and in May 2017, he became the head of Zhiek. On November 20 of the same year, he was taken to a reeducation camp. He was abducted directly from his office.
The reason given for my uncle’s detention was this: Every Friday he’d been going to the mosque in Kurty, the administrative center nearby. At some point, he and a few friends decided to raise money for the building of a new mosque in Zhiek. He and his friends were all arrested.
For seven months after he was detained, he was in a prison under interrogation. He spent those months in a small, damp room, cuffed to a chair, his hands and feet restrained. He wasn’t allowed to lie down. He sat day and night. During his first month in the prison, he was also restrained by a cuff around his neck, connected by a chain to the table. This cuff created an open wound that wouldn’t heal. He developed a fever. At last, they took him to a hospital. They called his brother, another uncle of mine, to the hospital, and that’s how we heard all that had happened to him.
His brother said that when he first came to the hospital, there was a black cowl over Raman’s head. When they removed it, his brother didn’t even recognize him. His hair was matted and uncut. He’d lost weight. The wound around his neck was severe but he was still wearing the cuff. The officials refused to remove it until the doctors insisted that the wound wouldn’t heal otherwise. Only then did they take it off, after securing permission from some higher authority.
After this ordeal, he was sent to a political study camp, where he spent another eight months. But he got sick again and was returned to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. His mother managed to see him after he was transferred to the camp. It was the first time she had been able to see him. He told her that, compared with prison, the camp was like a home. At last my back can meet the mattress, he told her. His mother has since lost her eyesight. It’s the stress. She’s had two operations on her eyes, and one is now completely blind.
Raman’s wife, my aunt, had been a housewife. When her husband was taken to prison, she went to work as a dishwasher at a restaurant. But she had to quit to take care of her mother-in-law when she went blind. Now they’re surviving on charity.
In March, my uncle was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. My father is worried about the fate of his brother. But his own heart is bad, so we don’t tell him all the news. Only his wife is allowed to meet with him, and then only to bring him his tuberculosis medicine. [Through tears] I don’t think he will be alive by his release date. The conditions there are harsh. The food is bad. That’s the question that bothers us all: Will he be alive by the time he’s released from prison?
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q00fGWZ_lX4 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m2wPTPq8cs Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd62_7qRu_g Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRq2LunAjKY Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JphZbddCBvc Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2plhGr7I3oA Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMvWvVJJziA Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ragPvW93FDk Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwapPNWEjts
Entry created: 2019-02-25 Last updated: 2020-10-01 Latest status update: 2019-11-11 2878. Sarketzhan Salyk
Chinese ID: 6523281978??????O? (Mori)
Basic info
Age: 40-41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Mawut Omargaly, born in 1984, is originally from Changji Prefecture's Mori County. She has been a citizen of Kazakhstan since 2008. (cousin)
Testimony 2: Qydyrali Oraz, an activist in Kazakhstan and founder of the original Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization.
Testimony 3|4|5: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
Testimony 6: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
About the victim
Sarketzhan Salyk, born in 1978. Visited Kazakhstan and Turkey in 2017
Address: Mulei county, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture
Testimony 3: he was a blogger and teacher at a Kazakh Middle School in Changji's Mori County. In 2016, he got a Turkish visa and travelled to Kazakhstan and later Turkey with his father and mother-in-law, returning to China in December.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: April-May 2017
Testimony 3: In Mid-July 2017, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Testimony 6: Sentenced on July 28, 2017, to be released in 2026. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: "Terrorism"
Testimony 2: visiting Kazakhstan and Turkey
Testimony 5: Going to Turkey and Kazakhstan, meeting "anti-China" forces in abroad, praying publicly in his school.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-5: not stated.
Additional information
Abai.kz coverage (Testimony 2): https://abai.kz/post/60892
RFA coverage (Testimony 3-5): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-07252017103657.html
He is also mentioned in a long list of victims compiled by the Rights Protection Network (Testimony 6): https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/08/201983147-1040_48.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT-HXNNJAo0
Entry created: 2019-02-25 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2019-02-08 2889. Osman Ehet (奥斯曼·艾海提)
Chinese ID: 652924198111190038 (Shayar)
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: art & literature
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2*: Anonymous, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Osman Ehet, from Qarluq Electronics (新疆卡尔罗媒体科技有限公司, in Urumqi). Music editor (Testimony 2: music composer).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: arrested in October 2017.
Testimony 2: arrested in May 2017, sentenced to 11 years in 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: official reason for sentencing unclear.
Victim's status
Testimony 1: Detained.
Testimony 2: serving an 11-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Unclear.
Additional information
This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals (Testimony 1), available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Local article mentioning his doing the recording work for a musical project: https://archive.is/XzPg9
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2889_1.jpg work photo (right): https://shahit.biz/supp/2889_2.jpeg work photo (bottom): https://shahit.biz/supp/2889_3.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-02-28 Last updated: 2021-07-08 Latest status update: 2021-03-13 2900. Amangul Agymolda
Chinese ID: 654003197401240327 (Kuytun)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: medicine
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Aidyn Agymolda, born in 1982, is originally from Bortala but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 2|7: Amantai Agymolda, born in 1969, is originally from Bortala but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 4: Aidyn Agymolda, as reported by Voices on Central Asia. (brother)
Testimony 5: Aidyn Agymolda, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (brother)
Testimony 6: Aidyn Agymolda, as reported by Anonymous. (brother)
Testimony 8: Amantai Agymolda, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (brother)
About the victim
Amangul Agymolyda, born in 1974
Address: No. 4, Kuytun Fourth Street, Aheqi agricultural community (阿合其农场), Aqchi (阿合其) Farm, Jing county, Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture
[testifier: she's a nurse]
Testimony 6: her ID number is 654003197401240327.
Victim's location
[unclear, as she's been sentenced]
When victim was detained
August 2018 [Aidyn Agymolda to G. A. Bunin on September 9, 2019 (Testimony 5): she was detained in August 2018 and then given an 11-year sentence in June 2019 (Testimony 8: August 2019).]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Testimony 3: allegedly sentenced to 11 years in prison
Testimony 7: testifier mentions not having had any contact with her since October 2017.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Aidyn Agymolda to G. A. Bunin on September 9, 2019: relative conveyed the news over WeChat, then disappeared the next day.]
Additional information
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia (Testimony 4): https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
RFA coverage (Testimony 8): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01102020072341.html
Victims among relatives
Rabekan Agymolda (2899), Estai Agymolda (2901), Amangeldi Agymolda (2902), Yrysgul Qaztai (2903)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVroyJSPQ8 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFPO6ruyz9g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BwFQ1lqRRs Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ofVrIv8a8A testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2900_4.png
Entry created: 2019-02-28 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2020-01-07 2901. Estai Agymolda
Chinese ID: 65272219781010??O? (Jing)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Aidyn Agymolda, born in 1982, is originally from Bortala but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 2|6: Amantai Agymolda, born in 1969, is originally from Bortala but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 4: Aidyn Agymolda, as reported by Voices on Central Asia. (brother)
Testimony 5: Aidyn Agymolda, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (brother)
Testimony 7: Amantai Agymolda, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (brother)
About the victim
Estai Agymolyda, born in 1978. Has been to Kazakhstan
Address: No. 1 Hami Street, Aheqi agricultural community (阿合其农场), Aqchi (阿合其), Taqiya town, Jinghe county, Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture
Victim's location
[unclear, as he's been sentenced]
When victim was detained
August 2018
[Aidyn Agymolda to G. A. Bunin on September 9, 2019: he was detained in August 2018 and then given a 14-year sentence in June 2019 (Testimony 7: 12 years in August 2019).]
Testimony 6: testifier mentions not having had any contact with him since October 2017. Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Testimony 3: allegedly sentenced to 14 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Aidyn Agymolda to G. A. Bunin on September 9, 2019 (Testimony 5): relative conveyed the news over WeChat, then disappeared the next day.]
Additional information
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia (Testimony 4): https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
RFA coverage (Testimony 7): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01102020072341.html
Victims among relatives
Rabekan Agymolda (2899), Amangul Agymolda (2900), Amangeldi Agymolda (2902), Yrysgul Qaztai (2903)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVroyJSPQ8 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFPO6ruyz9g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BwFQ1lqRRs Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ofVrIv8a8A testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2901_4.png
Entry created: 2019-02-28 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2020-01-07 2902. Amangeldi Agymolda
Chinese ID: 65272219800204??O? (Jing)
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: security/police
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|3: Aidyn Agymolda, born in 1982, is originally from Bortala but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 2|5: Amantai Agymolda, born in 1969, is originally from Bortala but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 4*: Aidyn Agymolda, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (brother)
Testimony 6: Amantai Agymolda, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (brother)
About the victim
Amangelda Agymolydauly, born in 1980. Has been to Kazakhstan
Address: No. 1 Hami Street, Aheqi agricultural community (阿合其农场), Aqchi (阿合其), Taqiya town, Jinghe county, Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture
[testifier: he worked in the police]
Victim's location
[unclear, as he's been sentenced]
When victim was detained
August 2018
[Aidyn Agymolda to G. A. Bunin on September 9, 2019 (Testimony 4): he was detained in August 2018 and then given a 13-year sentence in June 2019 (Testimony 6: August 2019).]
Testimony 5: testifier mentions not having had any contact with him since October 2017. Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Testimony 3: allegedly sentenced to 13 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Aidyn Agymolda to G. A. Bunin on September 9, 2019: relative conveyed the news over WeChat, then disappeared the next day.]
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 6): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01102020072341.html
Victims among relatives
Rabekan Agymolda (2899), Amangul Agymolda (2900), Estai Agymolda (2901), Yrysgul Qaztai (2903)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVroyJSPQ8 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFPO6ruyz9g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BwFQ1lqRRs Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ofVrIv8a8A testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2902_4.png
Entry created: 2019-02-28 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2020-01-07 2903. Yrysgul Qaztai
Chinese ID: 65272219810610??E? (Jing)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Aidyn Agymolda, born in 1982, is originally from Bortala but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 2: Amantai Agymolda, born in 1969, is originally from Bortala but is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 4: Aidyn Agymolda, as reported by Voices on Central Asia. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 5: Aidyn Agymolda, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (brother-in-law)
About the victim
Rysgul Qazhetai, born in 1981. Has been to Kazakhstan Wife of Amangelda Agymolyda
Address: 1 Hami Street, Aheqi agricultural community (阿合其农场), Aqchi (阿合其), Taqiya town, Jinghe county, Bortala Mongol autonomous prefecture
[testifier: she was a housewife]
Victim's location
[unclear, as she's been sentenced]
When victim was detained
August 2018
[Aidyn Agymolda to G. A. Bunin on September 9, 2019 (Testimony 5): she was detained in August 2018 and then given a 12-year sentence in June 2019.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention ---
Victim's status
Testimony 3: allegedly sentenced to 12 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Aidyn Agymolda to G. A. Bunin on September 9, 2019: relative conveyed the news over WeChat, then disappeared the next day.]
Additional information
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia (Testimony 4): https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Victims among relatives
Rabekan Agymolda (2899), Amangul Agymolda (2900), Estai Agymolda (2901), Amangeldi Agymolda (2902)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVroyJSPQ8 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFPO6ruyz9g Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BwFQ1lqRRs testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/2903_4.png
Entry created: 2019-02-28 Last updated: 2021-01-15 Latest status update: 2019-09-09 2929. Buhelchem Sawut
Chinese ID: 65312319????????E? (Yengisar)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Unknown, but with a verified identity. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Zohre Sultan, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relative)
Testimony 3: Hatip Sabir, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relative)
About the victim
Buhelchem Sawut.
Address: No. 5 Neighborhood, No. 16 (Otesh) Village, Uchar Township, Yengisar County, Kashgar. [She was born in Tewiz Village nearby, but this no longer seems to exist as an administrative unit.]
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was sentenced to 5 years in prison (she and her husband were forced to go back to Yengisar and were taken to a camp in Yengisar, then later sentenced) [times unclear].
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? From their relatives' WeChat.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/dehqan-7-perzent-04232020201238.html
Victims among relatives
Buhajer Allaberdi (798), Bumeryem Hudaberdi (12284), Hudaberdi Omer (793), Huseyin Allabardi (792), Abduwahid Huseyin (843), Eziz Sultan (795), Abdurazaq Huseyin (842), Abduhaliq Eziz (847), Abdughopur Sultan (794), Abdusopur Abdughopur (12336), Abdurahman Memtimin (464), Abdukerim Mamut (2843), Abdushukur Omer (799)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://twitter.com/magfire_emin/status/1342169767336153091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2021-01-17 Last updated: 2021-08-19 Latest status update: 2020-12-24 2945. Tabys Toqtarbek
Chinese ID: 65432419????????O? (Kaba)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek, a Kazakhstan citizen originally from Tokkuztara County. He is one of the key volunteers at the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Tabiz Toqtarbek is in his forties
Address: Akshi town (阿克齐镇), Habahe county, Altai prefecture
Victim's location
[unclear, as sentenced]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Sent to a concentration camp in March 2018
Testimony 2: spring 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention praying
Victim's status
Testimony 1: Sentenced to 12 years in December 2018
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3yLwwuRrXw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAaVByskGbQ
Entry created: 2019-03-05 Last updated: 2019-12-14 Latest status update: 2019-12-30 2973. Kenesgul Ahmethan
Chinese ID: 65????19780820??E? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: concentration camp When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Razia Malikbai, born on April 9, 1949, is now a Kazakhstan citizen.
Victim's relation to testifier daughter
About the victim
Kenesgul Ahmethan, born on August 20, 1978, is a Chinese citizen. She had been living in Kazakhstan since 2016 and went to China in May 2017 to visit her relatives there.
Victim's location not stated
When victim was detained
May 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status in a re-education camp
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated Additional information
---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iupgqM_9IlM
Entry created: 2019-03-09 Last updated: 2019-03-09 Latest status update: 2019-03-03 2974. Sayat Zakaria (沙牙提·扎卡里牙)
Chinese ID: 654224199108011615 (Toli)
Basic info
Age: 27 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Qaster Abishtai, born in 1980, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
About the victim
Sayat Zakaria has two underage children. He was put into a re-education camp on December 4, 2017.
Address: House No. 4, Quzhyrtai Village, Dolati Township, Toli County, Xinjiang (新疆托里县多拉特乡乎吉尔台村4号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
December 4, 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status sentenced to 14 years in prison on August 17, 2018 for no reason
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information ---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NokN4jz35Q Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/2974_2.png
Entry created: 2019-03-09 Last updated: 2020-08-09 Latest status update: 2019-03-03 3025. Muhtar Tugyr (木哈塔尔·吐户尔)
Chinese ID: 654222197202060219 (Wusu)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Tolegen Tugyr, born in 1962, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
Testimony 3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Muhtar Togur (木哈塔尔*吐户尔), born on February 6, 1972. He graduated from Finance and Trade college in Tacheng city and had been working in the Bureau of finance until his arrest in 2014.
Registered at Wusu city, Urumqi North Road, Huayuan neighbourhood, House No. 10, Entrance 1, Flat No. 201
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Initially arrested in August 2014. Three days after his arrest, he was transferred from a prison in Wusu [likely: detention center] to a different prison [likely: detention center]. He was repeatedly tortured and was forced to confess about crimes he did not commit. He was fed not only pork but animal feed as well. He was once temporarily transferred to a hospital and has lost 50kg of weight since his arrest.
Testimony 1: Sentenced to 8 years in prison in December 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: Practising Islam
Victim's status Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQoVxr_UIe0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr7F2QawgWs Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/3025_2.png
Entry created: 2019-03-12 Last updated: 2020-05-31 Latest status update: 2020-02-11 3111. Balqash Marqub
Chinese ID: 654301198912050013 (Altay)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): phone/computer|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8: Serik Qabylqaq, born in 1979, now lives in Kazakhstan. (uncle)
Testimony 9: Gulpan Esetai, born in 1961, now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (aunt-in-law)
About the victim
Balqash Marqub, born in December 1989, is a Chinese citizen. He was working in Koktogay Airport in Altay region, a job he started in 2015. He has a degree in mining.
Residential address: Altay City
Victim's location
Previously: Allegedly being held in prison in Buyrshyn county of Altay region.
[Now unclear as he has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained earlier: January 12, 2019
Testimony 5: detained in December 2018.
Testimony 6: detained in 2018.
Testimony 8: He was arrested in December 2019 [possibly a mistake] for no reason and was sentenced to 3 years in prison in April 2020.
Testimony 9: He was arrested in 2018 for reading a prohibited book. He was given two-year prison term in 2019. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 4: installing a program on his phone
Testimony 9: reading a prohibited book [unclear if related to program on phone]
Victim's status in detention
Testimony 5: testifier heard that his trial will be held soon (as of December 2019). [presumably in pre-trial detention]
Testimony 8: sentenced to 3 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 3: his mother is in the hospital.
Testimony 7: After the testifier started his appealing, the local authorities have started putting pressure on his sister Qadiba Qabylqaq.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRFGCIilAws Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdQM4ir6Bzs Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zewzaTS4JHA Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_EwrAQrgPA Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY6-RswJSPE Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi6BM6z4xfY Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SzGwHACpd4 Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7zZQAi0Cns Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft6xtu4C5SI
Entry created: 2019-03-20 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2020-10-26 3123. Memetrishat Zunun
Chinese ID: 653101197301070019 (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: other
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Tursun Abdulitip
Victim's relation to testifier acquaintance
About the victim
Metrishat Zunon (Aka: maimaitirexiat zunongrou）,male,Tour guide and French interpreter, Date of birth is 1973.01.07, From Kashgar, his China national Id is 653101197301070019. Married. He first graduated from Xinjiang University,literacy faculty. Later, he learned French in Shenzhen Foreign Languages School. After his graduation, he worked Tour guide and French interpreter in China tourism corporation ,Kashgar branch. In March 16, 2017, he was taken to concentration camp . He was first detained in concentration camp located in former Kashgar agriculture school , then got transfered to the concentration camp located in Kashgar N0.5 Middle school around Yanbulaq area. No other information since Feburary 2018. people got informed that got he sentenced to 13 years prison but what he got charged and or any paper work was not given
Address: Aitiga Grand Bazaar (艾提尕大巴扎) 79, Section A, Second Floor, No. 13, Upper berth.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
16/03/2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
No reasons. but because he is tour guide and french interpreter so him talking to french people or translating for journalist before possibly the reason. Victim's status
In prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? from friends
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials metoouyghur tweet: https://twitter.com/nusret97993333/status/1095501535881191430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2019-06-02 Last updated: 2021-01-22 Latest status update: 2019-02-24 3146. Memeteli Abdureshit (麦麦提艾力·阿布都热西提)
Chinese ID: 653121199003261233 (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (16 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Tursun Abdureshit, now residing outside of China. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Nurmangul Abdureshit, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
Testimony 3|4|5: Nurmangul Abdureshit, originally from Kashgar but now living in the US. (sister)
Testimony 6: Nursiman Abdureshit, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (sister)
Testimony 7: Nursiman Abdureshit, originally from Kashgar but now residing abroad. (sister)
Testimony 8: PRC consulate-embassy staff, a staff member at a People's Republic of China embassy or consulate.
Testimony 9: Nursiman Abdureshit, as reported by SupChina. (sister)
Testimony 10: Nursiman Abdureshit, as reported by Coda Story. (sister)
Testimony 11: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
About the victim
Memet'eli Abdureshit owned a car repair shop with his brother in the Chinese part of Kashgar City, where the two would repair and maintain luxury cars. He had also been helping his father, Abdureshit Tohti, with his business.
He is married and is a father of two.
Address: No. 035, Group No. 6, Shor Village, Saybagh Township, Konasheher County, Kashgar Prefecture (疏附县沙依巴格乡肖尔村6组035号).
Victim's location [Unclear, as he's been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Believed to have been detained in June 2017, as that's when contact was lost. [According to the article in Foreign Policy, their last phone call was on June 18, 2017, when Nurmangul called from Turkey.]
According to the Chinese embassy official in Ankara, Memet'eli was sentenced to 15 years and 11 months in prison on August 20, 2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Having committed a criminal offense and "preparing to commit terrorist activities".
In one interview, Nursiman mentions that he had applied for a passport to go study in Turkey.
Victim's status
Presumably serving his sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The original news presumably came from relatives.
The confirmation of his being sentenced came from the Chinese embassy in Ankara, who presumably have direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xinjiang-08232019110731.html
Testifier's article in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/08/i-was-a-model-uighur-china-took-my-family-anyway/
Coverage in SupChina: https://supchina.com/2020/07/01/the-imprisonment-of-the-model-villagers/
Coda Story coverage: https://www.codastory.com/authoritarian-tech/china-uyghur-migration/
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR100
Official communication(s)
Source: Chinese Mission in Turkey
------
Chinese embassy staff (from Ankara, +90 312 490 06 79): Eh… we… it’s like this… we’re also, actually… We’re very sympathetic towards you, but… we must tell you about the situation. You can also make a petition for your complaint back in the country. You can go back to China to visit the prison. Because, we originally applied for you to see if you could contact (your family from outside) the country, but domestic prisons do not have the conditions to permit overseas phone calls. So, let’s say, especially after the pandemic, you can apply for a visa and come back to China, and visit the prison. This could include appealing against the verdict. So, do you need to know the details of your family’s situation?
Nursiman Abdureshit (Abdureshit Tohti’s daughter): Oh, you mean to say that it’s like I heard? That there’s no one left at home now?
Embassy staff: Yea, that’s about right. It’s like that, according to what we have found out.
Nursiman: How… How is that possible? I… Take my mother, at least – what crime could she have committed? A woman in her fifties…?
Embassy staff: It’s… written clearly in the file that we received. I mean, to be frank… Ours is a country of law, so they must have a reason. It’s written that she was sentenced to a 13-year prison term on December 13, 2017 for the crime of preparing to commit terrorist activities.
Nursiman: Ah? The one sentenced to 13 years was my mother?
Embassy staff: Yes.
Nursiman: December 13, 2017, okay. And my father?
Embassy staff: Your father… He… was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months for the crimes of disturbing social order and preparing to commit terrorist activities. He is in prison now.
Nursiman: What? I’m sorry, my emotional state right now isn’t exactly… Could you please say that again?
Embassy staff: Of course, of course… I understand. I mean, I’m just informing you. I understand very clearly how it must feel. But, there are some things that we simply have to face.
Nursiman: So… My father… Can you tell me again – when did this happen? How long was he sentenced to?
Embassy staff: On December 13, 2017, he was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months for the crimes of disturbing social order and preparing to commit terrorist activities… Yes… And now he is in prison.
Nursiman: And then, my younger brother?
Embassy staff: Your younger brother is Memet’eli? Is that right?
Nursiman: Yes.
Embassy staff: His was on August 20, 2017. He was sentenced to 15 years and 11 months for a criminal offense and for the crime of preparing to commit terrorist activities.
Victims among relatives
Abdureshit Tohti (5399), Tajigul Qadir (5400), Emetjan Abdureshit (5401) Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLiAWnl9_Wg Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad6wbrh1xLA Doha Debates feature: https://twitter.com/DohaDebates/status/1164219492001603584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3146_2.png Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/3146_5.jpg photo with sister: https://shahit.biz/supp/3146_7.jpg official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_3146.png
Entry created: 2019-06-02 Last updated: 2021-09-17 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 3171. Zamanidin Pakzat
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" literature|--- Health status: --- Profession: art & literature
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
About the victim
Zamanidin Pakzat, a poet and instructor at the preschool teachers college.
Testimony 2: he specialized in children's literature.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 7 years at the end of 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: he was among the editors of the Uyghur literature textbooks.
Victim's status
Testimony 2: sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals (Testimony 1), available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/AbduwelA/status/1414000514564509697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/3171_2.jpeg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/3171_3.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-03-22 Last updated: 2021-07-11 Latest status update: 2021-07-10 3254. Kenzhebek Shamerhan
Chinese ID: 654325199002150950 (Chinggil)
Basic info
Age: 28 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Testimony 1-3: Nurzhamal Shamerhan, born in 1984, is now a Kazakhstan citizen.
Victim's relation to testifier
Testimony 1-3: brother
About the victim
Kenzhebek Shamerhan, born on February 15, 1990, is a Chinese citizen.
Address: Qinghe county, Altay region
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
June 23, 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention one testimony says visiting Kazakhstan, another says praying
Victim's status sentenced to 4 years in prison after spending time in camp
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated Additional information
His 60-year-old mother is disabled - her lower limbs are paralyzed. Now she's almost losing her sight crying every day.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcM7wu7HR4 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_qQ_3HvCqo Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-FB1ERVhvs
Entry created: 2019-03-23 Last updated: 2021-02-13 Latest status update: 2018-12-25 3259. Suqrat Tashmemet
Chinese ID: 654101199404221473 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: "Oz Turan", an unverified Facebook account. (relative)
Testimony 2*: Seyyare Ferhat, an Uyghur [presumably] now living abroad. (cousin)
About the victim
Suqrat Tashmemet, a student at the Istanbul Commerce University. He lived in Turkey for almost 3 years before returning to China.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: likely in Ghulja.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Taken to a camp twice in 2018, according to the testifier.
Testimony 2: At the beginning of 2017, he was detained and taken to a "camp", then released after 4 months. A few months later, he was detained again and held until a month ago [as of late August 2019]. The testifier then heard that he was sentenced to 15 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Sentenced to 15 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Testimony 1: Not stated, though it is mentioned that they were in contact until the second detention.
Testimony 2: Through Suhrat's mother.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php%3Ffbid%3D201 6080835107071%26set%3Da.275932845788554%26type%3D3&width=300 Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/3259_2.png
Entry created: 2019-03-24 Last updated: 2019-08-26 Latest status update: 2019-08-20 3313. Toleuhan Qusan (托列吾汗·胡山)
Chinese ID: 652323198601300819 (Kutubi)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): contact with outside world|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|5|6: Maqsat Yrian, born in 1977, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (uncle)
Testimony 2|3: Erzhan Setirbaev, born in 1970, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 4: Maqsat Yrian, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (uncle)
About the victim
Toleuhan Qusan ran a small restaurant before he was detained.
Address: House No. 62, Shibahu Village, Dafeng Municipality, Qutubi County, Xinjiang (新疆呼图壁县大丰镇十八户四村62号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Toleuhan was detained sometime in April-July 2017 while attempting to go to Kazakhstan.
What happened next is not clear. Some testimonies report that he was sentenced to 10 years, with Maqsat Yrian specifying in one testimony that this sentence was given in August 2017. However, Maqsat had earlier reported that the victim had been sent to a factory in inner China at the end of 2019. [It is not clear what the source of the contradiction is.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of possible reasons are given:
1) having gone to Kazakhstan; 2) selling products from Kazakhstan in China; 3) sharing a video about Kazakhstan; 4) listening to a lecture by Serikzhan Bilash.
Victim's status
The latest reports say that he was sentenced to 10 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-11192019064034.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi-Yd99XC9I Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffGV0jK4Yt8 Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF_servP6WE Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba5kWURehN4 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR26PCSeoh8 household registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/3313_4.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/3313_6.png
Entry created: 2019-03-26 Last updated: 2021-03-07 Latest status update: 2021-02-28 3334. Mehmut Hesenjan
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
@Awzar00, an unverified Twitter account. (son)
About the victim
Mahmut Asanjian. He was detained in January, 2018. He was sentenced for more than 10 years prison in April, 2018.
Victim's location unknown
When victim was detained
January, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? unclear
Additional information
Testifier testified for the victim on #metoouyghur movement. Both of testifier's parents are in prison. https://twitter.com/Awzar00/status/1098068291224985600 Supplementary materials original (deleted): https://twitter.com/Awzar00/status/1098068291224985600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2019-03-27 Last updated: 2019-03-27 Latest status update: 2019-02-20 3335. Gulnisa Abliz
Chinese ID: 65????19????????E? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
@Awzar00, an unverified Twitter account. (son)
About the victim
Gulnisa Abliz. She was detained in January, 2018. She was sentenced for more than 10 years in April, 2018. Current situation is unknown.
Victim's location unknown
When victim was detained
January, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? unclear
Additional information
The testifier testified for the victim on #metoouyghur movement. Both parents of the testifier are in prison. https://twitter.com/Awzar00/status/1098068291224985600 Supplementary materials original testimony (deleted): https://twitter.com/Awzar00/status/1098068291224985600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2019-03-27 Last updated: 2019-03-27 Latest status update: 2018-01-01 3344. Aiqyn Maidan
Chinese ID: 654022??????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Gulmahan Koksubai, born in 1982, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2|3: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Aiqyn Maidan, Lived in 7th Company of Bingtuan(Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps) no. 67, Qapqal Xibe autonomous county, Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
February 6, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 3: taking part in "missionary activities"
Victim's status
Testimony 1: serving a jail sentence
Testimony 2: sentenced to 14 years
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? unclear Additional information
The victim and other 20 people were in a classmates reunion, then they all were taken away and sentenced to 13-21 years in prison.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmupOhwnY2c Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvp5d9a53Lg Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH_mVjqH4Ok
Entry created: 2019-03-29 Last updated: 2020-08-07 Latest status update: 2019-01-11 3352. Tuhan Haji
Chinese ID: 65282719681027??E? (Hejing)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2*|3|4|5: Rabigul Hajimuhemmed, an Uyghur now living abroad. (daughter)
About the victim
Tuhan Haji (also: Tuhan Hajimuhemmed).
Place of birth: No. 4 Group, Ulanghazir Village, Qaramodun Municipality, Hejing County, Bayingolin Prefecture.
Victim's location
A camp in Hejing County [although she's been sentenced].
When victim was detained
She was first taken to camp on March 25, 2017. After being missing for almost 5 months, it was learned that she had been sentenced in a closed trial on August 15, 2017 (without a lawyer or family attending), with the court verdict to be released a month later. However, there would then be no news for another year, until she was transferred from the Hejing prison [presumably, detention center] to a camp in Hejing in July 2018.
In November 2018, she was given permission to leave for a day to attend her son's wedding.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
For lending a DVD disc with Hadiths to a neighbor, which was interpreted as "illegally propagating religion".
Victim's status
Sentenced, but reported as being in a camp in Hejing County. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated. The testifier mentions that she hasn't heard from her relatives in almost two years.
Additional information
The victim's mother, Hawahan Abdukerim, passed away in late August 2018, unable to deal with the sorrow of her daughter being detained (the testifier only learned about this in November 2019 from local police).
The victim's husband was held in camp for 2 years, and needed a cane to walk after he was released.
Victims among relatives
Hawahan Abdukerim (10326), Heyithaji Qasim (3351), Yusupjan Heyithaji (3353), Tursunjan Qasim (3354), Memetjan Adil (3355)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1 (removed): https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/rabigvl.hajimuhemmed/po sts/2506815396211757&width=300 Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/UygulHm0801/status/1279077459296694276?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/UygulHm0801/status/1311414891736162311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/Rabigul810/status/1333111369823113224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/3352_2.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3352_4.jpg
Entry created: 2019-03-30 Last updated: 2021-04-03 Latest status update: 2020-12-24 3372. Mehmet Yusup (买海买提·玉素甫)
Chinese ID: 653021199505270214 (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 24 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: "Yarmuhemmed Nur", an unverified Facebook account. (friend)
Testimony 2*: Anonymous, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (friend)
Testimony 3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Mehmet Yusup (Rahman) was born in the town of Azaq in Atush. A skilled dutar player, he was a student of the famous musician Abdurehim Heyt (411).
At the beginning of 2016, he came to Turkey with the goal of studying there. After 6 months of self-study, he took the college entrance exam and was accepted to several places, including Istanbul University and Ankara University, and started pursuing an electrical engineering degree at the Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University (bülent ecevit üniversitesi) in the September of that year.
After a semester, he decided to go back to Xinjiang to visit his family - his 90-year-old grandmother, in particular - and departed for Urumqi after obtaining all the necessary documents from the Chinese embassy in Ankara. However, he was arrested upon landing.
ID address: 207 Osteng Road, Ongruk Village, Azaq Township, Atush City, Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture (新疆阿图什市阿扎克乡翁艾日克村吾斯堂路207号).
Victim's location
In a prison in Maralbeshi County, Kashgar Prefecture.
When victim was detained
He disappeared on January 1, 2017, when he went back to China. In December 2019, the testifier got news that he had been sentenced to 9 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unclear. The testifier states that it could be because Mehmet was Heyt's student.
Victim's status
Serving a 9-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Many people admired his dutar rendition of a musical piece from "Ertugrul", a Turkish TV series (see supplementary materials).
He has been mentioned in the UHRP report at: https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/Detained-and-Disappeared-Intellectuals-Under-Assault-in-the-Uyghur-Homelan d.pdf
Supplementary materials dutar rendition of Turkish melody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F_pT-WW_nc Testimony 1: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/nur.yare.35/videos/71104 5742597821/&show_text=1&width=300 foreign students exam results: https://shahit.biz/supp/3372_3.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/3372_4.jpg plane ticket to Urumqi: https://shahit.biz/supp/3372_5.jpg Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/3372_6.jpg Turkish visa: https://shahit.biz/supp/3372_8.png student enrollment verification: https://shahit.biz/supp/3372_10.png
Entry created: 2019-03-31 Last updated: 2020-06-03 Latest status update: 2019-12-03 3437. Ghulam Yasin
Chinese ID: 65290119????????O? (Aksu)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Tursun Yasin, originally from Aksu but now seeking refuge in Turkey. (brother)
About the victim
Ghulam Yasin (Qari), an imam. His wife Rabiyem was sentenced to 17 years for helping him conduct religious activities. His two children were sentenced to 15 years in each for studying in Egypt.
Address: Aksu city
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Unclear
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Being an imam
Victim's status
First sent to re-education camp, then sentenced to 18 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear
Additional information ---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r13F5Mp4Jbs
Entry created: 2019-04-03 Last updated: 2021-02-16 Latest status update: 2019-03-31 3440. Hezreteli Tursun
Chinese ID: 65300119981022??O? (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 22 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Patigul Qurban, now residing in Finland. (aunt)
About the victim
Hezirteli Tursun, 20 years old (as of March 2019). Went to Egypt for studies but his relatives were pressured to organize for his return just 6 months into his education.
Testimony 2: born on 1998.10.22.
Address: Yaqabagh (亚喀巴克村) village, Sun Tagh township (松他克乡), Artux city, Kizilsu Kyrgyz autonomous prefecture
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: May 2017
Testimony 2: taken to "learn Chinese for 3 months" in March 2017, later heard that he was sentenced to over 7 years
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Studying in Egypt
Victim's status
At first, his passport was confiscated, then he was sentenced to 5 years in prison in May 2017 How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Tursuntash Qurban (3439)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9m07zpsVF4 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlbuQdhCGko
Entry created: 2019-04-03 Last updated: 2021-02-25 Latest status update: 2021-02-01 3471. Hajimomermelike Osman (阿吉吾买尔买克·乌斯曼)
Chinese ID: 650103199505185538 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 26 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|3: Eli Tursun, a resident of Germany. (uncle)
Testimony 2*: Anonymous, as reported by AidET. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Amine Wayit, as reported by Anadolu Agency. (relative)
Testimony 5: Official incarceration notice, which provides the details about a given inmate's upcoming internment.
Testimony 6: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 7: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
About the victim
Hajim'omermelike Osman was born in Saudi Arabia, and would later live in the Netherlands. He returned to China at some point in 2012-2014.
ID address: Apt. 203, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 6, 578 South Peace Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区和平南路578号6号楼2单元203号).
Victim's location
Bingtuan Urumqi Prison.
When victim was detained
Contact with him was lost in October 2018. As was later evidenced by his incarceration notice, he had been detained and sentenced to 10 years in prison, before being transferred to the Bingtuan Urumqi Prison on May 10, 2021. (Multiple police records show him undergoing checks in Urumqi in mid-late 2017 and early 2018 without any issue, with the system marking him as "completely normal" (一切正常) at that time.)
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "separatism".
Victim's status
Serving his sentence in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The incarceration notice is a document that comes directly from the prison where Hajim'omermelike is being held.
Additional information
Mentioned by the Anadolu Agency: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/life/-where-is-my-family-uighurs-dreading-for-relatives-in-china/2119131
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTr6_EqIdXc Testimony 7: https://twitter.com/AbduwelA/status/1430119898445983765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://shahit.biz/supp/3471_2.jpg Testimony 5: https://shahit.biz/supp/3471_3.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/3471_5.png
Entry created: 2019-04-04 Last updated: 2021-08-24 Latest status update: 2021-05-27 3533. Murathan Konke (木拉提汗·克木克)
Chinese ID: 654001197107091110 (Kuytun)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Erbol Muqan, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (nephew)
About the victim
Murathan Konke was born on July 9, 1971.
Address: Kaiganchi Village, Kaiganchi Township, Kuitun city, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
March 8, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention praying, officiating a marriage in a mosque, and performing a ritual circumcision ceremony
Victim's status sentenced to 5 years in prison in October 2018
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Listed as a member of a cooperation: http://archive.is/WvYAM Listed in government subsidy spreadsheets: https://archive.vn/GvRaE https://archive.vn/hVbLZ
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbRTZ5VSmF4 registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/3533_2.png
Entry created: 2019-04-06 Last updated: 2020-09-11 Latest status update: 2018-12-25 3567. Zahirjan Ghopur
Chinese ID: 65300119????????O? (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: deceased Profession: ---
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Testimony 1-2: Ghupur Musa, from Azghan village of Atush city.
Victim's relation to testifier
Testimony 1-2: son
About the victim
Zahirjan Ghupur. He was detained in July, 2013 and sentenced for 8 years in 2014. He died in prison on March 15th, 2018. His body wasn't returned.
Victim's location
---
When victim was detained
July, 2013
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status died in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? unclear Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Shairjan Ghopur (3566), Nurnisa Musa (3568), Memetimin Memeteli (3569), Mehmut Memeteli (3570), Memeteli Semet (4928), Aynur Memeteli (3571), Abdushukur Semet (3572), Weli Semet (3573)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWU1dKEhwgE Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLEaR2eFtgc
Entry created: 2019-04-10 Last updated: 2019-07-05 Latest status update: 2019-01-26 3575. Nurmemet Memetimin (努尔买买提·买买提依明)
Chinese ID: 654101198501160276 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|5: Shahidyam Memanova, born in 1987, is an ethnic Uyghur and a native Kazakhstan citizen. (wife)
Testimony 4: Shahidyam Memanova, as reported by National Public Radio. (wife)
Testimony 6: Shahidyam Memanova, as reported by The Believer. (wife)
About the victim
Nurmemet Memet'imin is from Ghulja City. He got married to Shahidyam in 2009 (first having their marriage in a mosque in Almaty and later registering it in China), with the couple having two children together (Tursunay, born in 2014, and Yusup, born in 2010).
Address: 102 West Xinhua Road, Ghulja City, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁市新华西路102号).
Chinese passport: G24661712.
Victim's location
At a prison in Kunes County.
When victim was detained
Nurmemet was detained on May 5-6, 2018, being called to the police station and then handcuffed. Because he wanted to see his elderly father before being taken away, he was first taken home, where he said goodbye to his wife (the testifier) and children. He had a black bag put over his head.
He was then held at a camp (at a place Shahidyam says sounded like "Zhuliiz", about 15 miles out of Ghulja City), before being sentenced and transferred to prison in May 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention Most likely because he had learned to pray when he was a teenager, as he was questioned about this not long before his detention.
Victim's status
In prison, serving a 17-year sentence.
According to the testifier's in-laws, the victim has lost a lot of weight. They are able to call him from the police station once a month.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Presumably through relatives in the region with regard to his sentence. The initial arrest the testifier witnessed herself.]
Additional information
NPR report: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Eyewitness account
[The following is a first-person account from the victim's wife, Shahidyam Memanova, who was present during the victim's arrest and is now outside China. The original interview was given to The Believer magazine, and reported by Ben Mauk.]
How did we meet? It was in a café in Almaty. March 8 — International Women’s Day! [Laughs] He’d been living in Kazakhstan for a year. We introduced ourselves and exchanged numbers, and later he called me for a date. I was a college student at the time. I studied engineering at the Almaty University of Power Engineering. I’m a thermal engineer by training.
My husband is Uighur, like I am, although he was from China, a foreigner. When we got married, we didn’t bother to register officially in Kazakhstan. We just went to the mosque. The imam there married us.
A year later, we had a son. We were living in Chundzha, near the Chinese border, and I can tell you, there’s no great demand for my specialization out there. I couldn’t find a job. I worked with my husband, importing fruits and vegetables from China and selling them, wholesale and retail, in Kazakhstan. But business was bad. Then, in 2013, I got pregnant again. We decided to try our luck in China.
For the next four years, we lived mostly in Urumqi. Then we moved to Ghulja, in the city, where his family lived. We already knew about the camps. We knew about the arrests. We had lived for a month in Kashgar in 2016, fixing up a house my husband’s family owned, to rent it out. When we got to Kashgar, we were shocked. They were stopping cars at every corner, checking our phones, coming into our homes to count the number of people inside. We couldn’t believe some of the rumors we heard. People getting detained for having photos of Turkish movie stars on their phones, new mothers separated from their babies and forced to work in factories like slaves.
Things kept getting worse after we moved to Ghulja. Teachers at my son’s school would stop by our house to warn us not to pray in front of him. It turned out officials were interrogating children alone at school, asking whether their parents prayed. Praying itself became grounds for detention. I had to stop wearing a headscarf, of course. Even old women had to go bareheaded. I took it off and — as you can see — I’m not wearing it now.
In Ghulja, every Monday, every resident of our district was required to come to the district office, raise the Chinese flag, and sing the national anthem. They would take attendance at this meeting, so you had to go. Sometimes there were announcements. One Monday morning, they told us we were now forbidden to own Korans at home, or any book with Arabic script. So I went home and burned our Koran.
We were living in fear. Everyone was afraid of the police. If someone knocked on the door, we were frightened. People wouldn’t greet one another in the street anymore. What if their relatives had already been taken to a camp? How could you know who was safe to talk to and who would get you in trouble? It might then be asked of you: How do you know this person?
The local police liked to say that they were watching us through their satellite system. We know what you’re up to in your kitchens, they said. We know everything. We had a friend at the time. A police officer told him that special equipment was installed that allowed them to see right through walls into a house, and that nothing could be concealed. Who knows what’s true anymore? So we were burning everything at night — Korans, prayer rugs, traditional clothing. We burned them at night because we were afraid the satellites could see us during the day.
As a foreigner, of course, I was interested in politics, in the news, but we had to destroy our phones. We were too afraid. I was afraid they would see what websites I visited. I’d already deleted all the foreign apps on our phone, even the little games my children liked. Then we got rid of our phones altogether. I was imagining what the police would say: Why do you let your children surf the web and download apps from foreign sites? My children liked one particular game about a cat called "My Talking Tom". It was harmless. But even a children’s game could be used as a reason to send someone to a camp.
It was completely unpredictable. Take my nephew, for example. My nephew has a friend who never knew his father. The father had left for Afghanistan when he was still in the womb. He never saw him. Years later, the father called from Afghanistan. The son called his mother, the mother called my nephew — a long chain of phone calls. The police traced the calls and took every single person to the camps, even my nephew. Because of this, because of a phone call, my nephew spent a year in a camp. When he got out, he was a different person.
On May 1, 2018, my husband got a phone call. An official was on the other end. "Are you home?" the official asked. "Please stay there. We have to ask you some questions." A few officers showed up, not in uniform — in plainclothes. They came into our house and sat down with my husband. They wanted to know about his childhood. For a time, when he was fourteen, he had studied the Koran with a neighbor. They knew about it. So, they said, it appears that when you were young you studied the Koran. My husband admitted he had, but said he was underage. The officials conferred with one another. Then we’ll have to detain your parents, they said. No, he said. In that case, I was sixteen at the time. The truth is, he hadn’t studied the Koran at an official school. There was just an old guy around his village, a teacher who knew the Koran. Teenagers would go in a group to study at his house. My husband went for a while. They accepted this and left. Somehow we believed that was the end of it.
Four days later, on May 5, they took him. That day, the police called my husband again and asked him to come to the nearest police booth. On every street corner of the city in Ghulja, there is a police booth. He left home with his brothers. At the booth, the officer was already expecting him. When my husband approached, he was asked: Are you Nurmamet Mamentimin? As soon as my husband handed over his ID card, he was handcuffed. His brothers watched the whole thing happen. My husband realized he was being sent to a camp. He pleaded with them. "My father," he said. "My father, he’s in a wheelchair. He’s disabled. Can I say goodbye to my father?"
They drove him back to our house. It was a large house. We were all living there together: my brothers-in-law, their families, and my husband’s father. That’s where I saw him for the last time. We had time to say goodbye. I remember the handcuffs. These weren’t tiny bracelets. They were huge. You couldn’t miss them. My children saw their father in handcuffs. They were surprised. My son was old enough to wonder: "Is my father a criminal?"
We gave him some warm clothes. We already knew it was very cold in the camps. We had heard that it was cold. Outside the house, next to the police car, we said goodbye. We were crying. Then they put a black hood over his head and guided him into the car. We were standing right there, his whole family. Neighbors could see us — everyone could see as they put the hood on. I think they wanted everyone to see.
So they took him away, all because twenty years ago, when he was fourteen years old, he had studied the Koran with some other teenagers at an old man’s house. By asking around, we found out that the police have detained all of these teenagers, or former teenagers — everyone who studied there.
They told us they were taking him to a camp — "Zhuliiz" is what the name sounded like to me. It’s about fifteen miles from Ghulja. But we never saw him there, and I haven’t had any contact with him in a year. The camp wasn’t far, but none of us dared to visit. One local policeman who took pity on us would come to our house just to tell us he was all right. Don’t worry, he told us. He’s doing fine.
A month after my husband was arrested, I went back to Kazakhstan with our children because our visa was expiring. I wanted to extend my visa in China because my son was going to a Chinese school and I wanted to be near my husband. But when I got to Kazakhstan, I was told that such visas are no longer issued, and that children need a permit from their Chinese-born parent. And this parent — his father — was in a reeducation camp.
After I came back to Kazakhstan, my husband was permitted to call his mother. He said he wasn’t in the camp any longer. Now I’m in a prison, he told her. They had transferred eight thousand people overnight from the camp to a prison in Kunes, forty miles away. They numbered every person, so my husband was able to find out how many there were in total. His own number was six thousand and something. As far as I know, there wasn’t any trial or any sentence.
I began to speak about his case only recently, just a week ago. Before that, I didn’t complain, because his parents warned me not to. But now my in-laws have approved my efforts. We’re planning to file complaints. We can’t speak directly about his case, but I tell them that I’m collecting documents for my son. I use my son as a way of talking about my husband. When I say “son,” they understand that I mean “husband.”
My son, my real son, has become aggressive. He was eight when his father was taken. My daughter is still young; she doesn’t understand what happened. She just asks when he’s coming home. My son took it harder. But they both know he’s gone. They’re traumatized. They both saw it happen.
Two months ago, in March, I got a tourist visa. It was a three-day visa for a group tour, the only way you can get a visa to enter Xinjiang anymore. I was planning to break away from the group to go to my in-laws’ house. I needed money. I don’t have enough to feed my children. My specialization is not in demand in Chunja, and to go to Almaty for work I would have to leave them. So I called my husband’s parents and said I was coming. The next day I got a call from my mother-in-law. It was very early in the morning. The weather has changed, she said. It’s not worth coming after all. You’ll get rained on.
Source: https://believermag.com/weather-reports-voices-from-xinjiang/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFBfICX1fqY Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAtzfs_pvxM Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWS4-bfEQl8 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPNZfbo5fpI Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/3575_4.png Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/3575_5.png
Entry created: 2019-04-11 Last updated: 2020-04-15 Latest status update: 2020-01-07 3684. Adil Yaqup (阿地里·亚库甫)
Chinese ID: 650102197511114036 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: --- When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"taking bribes" Health status: --- Profession: security/police
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Gulshen Haji, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (wife)
Testimony 3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 4: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Adil Yaqup was a relatively high-ranking member of Urumqi's public security organs, starting to work for them in 1996. Since then, he held positions at various pre-trial detention centers in the city, such as the deputy superintendent position at the No. 3 (Liudaowan) detention center and a political instructor position in the third group of the No. 1 detention center in the Midong District. His wife mentions that he worked at the No. 2 (Xishan) detention center as well.
In his list of prominent detained Uyghurs, Abduweli Ayup also notes that Adil was a poet.
ID address [errors possible, given redaction]: Apt. 202, Entrance No. 1, Building No. 1, 9 Swallow Nest Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区燕儿窝路9号[remainder redacted in image]).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi.]
When victim was detained
He was "retained" [留置: a special form of extralegal detention when investigating cadres and other government workers] on March 29, 2018, and formally arrested on May 5, 2018. The indictment against him was filed on August 20, 2018, with the court session (allegedly open) held on September 5, 2018. On October 26, 2018, the court sentenced him to 8 months in prison (from March 29, 2018 to November 28, 2018) and a 100000RMB fine. He was held at the Autonomous Region Detention Center at the time of the hearing [and presumably served out his sentence there, as there was only a month left by the time he was sentenced].
According to his wife, he was only released on April 7, 2019, however. Promptly fired from his job, he was allegedly allowed to remain at home in Urumqi on the condition that he not leave the city. However, he would disappear again on January 27, 2020.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was originally arrested, investigated, and sentenced for "accepting bribes" (for alleged special treatment he granted certain detainees in exchange for money and gifts from their relatives).
Victim's status
Missing.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Adil's wife, Gulshen, was in touch with him following his release.
The court verdict describing his original detention and sentencing is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghur-saqchi-04152020174714.html
Adil is also included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Link to the original court verdict: https://archive.is/GMp3t
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_42.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_42.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=42
Supplementary materials
Chinese ID (redacted): https://shahit.biz/supp/3684_1.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-04-22 Last updated: 2021-05-12 Latest status update: 2020-04-16 3685. Ehtem Omer (艾合坦木·吾麦尔)
Chinese ID: 6531271962??????O? (Mekit)
Basic info
Age: 58-59 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|"separatism", related to religion, "illegal gathering" Health status: --- Profession: art & literature
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
Testimony 2: @Uyghurspeaker, an unverified Twitter account. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Ehtem Omer, a writer and an employee at state-owned XUAR filmmaking company (Testimony 3: Tianshan Film Studio and Circus Troupe).
Testimony 3: He is the author of the book "Child of the Eagle", which was censored in summer 2020.
RFA report: He is originally from Tumental township in Makit county.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: March 2017
Testimony 3: Initially arrested on 12 March 2017 in Makit County, Kashgar. Sentenced in Urumqi in late 2018.
Testimony 4: sentenced to 20 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: his nephew studied in Egypt.
Testimony 3: sentenced for "separatism". The main reasons were that he sent Iskender Omer (his nephew) to study in Egypt, and sent him money.
Testimony 4: targeted for "illegal gatherings and illegal religious activities".
Victim's status
Testimony 3-4: sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-3: Not stated.
Testimony 4: this is someone in the local police organs and would presumably have relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals (Testimony 1), available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
His China Writers Association profile: https://archive.ph/en4RQ
RFA coverage (Testimony 3-4): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/author-04232021205321.html
His Baidu Baike: https://archive.is/bQg1z
Local media mention: https://archive.is/RFrNQ
Victims among relatives
Enwer Omer (15252), Iskender Omer (15253)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/Uyghurspeaker/status/1117039850622943232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3685_2.jpg paper about his work: https://shahit.biz/supp/3685_3.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-22 Last updated: 2021-06-09 Latest status update: 2021-04-23 3698. Beken Amirden
Chinese ID: 654022??????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Beken Amirden
Address: Chabuchaer Xibo Autonomous county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained not stated
Likely (or given) reason for detention was among a large group who were all sentenced or sent to camp for attending a birthday party (other testimonies say that this was related to / interpreted as "missionary activites")
Victim's status sentenced to four years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information ---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvp5d9a53Lg
Entry created: 2019-04-23 Last updated: 2020-08-09 Latest status update: 2019-01-11 3812. Zhao Shuyuan (赵淑媛)
Chinese ID: 6502??19????????E? (Karamay)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): challenging authority|"heterodox groups" Health status: deceased Profession: engineer
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2|3|4: Minghui (明慧), a website that reports on Falun Gong issues.
Testimony 5: Anonymous, as reported by Minghui (明慧). (detained together)
About the victim
Zhao Shuyuan was an engineer at the Karamay Petroleum Bureau and a Falun Gong practitioner.
Victim's location
She died at a hospital in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
She had previously been given a long prison sentence in 2002-2003 for her Falun Gong activities (the specifics differ, with Minghui saying that she was given a 9-year sentence in 2002, and the official court document from 2017 saying that it was a 5-year sentence given in 2003). While serving her sentence at the Xinjiang Women's Prison, she reportedly went on a hunger strike for over three years, which resulted in her being force-fed on multiple occasions (one former cellmate gives an account of such a session - see the "Additional information" section).
Following her release, she would again be arrested on two occasions and taken in for administrative detention (according to the official court document).
Her most recent arrest, and the one that led to her death, took place in November 2015. Two police officers initially came to her house and took pictures of her on November 3, before her house being raided and her being detained two days later, to be held at the Karamay City Detention Center. By early December 2015, her case was submitted to the Karamay City Procuratorate, before being transferred to the court district on December 24. The trial was originally scheduled for January 18, 2016, and the victim's Chongqing-based lawyer - Tang Tianhao - flew to Karamay on January 15 to review the court documents. However, he was told that he would not have access to all the documents as this case was related to the Falun Gong, and could only copy excerpts by hand. He also requested that witnesses mentioned in the documents be invited for cross-examination, but had this request rejected, on the grounds that he should have asked earlier.
The trial would eventually be held on February 17, 2016, but without the lawyer's presence. While the court document claims that he had been notified and had himself agreed with the victim's family that he would not be appearing to defend her, both Minghui and the victim's son claim that this was not the case, and that he was simply not notified.
On March 7, 2016, the victim was formally sentenced to 5 years in prison and, after two more months in custody, was transferred to the Xinjiang Women's Prison on May 3.
On May 10, 2016, the victim was taken for a required medical check-up and told that she was in good health. However, when her two lawyers met with her on May 31, they were shocked by how much weight she had lost and filed for medical parole, but had this request rejected. On June 23, 2016, the victim's son and the lawyers submitted a written request for medical parole but were again rejected.
The victim lost consciousness on June 26, 2016, being rushed to the Xinjiang Medical University No. 5 Affiliated Hospital. After regaining consciousness a few hours later, she was immediately taken back to prison despite the doctors' warning that her condition could deteriorate without inpatient care. A similar chain of events took place on July 12, with the victim passing out, being rushed to the Xinjiang Air Force Hospital, but then being taken back a few hours later after she regained consciousness.
On July 19, she lost consciousness for a third time, waking up a few hours later but then slipping into a coma. The doctors at the Xinjiang Medical University No. 5 Affiliated Hospital issued a critical-condition notice at 6:00 p.m., but the prison insisted that she'd be taken back, citing a lack of funds. Eventually, the prison officials gave in to her family's pleas to have her remain in the hospital, but it was too late and on July 22 she passed away.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Minghui has reported that she was initially jailed for writing a legal complaint against Jiang Zemin for the state-led persecution of the Falun Gong. The official court document notes that she was jailed for using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. [However, the document also makes it clear that her major "criminal" actions consisted in criticizing the Communist Party and promoting the Falun Gong.]
Her later detentions and imprisonment appear to have been carried out on the same grounds.
Victim's status
Deceased.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not completely clear where Minghui obtained the details regarding her case, but the anonymous correspondent writing about her case was said to be in Xinjiang. One account provided by Minghui came from someone who was allegedly detained together with the victim during her earlier prison sentence. The court document comes from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
The rejection of her son's appeal to have the prison authorities be held accountable and to have the case retried: http://archive.ph/elcSK
Minghui coverage of the recent detention: https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2016/8/18/158318.html https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2016/4/3/156144.html https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2015/12/4/153949.html
Earlier reports (before 2010) mentioning her earlier imprisonment: https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2004/12/27/55989.html https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2004/12/24/55880.html https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2010/12/24/122092.html
---
The eyewitness account from an inmate who assisted in force-feeding the victim at the prison:
"I was admitted to Xinjiang Women's Prison in January 2007 and was detained in the “disciplinary unit.” I saw a Falun Gong practitioner who was tied to a bed all day and all night. Her name was Ms. Zhao Shuyuan. She had been shackled there for three to four years and had been on hunger strike.
One afternoon, ten of us were ordered to force-feed Ms. Zhao Shuyuan, led by Li Aihua.
Li Aihua prepared a 70-ml tube and a long rectangular rubber belt made from a bicycle tire, with a hole in the middle that she could poke the tube in.
We pushed Ms. Zhao down to a bench right next to the headboard of the bed. She was half lying down. Her head was on the bed rail. One person sat on a stool on the bed, holding Zhao’s head in between her legs to prevent her from moving. In the meantime, this inmate also held her nose and covered her mouth. Ms. Zhao’s arms were handcuffed to the bed rails. Two inmates held her arms. Another two inmates covered her mouth with the rubber belt. Another person sat on her legs. One inmate pressed down on her feet. There was no way for her to move.
Li Aihua used the tube and injected food into Ms. Zhao’s mouth. Several of Ms. Zhao’s front teeth were wrenched out (Li Aihua told us that she was responsible), so food still could go into her mouth. I saw that she was still trying to spit out the food.
Ms. Zhao’s nose was held tightly and mouth was covered by the rubber belt. Several times, I saw that she had almost suffocated and passed out.
After each forced-feeding, Ms. Zhao was so exhausted that she could not sit up.
We were afraid of her suffocating to death, so some inmates asked the guards about it. The head of the prison ward with the last name of Li told us, “It was approved by management of the prison. Even if she dies, it has nothing to do with you.” I was surprised by how cruel they were."
--- Names of prison staff charged with mistreating her in detention:
1) Ma Ling, the No. 4 district deputy warden (force-feeding the victim, hiding torture, performing torture). 2) Li Peixin, the No. 9 district warden (ordering inmates to force-feed the victim, hiding torture, encouraging torture, performing torture).
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_34.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_34.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=34
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3812_1.jpg
Entry created: 2020-05-09 Last updated: 2020-08-23 Latest status update: 2017-08-03 3824. Urayim Ahun
Chinese ID: 65312119????????O? (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|--- Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Urayim Axun, a farmer. He was first sent to a re-education camp and then sentenced to jail.
Address: Konasheher (Shufu) county, Kashgar prefecture
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Unknown date in 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
His wife's wearing of long clothing and headscarf
Victim's status
Sentenced to 6 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
-
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/kishilik-hoquq/igisiz-bala-11142017160950.html
Entry created: 2019-04-25 Last updated: 2020-08-09 Latest status update: 2019-04-25 3832. Ma Huichao
Chinese ID: ??????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: --- Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"disturbing public order", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by China Aid. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
About the victim
Ma Huichao (马慧超 ), 44 years old, a Christian.
Address: Huocheng county, Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Horgas county detention center.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: September 1, 2016
Testimony 2: Official arrest warrant on the charges was issued on September 27, 2016. Court sentence was announced on December 31 the same year.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Gathering a crowd to disturb social order“. The court found that Ma had “severely affected and disturbed local religious management order” by holding Bible study gatherings in her home in 2015-2016, without securing approval from local religious management officials. Local Christians reported that Ma was not preaching in the Bible study sessions, nor were they large gatherings. Ma decided not to appeal her sentence.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 3 years in prison How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-2: not stated.
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
China Aid report (Testimony 1): https://www.chinaaid.org/2017/01/xinjiang-woman-receives-three-year.html
Entry in Rights Protection Network list (Testimony 2): https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/08/201983147-1040_48.html
Entry created: 2019-04-25 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2017-01-01 3833. Tian Weiguo (田卫国)
Chinese ID: 650104196505312552 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"inciting ethnic hatred", "spreading lies", "endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Tian Weiguo was a freelancer who took an interest in political/rights issues.
Address: Kuytun City, Ili Prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
According to the court verdict, he was initially detained by the police on July 22, 2015. On March 24, 2016, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was sentenced for "inciting ethnic hatred", with the verdict stating that Tian used VPN software to get on Google and Twitter and "spread 3 pieces of false information" about the violent clashes that took place in Yarkand County in July 2014. Tian defended his actions by arguing that he sought to gather more information about the clashes in order to verify publicly reported details, but the court rejected his reasoning.
He is also included in a 2017 "WASFRY" police list [presumably short for 危安释放人员, or "endangering-security released persons"]. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
His status as an "endangering-security released person" comes directly from a police database.
Additional information
Verdict originally posted on: http://blog.feichangdao.com/2017/03/court-cites-gfw-circumvention-software.html
He was one of the 1700 signatories to an open letter criticizing Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign: https://archive.ph/F2POy#selection-5621.6-5621.61
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_44.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_44.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=44
Entry created: 2019-04-25 Last updated: 2021-07-17 Latest status update: 2016-03-24 3842. Eziz Emet
Chinese ID: 65290119????????O? (Aksu)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous letter, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Mamut Awut, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3: Ayshigul, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Eziz Emet, an imam, 47 years old at time of arrest.
Address: Peyshenbe Bazar Village, Aykol Municipality, Aksu prefecture [Testimony 1 says this is the No. 17 village, which would be Aqtiken - "Peyshenbe Bazar" is not officially listed in Aykol]
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Detained in May 1, 2015. Sentenced to 9 years in prison in September 2015.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"teaching religion illegally": he taught some teenagers how to read the Quran and some Quranic verses for praying (Testimony 2).
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official local police source, who took part in the arrests.
Testimony 3: she attended some of the trials in this case.
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/uyghur-imam-farmers-sentenced-for-illegally-practicing-religio n-in-chinas-xinjiang-03162016112010.html/ https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/qanun/aykol-zerbe-03072016153839.html
Entry created: 2019-04-26 Last updated: 2021-01-31 Latest status update: 2016-03-16 3849. Liu Yan
Chinese ID: 65230119????????E? (Changji)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion, "disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Victim's name is included in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database
Victim's relation to testifier
-
About the victim
Liu Yan (刘燕), 39 years old, a Protestant businesswoman.
Address: Changji city, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
March 5, 2016
Likely (or given) reason for detention gathering a crowd in February and March 2016 to engage in "illegal religious meetings" and "illegal preaching and scripture interpretation" that "severely disturbed social order"
Victim's status
Sentenced to 3 years in prison on April 18, 2017
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? -
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-26 Last updated: 2021-02-23 Latest status update: 2019-04-26 3850. Huseyinjan Jelil (玉山江·吉力力)
Chinese ID: 65312919690301??O? (Peyziwat)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism", "terrorism", revealing "state secrets" Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
Testimony 2: Anonymous, as reported by Human Rights Watch. (relative)
Testimony 3: Anonymous, as reported by CTV Television Network. (mother)
Testimony 4: He Yafei, as reported by CTV Television Network.
Testimony 5|6: Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada.
Testimony 7: Kamila Telendibaeva, as reported by The Star. (wife)
Testimony 8: Xinhua News Agency, as reported by Globe and Mail.
Testimony 9: Alex Neve, as reported by Globe and Mail.
Testimony 10: Kamila Telendibaeva, as reported by National Post. (wife)
About the victim
Huseyinjan Jelil (often reported as "Huseyincan Celil") was an imam from Kashgar. In October 2001, he moved to Canada and later obtained Canadian citizenship. He is a father of four.
Victim's location
The Xinjiang No. 1 Prison in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
Huseyinjan was initially arrested on March 27, 2006 by the authorities in Uzbekistan, where he and his wife were visiting family. They claimed that he was actually Guler Dilaver, a man placed on Interpol watchlists by Kyrgyzstan on terrorism charges.
Over the next 2-3 months, Huseyinjan would meet with Canadian officials in the region a total of three times, but this appeared to produce little effect, as he is believed to have been extradited to China on or around June 22 (2006), where he was wanted on "terrorism" charges.
His trial began on February 2, 2007, in Urumqi, with Canadian officials staying in the city for the duration of the trial but not being allowed to attend. On April 19, the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court sentenced him to life for "terrorism" and trying to "split the country". He appealed, but had the appeal dismissed on July 10 after a 40-minute hearing.
(According to his mother, Huseyinjan had been threatened into signing a confession, which then led to the closed trial during which he was sentenced to life for "leaking state secrets".)
On February 1, 2016, the court adjusted his sentence to between 19 years and 6 months and 20 years (starting from the judgment date).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Reports say that the life sentence was given for "terrorism" and trying to "split the country", although the victim's mother also mentions "leaking state secrets" as a charge.
Speaking to Western media, Chinese diplomat He Yafei said that Huseyinjan was suspected of being involved in terrorist activities (being "a key member of a terrorist organization called Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement").
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
His relatives used to be able to visit him twice a year, but these visits stopped in 2016.
He has not once been allowed consular access while in detention, despite requests from Canadian foreign ministers.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Some of his relatives attended the trial and spoke to media about it. Canadian officials were also closely involved.
The news about his sentence being commuted was published by Chinese state media, which presumably has direct access to such information.
Additional information
He is listed in a number of reports: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf https://www.hrichina.org/sites/default/files/PDFs/CRF.4.2006/CRF-2006-4_Custody.pdf https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WUC-Refugee-Report-Updated-June-20 17.pdf https://www.hrw.org/news/2010/01/28/china-account-uighur-refugees-forcibly-repatriated-china
Media coverage of the case: https://www.ctvnews.ca/family-claims-huseyin-celil-tortured-in-china-1.228305 https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/chinas-disregard-for-the-rule-of-law-strikes-too-close-to-home/ https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2009/08/23/how_amateurhour_diplomacy_took_away_dad.html https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/liberals-have-to-do-more-to-free-my-husband-after-14-years-in-pr ison-says-wife-of-jailed-huseyin-celil https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/2892308-celil-writes-home/
Amnesty International's statement: https://www.amnesty.ca/our-work/individuals-at-risk/huseyin-celil
Amnesty International action: https://takeaction.amnesty.ca/page/35381/action/1
The Globe and Mail has also covered this case extensively: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/timeline-the-celil-affair/article4171399/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/as-ottawa-fumbled-husseyin-celil-languished-in-chinas-c ourt-system/article4171496/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/china-reduces-sentence-for-canadian-long-imprisoned-on -terror-charges/article28531193/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-leak-of-china-documents-raises-questions-about-impris oned-canadian/
A blog site with comprehensive coverage of the case (stops at 2008): http://celilnews.blogspot.com/
State-media coverage of sentence reduction: https://archive.vn/pUxoN https://archive.vn/d8xcO
His "repentance letter" published in state media: https://archive.vn/vjUHE
His Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huseyincan_Celil
Letter from detention
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/letori_5.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/lettran_5.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/letview.php?no=5
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3850_1.png
Entry created: 2019-04-26 Last updated: 2020-12-18 Latest status update: 2020-07-02 3853. Jia Zhiyuan (贾志远)
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4: Minghui (明慧), a website that reports on Falun Gong issues.
About the victim
Jia Zhiyuan (贾志远), around 60 years old (as of 2015), is a Falun Gong practitioner. He and his wife used to work in Karamay.
Victim's location
Testimony 4: Urumqi No. 5 Prison.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Mr. Jia Zhiyuan was arrested by officers from the Qitai County Domestic Security Division and officials from the Urumqi Community in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture on May 9, 2015. The officers confiscated Falun Dafa books, a computer, materials downloaded from the Minghui website and a copy machine. Mr. Jia is detained in Changji City.
CECC: His trial began on November 25, 2015
Testimony 2: sentenced to four and a half years in prison by the Qitai County Court in 2016. He appealed.
Testimony 4: Arrested on May 9, 2015 and kept in a detention center in Qitai County, before being sentenced to 4.5 years on March 1, 2016. He appealed, but the decision was upheld on June 16, 2016, with the victim transferred to the Urumqi No. 5 Prison to serve his sentence.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status Sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison on April 11, 2016. He appealed against the conviction.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
-
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry in HRWF database: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6ba45afc9eb177bc1cc0f/
Minghui reporting: http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2015/6/1/150853.html (Testimony 1) http://www.en.minghui.org/html/articles/2016/4/24/156404p.html (Testimony 2) https://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2015/6/8/二零一五年六月八日大陆综合消息-310564.html#15672247 29-4 (Testimony 3) https://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2016/7/31/二零一六年七月三十一日大陆综合消息-332181.html#167 30232811-13 (Testimony 4)
A person with this name owns a company in Changji (unclear if same person): http://archive.is/owMTE
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2020-07-15 Latest status update: 2016-07-31 3854. Zhang Mengsheng
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Victim's name is included in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database
Victim's relation to testifier
-
About the victim
Zhang Mengsheng (张梦生), a farmer and a Falung Gong practicioner in his 60s. Along with 5 other Falun Gong detainees, the victim was held in Wusu PSB detention center. The families of the detainees hired four lawyers to defend them.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Between March 20 and July 22, 2015
Likely (or given) reason for detention
CL. Art 300: "organization and utilization of superstitious sects, secret societies and evil religious organizations"
Victim's status
Sentenced to 6 years in prison in late March 2016. He might have appealed the verdict.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? -
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-02-23 Latest status update: 2016-04-30 3855. Feng Zhengjian
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Victim's name is included in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database
Victim's relation to testifier
-
About the victim
Feng Zhengjian (冯正建), a farmer and a Falung Gong practicioner in his 70s. Along with 5 other Falun Gong detainees, the victim was held in Wusu PSB detention center. The families of the detainees hired four lawyers to defend them.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Between March 20 and July 22, 2015
Likely (or given) reason for detention
CL. Art 300: "organization and utilization of superstitious sects, secret societies and evil religious organizations"
Victim's status
Sentenced to 5 years in prison in late March 2016. He might have appealed the verdict.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? -
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-02-23 Latest status update: 2016-04-30 3856. Li Hongfu
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Victim's name is included in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database
Victim's relation to testifier
-
About the victim
Li Hongfu (李洪福), a farmer and a Falung Gong practicioner in his 70s. Along with 5 other Falun Gong detainees, the victim was held in Wusu PSB detention center. The families of the detainees hired four lawyers to defend them.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Between March 20 and July 22, 2015
Likely (or given) reason for detention
CL. Art 300: "organization and utilization of superstitious sects, secret societies and evil religious organizations"
Victim's status
Sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison in late March 2016. He might have appealed the verdict.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? -
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-02-23 Latest status update: 2016-04-30 3857. Xiao Naixiang
Chinese ID: 65????19????????E? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Victim's name is included in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database
Victim's relation to testifier
-
About the victim
Xiao Naixiang (肖奶香), a farmer and a Falun Gong practicioner in her 60s. Along with 5 other Falun Gong detainees, the victim was held in Wusu PSB detention center. The families of the detainees hired four lawyers to defend them. She was reportedly tortured by the police officials during detention.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
March 26, 2015
Likely (or given) reason for detention
CL. Art 300: "organization and utilization of superstitious sects, secret societies and evil religious organizations"
Victim's status
Sentenced to 4 years in prison in late March 2016. She might have appealed the verdict.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? -
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-02-23 Latest status update: 2016-04-30 3858. Li Fengli
Chinese ID: 65????19????????E? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Victim's name is included in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database
Victim's relation to testifier
-
About the victim
Li Fengli, a farmer and a Falung Gong practicioner. Along with 5 other Falun Gong detainees, the victim was held in Wusu PSB detention center. The families of the detainees hired four lawyers to defend them.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
March 26, 2015
Likely (or given) reason for detention
CL. Art 300: "organization and utilization of superstitious sects, secret societies and evil religious organizations"
Victim's status
Sentenced to 2 years in prison in late March 2016. She reportedly appealed the verdict.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? -
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-02-23 Latest status update: 2016-04-30 3859. Zhang Guiying
Chinese ID: 65????19????????E? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Victim's name is included in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database
Victim's relation to testifier
-
About the victim
Zhang Guiying, a farmer and a Falung Gong practicioner in her 60s. Along with 5 other Falun Gong detainees, the victim was held in Wusu PSB detention center. The families of the detainees hired four lawyers to defend them.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Between March 20 and July 22, 2015
Likely (or given) reason for detention
CL. Art 300: "organization and utilization of superstitious sects, secret societies and evil religious organizations"
Victim's status
Sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison in late March 2016. She might have appealed the verdict
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? -
Additional information https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-02-23 Latest status update: 2016-04-30 3861. Wang Fugui (王伏贵)
Chinese ID: ??????19630214??O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Minghui (明慧), a website that reports on Falun Gong issues.
Testimony 3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Fugui (王富贵), resident of Zhongning county, Zhongwei municipality, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. He travelled to Kizilsu with his wife Hu Julian to visit their son in late December, 2014.
Testimony 3: his court verdict reports that he is from Akto County (新疆维吾尔自治区阿克陶县人) [given the sentence length, sentence time, and the Akto People's Court being the sentencing body, it is almost certain that this is same person, and the so the source of the discrepancy is not clear - whether it is Minghui who incorrectly reported his origin, or the Xinjiang court system that simplified it]
Victim's location
Xinjiang No. 5 prison.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1-2: Detained on January 3, 2015. Sentenced in July-August 2015.
Testimony 3: The People's Court of Aktau County, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region issued a (2015) Initial No. 48 Criminal Judgment on June 9, 2015, sentencing the victim to four years in prison.
On April 13, 2018, his sentence was reduced by 6 months.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1-2: While they were in Aketao, Wang and Hu allegedly wrote “information about Falun Gong,” including about Hu’s “miraculous” recovery from a ruptured spinal disc and about the persecution of Falun Gong, on paper currency which they subsequently put into circulation. Testimony 3: "using heterodox groups to undermine the rule of law"
Victim's status
In July or August, 2015, the Aketao County People’s Court reportedly sentenced Wang and Fu each to four years’ imprisonment.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-2: Not clear.
Testimony 3: this is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Testimony 1: http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2015/1/22/148064.html
Testimony 2: http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2015/11/5/153529.html
Testimony 3: http://archive.ph/Yw2rC
Mention in HRWF database: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6ba4dafc9eb177bc1d1ac/
Mentioned in CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
It is likely that he was subjected to forced labor while at the No. 5 prison, seeing as how the official verdict mentions his "completing production tasks on time".
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_8.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_8.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=8
Victims among relatives
Hu Julian (3862)
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-02-15 Latest status update: 2018-04-13 3862. Hu Julian (胡菊莲)
Chinese ID: 64052119????????E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: --- Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Minghui (明慧), a website that reports on Falun Gong issues.
About the victim
Hu Julian (胡菊莲), resident of Zhongning county, Zhongwei municipality, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. She travelled to Kizilsu with her husband Wang Fugui to visit their son in late December, 2014.
Victim's location
---
When victim was detained
Detained on January 3, 2015. Sentenced in July-August 2015.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
While they were in Aketao, Wang and Hu allegedly wrote “information about Falun Gong,” including about Hu’s “miraculous” recovery from a ruptured spinal disc and about the persecution of Falun Gong, on paper currency which they subsequently put into circulation.
Victim's status
In July or August, 2015, the Aketao County People’s Court reportedly sentenced Wang and Fu each to four years’ imprisonment.
[Unclear if released.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
- Additional information
Testimony 1: http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2015/1/22/148064.html
Testimony 2: http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2015/11/5/153529.html
Mention in HRWF database: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6ba44afc9eb177bc1cb91/
Mentioned in CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Victims among relatives
Wang Fugui (3861)
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2020-02-19 Latest status update: 2015-11-05 3867. Zhao Haitong (赵海通)
Chinese ID: 650103196205222313 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 56 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"inciting subversion" Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Wu Kuiming, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (acquaintance)
Testimony 2: Radio Free Asia Mandarin, the Mandarin-language service of Radio Free Asia.
Testimony 3: @aiwu8964, an unverified Twitter account. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a non-government organization of domestic and overseas Chinese human rights activists and groups.
Testimony 5: Independent Chinese PEN Center, a non-political, non-profit organization of writers that "fights for the protection of freedom of expression and publication, and works toward ensuring the free flow of information".
Testimony 6: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Zhao Haitong was a blogger, businessman, and rights activist from Urumqi. He had graduated from a technical school and was also later a teacher at one.
He is known for assisting Uyghurs in Turpan lodge grievances against the local authorities and for his pro-democracy and anti-internet-censorship protests in Guangdong.
Victim's location
Wusu Prison.
When victim was detained
He was detained on August 9-10, 2013 in Turpan, and would be formally arrested on September 12, a month later, to be held at Urumqi's Liudaowan Detention Center. On June 17, 2014, he was finally allowed to meet a lawyer (a court session had already been held in mid-May, however, before the lawyer was assigned). In around October 2014, he was sentenced by the Urumqi People's Intermediate Court to 14 years in prison (with 5 years' deprivation of political rights), and later transferred to Wusu Prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "inciting subversion of state power" (煽动颠覆国家政权罪).
He is also included in a 2017 "WASFRY" police list [presumably short for 危安释放人员, or "endangering-security released persons"]. [It is not clear what this means, however, as the list seems intended for people suspected of endangering state security who had been released from detention - perhaps he had been previously detained as well, but this is not known.]
Victim's status
In prison. He is known to suffer from asthma.
[There is also a good likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor, as the Wusu Zhongxin Agriculture, Industry, and Trade LLC (乌苏众鑫农工贸有限责任公司) is based in Wusu Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Wu Kuiming and Radio Free Asia learned of the situation from Zhao's relatives.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/sentence-11072014105208.html?encoding=simplified
Chinese Human Rights Defenders record: https://www.nchrd.org/2014/12/prisoner-of-conscience-zhao-haitong/
Entry in the Chinese PEN: https://www.chinesepen.org/english/200-zhao-haitong
Account of how he was assaulted while in Wuhan: http://archive.is/sIPLV
His Weibo: http://archive.is/Q76i0
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/aiwu8964/status/974255279192731649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw detention photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3867_1.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3867_2.jpg photos before and after detention: https://shahit.biz/supp/beforeafter_3867.png
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-07-11 Latest status update: 2019-05-22 3871. Qurbanjan Abdusemet
Chinese ID: 65402819850827??O? (Nilka)
Basic info
Age: 25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
Testimony 4: Meryembuwi, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (mother)
About the victim
Qurbanjan Abdusemet (also: Qurbanjan Semet)
Testimony 2: The victim has a middle school education and was born on 27 August 1985.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Last known to be held at Ili PSB detention center.
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was arrested on 14 April 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at the Ili prefecture prison [detention center]. The victim had a joint trial with 11 other victims in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court and was convicted of "splitting the country" at that trial. The 10 year sentence was handed to the victim on 24 March 2009.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism". Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 10 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-4): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/families-07152011125323.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf https://uhrp.org/political-prisoners-2015
Victims among relatives
Abdugheni Abdusemet (3872)
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-04-11 Latest status update: 2011-07-15 3873. Muhemmedtohti Metrozi (买买提托乎提·买买提肉孜)
Chinese ID: 65322119????????O? (Hotan County)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism", "endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|6: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
Testimony 3: Dui Hua, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 4: Manfred Nowak, as reported by Uyghur Human Rights Project.
Testimony 5: Anonymous, as reported by Uyghur Human Rights Project.
Testimony 7: Beijing Times, a Chinese newspaper published in Beijing, and part of the People's Daily Group. It ceased publication in 2017.
About the victim
Muhammed Tohti Metrozi (买买提托乎提*买买提肉孜) from Hotan prefecture. He had fled to Pakistan after being held in detention in the XUAR for two months, in apparent connection to reported pro independence activities, and the UNHCR in Pakistan recognized him as a refugee.
Metrozi and another man named Abdulwahab Tohti both disappeared after Metrozi received a telephone call from an official who reportedly worked for the Pakistani Intelligence Bureau asking them to come for a meeting. Unconfirmed reports suggested that they were both returned to China just three days later.
Victim's location
Xinjiang's No. 1 Prison, Urumqi
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: victim had reportedly been beaten with wooden sticks when he was in detention for two months in China before fleeing to Pakistan.
He was awaiting resettlement in Sweden and was due to travel there in August 2003 (he had been recognized as a refugee in December 2002). On July 16, 2003, he disappeared in Rawalipindi, Pakistan after receiving a call from the Pakistani Intelligence Bureau (Testimony 1: call received at around 2pm, he left his home shortly after).
Testimony 6: Around April 10, 2004, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Testimony 3: his sentence was commuted on February 1, 2016.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Charged with separatism, a crime under Article 103 of China's Criminal Law, in reported connection to his applying for refugee status, housing Uyghurs in Pakistan who had fled China, and allegedly belonging to a ""separatist"" organization. Muhammed Tohti Metrozi reportedly rejected the charges in court.
Testimony 2: reportedly tried in Urumqi in April 2004 on charges relating to his application for refugee status and his work helping Uyghur refugees in Pakistan.
Testimony 7: "endangering state security". According to state sources, he had received training in Afghanistan and was a member of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
Victim's status
Testimony 3: Still in prison.
Testimony 7: A meeting of Xinjiang’s First Prison authority on February 2, 2016 saw the sentences of 11 ‘state-security convicts’ reduced., including Memettohti. It is not clear what sentence applies to him now, but 7 out of 11 convicts saw their sentence changed from imprisonment for life (无期判刑) to ‘incarceration for a fixed period’ (有期判刑), and 4 others got it reduced by 6 months.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-2: not stated.
Testimony 3: the news was publicly announced at a prison rally, but it's not clear how exactly Dui Hua obtained the news.
Testimony 4: Manfred Nowak met with the victim while visiting the No. 1 Prison in late 2005, during which time the victim allegedly told him of the torture that he had been subjected to there.
Testimony 5: this source got a letter from the victim's wife and parents, in which they said that the victim had been beaten and tortured following Nowak's visit, to the point of not being able to move for months.
Additional information
Amnesty International reporting/campaigning (Testimony 1+2+6): https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/108000/asa330082003en.pdf https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/92000/asa170312004en.pdf https://uhrp.org/news/open-letter-uighur-asylum-seekers-cambodia
Radio Free Asia report (Testimony 3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/commutes-02032016151916.html/
Beijing Times state-media report (Testimony 7): https://archive.vn/d8xcO
HRW mention: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/Human%20Rights%20Watch%20Letter%20to%2 0Minister%20Yang%20Jiechi%20and%20Minister%20Meng%20Jianzhu%209-1-11.pdf
BBC mention: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4360813.stm https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WUC-Refugee-Report-Updated-June-20 17.pdf
His "repentance letter": https://archive.is/lBMqj
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3873_1.jpg
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-04-03 Latest status update: 2016-02-03 3878. Karma Samdrub (如凯·嘎玛桑珠)
Chinese ID: 542123196805080015 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: M Ethnicity: other Likely current location: Aksu Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): challenging authority|other Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Pu Zhiqiang, as reported by New York Times. (lawyer)
Testimony 2: Junga Tsomo, as reported by New York Times. (wife)
Testimony 3: Associated Press, an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Testimony 4: The Guardian, a British daily newspaper.
Testimony 5: Junga Tsomo, as reported by Tsering Woeser. (wife)
Testimony 6: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 7: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 8: bannedbook.org, a website covering human rights issues in China.
About the victim
Karma Samdrub (or Dondrub) (噶玛桑珠), an ethnic Tibetan, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist. 42 years old at time of detention. He is the founder of the Three River Environmental Protection Association (https://archive.is/Urwnd). CCTV named him "philanthropist" of the year in 2006.
Testimony 6: He founded and led several non-profit organizations, including Gama International Environment and Culture Development Co. Ltd, CEO Tibet Dzi Bead Road Culture Promotion Co. Ltd and Qinghai Three River Environmental Protection Association. He was also a member of the Eastern Collectors Association. He has given over 200 historical artifacts to the State.
Victim's location
Testimony 4: He was transferred to and sentenced in Yanqi Hui autonomous county, Bayingol Mongol autonomous prefecture Testimony 8: serving his sentence in Shayar Prison.
When victim was detained
Testimony 3: Detained on January 3, 2010 in Chengdu, then transferred to Xinjiang and held in custody for 6 months before his trial. The trial took place on June 20-24, 2010, with the victim being sentenced. He appealed, but the appeal was rejected on July 7, 2010 by the Intermediate Court of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture.
Testimony 1: he was sentenced to 15 years in prison on June 22, 2010, together with a 10000RMB fine and 5 years' deprivation of political rights. According to his lawyer, the trial had a number of irregularities, such as altered evidence and the appearance of a unknown and questionable "witness". The victim’s claims that he had been beaten and drugged during his six months in custody were largely ignored by the judge.
Testimony 2: the victim's wife also attended the trial, saying that it wasn't a real trial and that the court just went through the motions. Despite being allowed into the courthouse, she was not allowed to speak to her husband. She said that her husband told the judge that he had been deprived of food and sleep by the interrogators, in addition to being soaked in cold water in the middle of winter.
Testimony 5: In 2009, several men charged into a hotel in Chengdu’s Wuhou district, where Sandrub and his wife had been staying, and arrested him. Prior to his trial, Sandrub stayed in three different detention facilities, including one in Ruoqiang county, where the Loulan archeological site is located. In Ruoqiang, he was visited by his lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, whom Junga had procured.
Testimony 6: He was initially detained by Bayingolin authorities in March 18, 1998, but the charges were dropped on April 29. On November 30 the same year, he was detained again on the same charges, which were again dropped after a week. Exactly one year later, Karma was officially cleared of all accusations. His detention in Chengdu happened presumably under orders by the Qakilik county PSB in Xinjiang. He was then transferred to a detention center in Yanqi Hui autonomous county. Official arrest warrant was issued on February 10, 2010. He was sentenced on June 24.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was first accused of "trafficking of cultural relics" and "grave robbing", in 1998, but these charges were quickly dropped. People close to him believe that police in Changdu prefecture, TAR, hoped to use the old charge to punish him for trying to gain release for his brothers Rinchen Samdrub and Chime Namgyal, whom Chamdo police detained in August 2009 after they accused police of hunting protected wildlife. On June 22, 2010, the Yanqi People’s Court tried Karma Dondrub on the old charges.
Testimony 1: "accused of buying a carpet, clothing and a wooden coffin that had been pilfered from an ancient tomb in the far western region of Xinjiang"
Testimony 5: Sandrub got involved in the grave robbery case after he purchased wooden and silk antiques from a man named Abliz in Urumqi’s Wudaoqiao district. Later, Abliz was found to have robbed the Loulan archeological site of valuable artifacts, but Sandrub, despite purchasing the items without knowledge of the robbery, was also arrested on the same charges as Abliz.
Testimony 5: The true reason of Sandrub’s arrest is possibly connected to the arrest of his brother Hrenjin Sandrub (仁青桑珠) and his sister Tsimei Langka(其美朗加) in 1999 . Hrenjinn was arrested for posting an article about the Nobel Peace Prize in his webpage, whilst Tsimei was sentenced for establishing an organization to combat illegal poachers.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 15 years in prison
[There is also the likelihood that he is subjected to forced labor, as the Shayar Tarim Runcheng Farming and Livestock LLC (沙雅塔里木润城农牧有限责任公司) operates out of Shayar Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: he was his lawyer and attended the court proceedings.
Testimony 2: she is the victim's wife and also attended his trial.
Testimony 3-4: from a number of sources (including his wife).
Additional information
New York Times coverage (Testimony 1-2): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/world/asia/25tibet.html
Associated Press and Guardian coverage (Testimony 3-4): https://web.archive.org/web/20101202191347/http://www.tibetinfonet.net/content/update/164 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/22/tibetan-environmentalist-accuses-china-torture
Coverage from Tsering Woeser's blog (Testimony 5): http://woeser.middle-way.net/2010/07/blog-post_8873.html
Included in the CECC report: https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
He is also mentioned in a long list of victims compiled by the Rights Protection Network (Testimony 6): https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/08/201983147-1040_48.html
His Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_Samdrup
Mentioned in Chinese PEN article: https://www.chinesepen.org/blog/archives/106829
Banned Book page about his case (Testimony 8): https://www.bannedbook.org/forum51/topic5536.html
Official court verdict (Testimony 7): https://archive.is/bPVtH
His Baidu Baike: https://archive.is/6riL7
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3878_1.jpg Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2017-02-25 3897. Merdan Seyitahun
Chinese ID: 65412119731123??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3|4: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (father)
Testimony 5: China Aid, a non-governmental Christian nonprofit which focuses on raising awareness of human rights abuses.
About the victim
Merdan Seyitakhun, from Tokhyuz township in Gulja county, with a middle-school education; born Nov. 23, 1973.
Victim's location
Testimony 1: "Ghulja County Prison" [presumably the Ghulja County Pre-Trial Detention Center]
When victim was detained
Arrested April 14, 2008 by Ili city police and held at the Ghulja PSB detention center. Sentenced March 24, 2009 to life in prison for “splitting the country.”
Testimony 1-3: The trial (in which the victim was convicted of "splitting the country") reportedly happened in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court. The victim was handed his sentence later (on 24 March 2009).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics. Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children.
Victim's status
Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to life imprisonment (Article 103)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+5: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: presumably by being the victim's father and being present for the events. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-4): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/tepsili_xewer/siyasiy-mehbus-07142011171104.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/families-07152011125323.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf
Entry in HRWF database: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6ba55afc9eb177bc1d7e9/ http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf https://uhrp.org/political-prisoners-2015
China Aid list of prisoners and facilities (Testimony 5): https://www.chinaaid.net/2019/01/129.html
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-08-30 Latest status update: 2011-07-15 3898. Ehmetjan Emet
Chinese ID: 65412119850418??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism" Health status: deceased Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|4: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
Testimony 5: Mewlan, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (friend)
About the victim
Ehmetjan Emet, from Aruz Township in Gulja county, with an elementary-school education; born April 18, 1985.
Testimony 4: he was a businessman.
Victim's location
Last known to be held at Ghulja PSB detention center
HRWF: prison in Ghulja County
Testimony 4: died in the Urumqi No. 3 prison.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Arrested April 14, 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at Ghulja county prison. Sentenced on March 24, 2009 to 15 years’ imprisonment for “splitting the country.”
Testimony 4: later, his family would be informed that he had died of a sudden heart attack at the 3rd Prison in Urumqi at the end of November 2009 (source of Testimony 5: November 2010). His mother and other relatives requested that the body be re-examined by a forensic doctor and be buried in his own hometown. However, the prison officials said they had buried the body in accordance with Muslim rules, and Ehmetjan's relatives were denied the request.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: According to this testimony, he was arrested for teaching Islam to children.
HRWF: Charged with breaching Article 103 of China’s Criminal Code.
Victim's status
Testimony 2: Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to 15 years in prison (Article 103)
Testimony 4: deceased.
[There is a high likelihood that the victim was subjected to forced labor while at the No. 3 prison, as the Xinjiang No. 3 Lathe Factory is based inside the prison and is reported to employ the majority of inmates.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: his son was tried together with the victim. (The victim's trial was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend. If someone out of the victim's family attended the trial, it is not clear who.)
Testimony 4: presumably learned from Ehmetjan's relatives.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html (Testimony 1-3) https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/tepsili_xewer/exmetjan-emet-07082011213808.html (Testimony 4) https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/families-07152011125323.html (Testimony 5) https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Entry in HRWF database: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6ba55afc9eb177bc1d7db/
Victims among relatives
Erkin Emet (3900)
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-04-11 Latest status update: 2010-11-01 3899. Seydehmet Awut
Chinese ID: 65412119710712??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
About the victim
Seydehmet Awut is originally from Islamyuzi village, Ghulja county, and has a middle school education. He was born on 12 July 1971.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Last known to be held at Ghulja PSB detention center
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was arrested on 14 April 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at Ghulja county prison. The victim had a joint trial with 11 other victims in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court and was convicted of "splitting the country" at that trial. The 10 year sentence was handed to the victim on 24 March 2009.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children. Victim's status
Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to 10 years in prison (Article 103)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2020-09-15 Latest status update: 2009-06-02 3900. Erkin Emet
Chinese ID: 65412119730303??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|4: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
Testimony 5: Mewlan, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (friend of relative)
About the victim
Erkin Emet, from Aruz township of Gulja county, with an elementary-school education; born March 3, 1973.
Testimony 4: he went into business with his brother.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: Arrested April 14, 2008 by Gulja county police and held at the Ghulja PSB detention center. Sentenced on March 24, 2009 to 10 years’ imprisonment for “splitting the country.”
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: According to this testimony, he was arrested for teaching Islam to children. Victim's status
Testimony 2: Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to 10 years in prison (Article 103)
Testimony 5: in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html (Testimony 1-3) https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/tepsili_xewer/exmetjan-emet-07082011213808.html (Testimony 4) https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/families-07152011125323.html (Testimony 5) https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Victims among relatives
Ehmetjan Emet (3898)
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-04-11 Latest status update: 2011-07-15 3901. Abdujelil Abdughopur
Chinese ID: 654101198807023514 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 29 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: --- When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism", "endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
Testimony 4|5: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Abdujelil Abdughopur is originally from Yengiyer township in Ghulja city and has a middle school education. The victim was born on 2 July 1988.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Last known to be held at Ghulja PSB detention center
[Current location unclear.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was arrested on 14 April 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at Ghulja county prison. The victim had a joint trial with 11 other victims in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court and was convicted of "splitting the country" at that trial. The 6 year sentence was handed to the victim on 24 March 2009.
Testimony 4: A 2017-2018 police list of people tagged as WASFRY (危安释放人员, "endangering-security released persons") includes the victim, suggesting that he was released from prison at one point. [It is unclear if he has been re-detained, though this is very possible.] Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children.
Testimony 4: classified as an "endangering state security" individual.
Victim's status
Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to 6 years in prison (Article 103)
Testimony 4: [unclear if redetained after release]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Testimony 4: these data come directly from the Xinjiang police.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-08-18 Latest status update: 2017-07-27 3902. Abdulitip Ablimit
Chinese ID: 652421197207013174 (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: --- When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism", "endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
Testimony 4|5: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Abdulitip Ablimit is originally from Arzu village in Ghulja county and has a middle-school education. The victim was born on 1 July 1972.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Last known to be held at Ghulja PSB detention center
[Current location unclear.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was arrested on 5 June 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at Ghulja county prison. The victim had a joint trial with 11 other victims in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court and was convicted of "splitting the country" at that trial. The 6 year sentence was handed to the victim on 24 March 2009.
Testimony 4: A 2017-2018 police list of people tagged as WASFRY (危安释放人员, "endangering-security released persons") includes the victim, suggesting that he was released from prison at one point. [It is unclear if he has been re-detained, though this is very possible.] Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children.
Testimony 4: classified as an "endangering state security" individual.
Victim's status
Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to 6 years in prison (Article 103)
Testimony 4: [unclear if redetained after release]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Testimony 4: these data come directly from the Xinjiang police.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-08-18 Latest status update: 2017-07-27 3903. Mewlanjan Ehmet
Chinese ID: 65412119870310??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 22 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
About the victim
Mewlanjan Ahmet is originally from Hudiyaryuzi township, Ghulja county and has a middle school education. The victim was born on 10 March 1987.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Last known to be held at Ili PSB detention center
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was arrested on 29 March 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at the Ili prefecture prison [probably detention center]. The victim had a joint trial with 11 other victims in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court and was convicted of "splitting the country" at that trial. The 10 year sentence was handed to the victim on 24 March 2009.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children. Victim's status
Sentenced to by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court 10 years in prison (Article 103)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2020-09-15 Latest status update: 2009-06-05 3904. Dolqun Erkin
Chinese ID: 65410119890222??O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 20 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
About the victim
Dolkun Erkin, originally from Zayomka Village in Hanbin Township (Ghulja City) [not clear which village this is/was, but it seems there used to be a brick factory there: https://archive.vn/BVf73].
Testimony 2: has a middle school education. The victim was born on 22 February 1989.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Last known to be held at Ili PSB detention center
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was arrested on 16 April 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at Ili prefecture prison [detention center]. The victim had a joint trial with 11 other victims in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court and was convicted of "splitting the country" at that trial. The 10 year sentence was handed to the victim on 24 March 2009.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children. Victim's status
Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to 10 years in prison (Article 103)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2020-09-15 Latest status update: 2009-06-05 3905. Omerjan Memet
Chinese ID: 65410119861115??O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 22 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
About the victim
Omerjan Memet is originally from Kashgar street in Ghulja city and has a middle school education. He was born on 15 November 1986.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Last known to be held at Ili PSB detention center
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was arrested on 7 May 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at Ili prefecture prison. The victim had a joint trial with 11 other victims in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court and was convicted of "splitting the country" at that trial. The 10 year sentence was handed to the victim on 24 March 2009.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children. Victim's status
Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to 10 years in prison (Article 103)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2020-09-15 Latest status update: 2009-06-02 3906. Mutellip Rozi
Chinese ID: 654101197903072418 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: --- When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"separatism", "endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Seyitahun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (trial attendee)
Testimony 4|5: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Mutellip Rozi is originally from Baykol Village in Ghulja city and has an elementary school education. The victim was born on 7 March 1979.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: Last known to be held at Ili PSB detention center
[Current location unclear.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: The victim was arrested on 16 April 2008 by Ghulja county police and held at Ili prefecture prison. The victim had a joint trial with 11 other victims in November 2008 at the Ili Intermediate Court and was convicted of "splitting the country" at that trial. The 6 year sentence was handed to the victim on 24 March 2009.
Testimony 4: A 2017-2018 police list of people tagged as WASFRY (危安释放人员, "endangering-security released persons") includes the victim, suggesting that he was released from prison at one point. [It is unclear if he has been re-detained, though this is very possible.] Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: The victim's arrest/detention was reportedly a part of the "Strike Hard" campaign that targeted Uyghur people prior to the August 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Testimony 2: "Splittism".
Testimony 3: he was arrested for teaching Islam to children.
Testimony 4: classified as an "endangering state security" individual.
Victim's status
Sentenced by the Ili Intermediate People’s Court to 6 years in prison (Article 103)
Testimony 4: [unclear if redetained after release]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 3: being present at the trial. (The victim's trial (which was a joint trial with 11 other victims) was initially intended to be a closed trial, but after parents of the 12 victims demanded to be at the trial, the court decided to allow one person from each family to attend.)
Testimony 4: these data come directly from the Xinjiang police.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sentence-06052009123936.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf http://docs.uyghuramerican.org/Sacred-Right-Defiled-Chinas-Iron-Fisted-Repression-of-Uyghur-Religious- Freedom.pdf
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-08-18 Latest status update: 2017-07-27 3909. Alimjan Hemit (阿里木江·依米提)
Chinese ID: 650104197306104712 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism", revealing "state secrets" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Independent Catholic News, the first online news service featuring daily news, saints, reviews, and reflections for the Catholic Church.
Testimony 2|6: China Aid, a non-governmental Christian nonprofit which focuses on raising awareness of human rights abuses.
Testimony 3: Li Dunyong, as reported by China Aid. (lawyer)
Testimony 4: Open Doors, a non-denominational mission supporting persecuted Christians in the world.
Testimony 5|8: Stefan J. Bos, founder and correspondent of the agency BosNewsLife.
Testimony 7: Christian Today, a non-denominational Christian news company, with its international headquarters in London, England.
Testimony 9: Gulnur, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (wife)
Testimony 10: Li Dunyong, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (lawyer)
Testimony 11: Church in Chains, an independent Irish charity that encourages prayer and action in support of persecuted Christians worldwide.
Testimony 12|13|14: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Alimjan Hemit was a Protestant priest and led a "house church".
He had previously worked for an "American company" called "Xinjiang Taipingyang Nongye Gongsi" as an interpreter, before they offered him a full-time job in Hotan. Alimjan later left this company and moved back to Urumqi, where he was hired as a project manager for "Xinjiang Jiaerhao Foodstuff Company Limited", which was also reportedly foreign owned. He and his wife, Gulnur, have two children.
Address (as given in one of the court documents): Apt. 604, Building No. 3, 12 Victory Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区胜利路12号3号楼604室).
Victim's location
Xinjiang No. 3 Prison.
When victim was detained
During Alimjan's employment with two foreign-owned companies, he was "often" called in for interrogation by the State Security Bureau. His house was searched multiple times and his personal computer was seized. He complained to the State Security Bureau headquarters in Urumqi that he had been physically abused, but his complaints went unanswered. He was reportedly forbidden from discussing these interrogations with others.
The Kashgar Municipal Bureau for Ethnic Religious Affairs ordered that Alimjan's business license be revoked on September 13, 2007, accusing him of using it as a front for "preaching Christianity among people of Uyghur ethnicity". The Kashgar Municipal Bureau for Ethnic Religious Affairs also accused him of "distributing religious propaganda materials" and "converting people to Christianity".
The Kashgar State Security Bureau arrested Alimjan in 2008, allegedly in connection with a “national security issue”. The day of his arrest has been reported as January 11, January 12, and February 12. On February 20, 2008, the charges against Alimjan were changed to "inciting secessionist sentiment to split the country" and "collecting and selling intelligence for overseas organizations".
Following the arrest, authorities reportedly threatened Alimjan with various sentences, ranging from six years in prison to execution. They held him at the Kashgar Detention Center [presumably, the 喀什市看守所] without a verdict for two years.
A verdict was initially expected by the end of April 2008, but Alimjan's trial was rescheduled for May 2008. He had a hearing on May 27, 2008, when he was to be tried for "instigating separatism and providing national secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations or individuals"; however, the "Xinjiang Court" returned his case to state prosecutors because of "insufficient evidence". The Public Security Bureau returned the case to state prosecutors in September 2008. State prosecutors then sent the case back to court in October 2008.
At around 10:30 a.m. on March 31, 2009, Alimjan was seen with his hands bound, being roughly escorted by police and a prison doctor at Nongsanshi Hospital in Kashgar. Alimjan was reportedly crying out to onlookers in Mandarin: "I'm sick. Tell my lawyer to come quickly to see me." Alimjan's health problems were not immediately clear at the time. Li Dunyong, one of Alimjan's lawyers, asked the main prosecutor involved in the case for a report of the incident at Nongsanshi Hospital in Kashgar. The prosecution office said they would provide a report to Li Dunyong on April 2, 2009, but no report was immediately available.
In an article published on April 2, 2009, Li Dunyong said that he had visited Alimjan the previous week and that Alimjan had been selected as the head of his prison cell.
On July 14, 2009, "the court in Kashgar" notified Alimjan's wife that his trial would be held on the morning of July 28, 2009.
On July 28, 2009, a secret trial was held at the Kashgar District Intermediate People's Court. The charge of "instigating separatism" was dropped, and Alimjan was tried for "providing national secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations or individuals". This was Alimjan's first hearing since his arrest, and allegedly in violation of China's Criminal Procedure Law. Alimjan's wife and mother were forbidden from attending this trial. His lawyers at the time were Li Dunyong and Liang Xiaojun.
The Xinjiang People's Procuratorate in Urumqi warned Alimjan's wife that she "should not have become involved [in] advocating and speaking out about her husband's case". Unspecified officials also told her, in relation to the trial on July 28, 2009, that Alimjan would "not be released without charges".
On October 27, 2009, Alimjan was notified of the verdict. He had been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Li Dunyong, one of Alimjan's lawyers, lodged an appeal in response to the verdict. The People's High Court upheld the verdict, the sentence of 15 years, on March 16, 2010.
Two of Alimjan's lawyers, Li Baiguang and Liu Peifu, appealed to the Beijing Supreme Court, but after reconsidering the victim's case, the Beijing Supreme Court ruled to uphold the original verdict (the 15-year sentence). According to Li Baiguang, the sentence was illegal and void because it "never succeeded in showing how Alimjan supplied state secrets to people overseas".
Alimjan's family was initially not allowed to see him, but they were permitted to visit him briefly at the Xinjiang No. 3 Prison on April 20, 2010. They were "only allowed to speak to him via telephone through a glass barrier". They reported that at the time, he was "noticeably thinner but in good spirits". The Xinjiang Bureau of Prison Management later granted Alimjan's wife and other close family members permission to visit him once per month. Lawyers, however, were prevented from seeing him.
On August 23, 2011, Alimjan's case was reportedly being reviewed at the national and provincial levels.
In 2014, the XUAR High People's Court, whose leadership had since changed, reportedly approached Gulnur to discuss the possibility of an appeal in relation to Alimjan's case. Gulnur subsequently applied for an appeal and although her application was processed, it reportedly "stalled in the court system".
In late 2015, anti-corruption officials who were reportedly dissatisfied with the reluctance of the Xinjiang government to address Alimjan's case offered him pardon on the condition that he admit his guilt, but Alimjan allegedly refused, insisting that he was innocent and claiming that his sentence was "the result of provincial government corruption".
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Alimjan was sentenced to 15 years in prison for "leaking state secrets" to foreign organizations, a crime under Article 111 of China's Criminal Law. At one point, he had also been charged with "instigating separatism", but this was later dropped.
Alimjan's lawyer said that Alimjan had previously told a U.S. citizen in Xinjiang about an interview he had with local authorities about his preaching activities, and that the interview's contents had later been classified as a state secret. Alimjan had also given interviews [plural] to media from outside of China. These could be reasons for the charge related to revealing state secrets.
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled in Opinion 29/2008, dated September 12, 2008, that Alimjan's arrest and subsequent detention were arbitrary and in violation of international law, saying that he was detained as a result of his religion.
Victim's status
Serving his sentence. On July 9, 2018, Church in Chains reported that a local source had said that Alimjan was allowed to call his family once a month and was "in a peaceful and stable state physically and spiritually".
[There is also a high likelihood that he is being subjected to forced labor, as the Xinjiang No. 3 Lathe Factory is based inside the prison and is reported to employ the majority of inmates.]
A record in the Urumqi police databases notes his phone being checked on October 31, 2017 on 155 Yangzijiang Road (扬子江路155), with no additional explanation provided. A different record notes that he was entered into the iTap database on the same day. [It is not clear if he was out of prison when this was done or if it was all done without his being present.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Li Dunyong presumably learned of Alimjan's situation through his direct involvement in the legal case.
Alimjan's wife, Gulnur, lives in the region. As of 2013, she was able to visit Alimjan in prison once every three months.
Much of the reporting on the case comes through ChinaAid or cites ChinaAid, which appears to rely on a mix of sources [presumably in the region] and official court documents.
Church in Chains also cites a "local source" for the most recent update on Alimjan.
Additional information
In May 2009, authorities declined Li Dunyong's annual bar registration renewal, apparently as a result of him questioning the form, content, and validity of what he called a "flawed" evidence certificate. The evidence certificate was verified by the "Bureau of Conservative Secrets" but was not signed by the verifier, which was reportedly contrary to Chinese law. One other unspecified lawyer who defended Alimjan also lost their license.
Independent Catholic News coverage: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/14426
China Aid reports: https://web.archive.org/web/20110824004451/http://pakistanchristian.tv/news/2009-12-08_Uyghur_Chur ch_Leader_Sentenced_to_15_Years_Criminal_Detention.cfm https://web.archive.org/web/20110721133645/http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09070181.htm https://www.chinaaid.org/2009/12/uyghur-christian-alimujiang-persecuted.html (includes portions of the verdict)
Church in Chains profile: https://www.churchinchains.ie/prisoner-profiles/alimujiang-yimiti/
Open Doors campaign: https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041411/www.oduk.org/campaign/alimjan.php BosNewsLife coverage: https://www.bosnewslife.com/2008/04/09/3555-china-christian-facing-execution-following-ti/
Christian Today coverage: https://www.christiantoday.co.in/article/uyghur.christian.sentenced.to.fifteen.years.in.prison/4937.htm
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/pastor-01232013161425.html
Entry in HRWF database: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6ba55afc9eb177bc1d7d1/
Court documents: https://www.chinaaid.org/2007/10/confirmation-notification-on-alimujiang.html?m=1 https://www.gongfa.com/html/gongfaxinwen/201001/07-829.html
Supplementary materials video mention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfWnl2iuWiQ photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/3909_2.jpg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/3909_3.png
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2021-06-01 Latest status update: 2018-07-09 3911. Abdukerim Abduweli
Chinese ID: 6529231955??????O? (Kucha)
Basic info
Age: 62-63 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (28 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: deceased Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
Testimony 2: World Uyghur Congress, an international organization of exiled Uyghur groups.
.an unverified Facebook account ,"لىچائ" :Testimony 4
Testimony 5: Uyghur Human Rights Project, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 6: Muhemmetimin Abduweli, originally from Aksu's Kucha County, but living abroad since 1996. He now lives in Sweden. (brother)
About the victim
Abdukerim Abduwali (阿不都克热木*阿不都外力), resident of Kuche county in Aksu prefecture, was a religious leader.
Testimony 2: born in Aksu Prefecture in 1955.
Victim's location
Xinjiang No. 3 prison, Urumqi [at the time of death]
When victim was detained
Detained on November 17, 1990.
He was initially sentenced to 12 years on May 6, 1993, but has been given numerous extensions throughout his imprisonment. His consolidated sentence is set to expire on December 25, 2018. AI reported (20 September 12, Testimony 3) that prison authorities were denying necessary medical attention to Abduwali after he had developed bone and joint cancer.
Testimony 4: he died in prison in 2017. Testimony 5: Abduweli held several hunger strikes to protest his prolonged incarceration, including for nine months in late 2011.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Attempting to establish the "Islamic Reformist Party", which fell under the category of "counterrevolutionary" crimes.
Testimony 6: sentenced for "propagating and instigating counter-revolutionary ideology".
Victim's status
Testimony 4: died in prison.
Testimony 6: Muhemmet'imin had contacted his younger brother, Abdurahman, in 2014 and heard from him that the victim "was ill and couldn't walk". Abdurahman had met with the victim during one of the "handful of family visits [the victim] was allowed each year." The victim was reportedly also "very thin" and confined to a wheelchair.
[There is a high likelihood that the victim was subjected to forced labor while at the prison, as the Xinjiang No. 3 Lathe Factory is based inside the prison and is reported to employ the majority of inmates.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+3: according to family
Testimony 4: not stated
Testimony 6: In June last year, Muhemmet'imin heard from an Uyghur worker from Turpan who was helping to renovate his home in Istanbul, Turkey [where he presumably lived before moving to Norway/Sweden] that the victim might have passed away in jail. The Uyghur worker had a close friend who served some time in prison and told him that Kerem Qari died in jail.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 6): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/cleric-12142018153501.html https://www.cecc.gov/sites/chinacommission.house.gov/files/documents/CECC%20Pris%20List_20181011 _1424.pdf https://www.amnestyusa.org/files/uaa27112.pdf (Testimony 3)
Amnesty report (Testimony 1): https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/04/china-end-persecution-detained-uighur-religious-leade r-after-prison-term-increased-fifth-time/
World Uyghur Congress entry (Testimony 2): https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/current-issues/uyghur-political-prisoners/abdukerim-abduweli/ Victims among relatives
Ayshe Muhemmetimin (8264), Salahidin Muhemmetimin (8265), Ruqiye Muhemmetimin (8266), Abdurahman Abduweli (11849), Ibrahim Abduweli (11850)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/uyachil/posts/3477324458 06258&show_text=true&width=300 photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/3911_1.png
Entry created: 2019-04-27 Last updated: 2020-12-26 Latest status update: 2018-12-14 3926. Mahmutjan Nurtay
Chinese ID: 65402119820721??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 36 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
@mc84488071, an unverified Twitter account. (brother)
About the victim
Mahmutjan Nurtay, born on July 21, 1982 in Ghulja County.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Originally taken to camp (not clear when), but sentenced to 10 years in January 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Serving a 10-year prison sentence, presumably.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testifier does not specify.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials original testimony: https://twitter.com/mc84488071/status/1099275746558697473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2019-05-04 Last updated: 2021-02-24 Latest status update: 2019-02-23 4081. Hawahan Osman
Chinese ID: 65292919850615??E? (Kelpin)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|--- Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Amine Osman, originally from Aksu's Kelpin County, but now a resident of Sweden. (sister)
Testimony 3: Amine Osman, as reported by Amnesty International. (sister)
About the victim
Hawahan Osman, born on June 15, 1985. She is married and has four sons. She was a tailor.
Likely address [her sister's place of origin]: Towen Qum'eriq Village, Yurchi Township, Kelpin County.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Put in camp (in the neighborhood of Kelpin's No. 2 Commune's Middle School) in March 2017.
Testimony 2: sentenced (unclear when).
Testimony 3: All contact ceased in early 2016. At that time, Hawahan was having issues with the police, and was being forced to attend "daily Chinese ceremonies and celebrations". In early 2016, she was waiting for her passport to join her husband abroad. Her husband worked for various companies in the Middle East. At some point, when he visited Xinjiang, the family had to hide from Chinese authorities, who were looking for him. After her March 2017 detention (in a concentration camp), Hawahan was sentenced to 13-15 years of imprisonment.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: Her husband going abroad. Testimony 3: Suspected reasons for detention include violation of birth control policy, husband abroad, teaching the Qur'an.
Victim's status
Testimony 2: she's been sentenced, but the testifier doesn't know how long for.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 3: Her sister learnt about the sentence from family members in China.
Additional information
Testimony 1: All of her kids are in orphanages (the youngest being 2 years old).
Testimony 2: The victim's four children are left behind without anyone who looks after them.
Amnesty International case info (Testimony 3): https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR010
Victims among relatives
Ershidin Osman (8461), Ibrahim Osman (8462)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr0vGlXBBYg Testimony 1: https://web.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://web.facebook.com/aminamkalpin.uyghur.1/pos ts/558560231246256&width=300 photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4081_3.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-05-16 Last updated: 2021-09-20 Latest status update: 2020-02-06 4082. Tohti Tuniyaz (吐赫提·土亚兹)
Chinese ID: 65292619591001??O? (Bay)
Basic info
Age: 60 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: inner China Status: unclear (soft) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism", revealing "state secrets", "inciting ethnic hatred" Health status: deceased Profession: scholar
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights in China, a New York-based international, Chinese, non-governmental organization.
Testimony 2: Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, as reported by Amnesty International.
Testimony 3: @UyghurScientist, an unverified Twitter account. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Naoko Mizutani, as reported by Japan Times. (relation unclear)
Testimony 5: Shaun O'Dwyer, an associate professor in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures at Kyushu University. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6: Yasuko Yamaguchi, an industrial designer who acted as the guarantor for victim Tohti Tuniyaz's son in Japan. (friend)
Testimony 7: Rabiye Tohti, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (wife)
Testimony 8: Anonymous, as reported by Yomiuri Shimbun. (acquaintance)
About the victim
Tohti Tunyaz, better known as Tohti Muzart (拓和提·莫扎提), an ethnic Uighur historian and writer arrested for collecting sensitive materials and publishing articles on ethnic relations and ethnic separatism.
He was arrested in 1998 for the charge of “illegally acquiring state secrets" referred to a list of 50-year-old documents Tohti Tunyaz obtained with the help of an official librarian in the XUAR. During his trial, the charge of “inciting separatism” was linked with a book entitled “The Inside Story of the Silk Road” that the Chinese authorities claimed Tohti Tunyaz and published in Japan. However, according to his professor, he had not published such a book, or any book that “incites separatism”. He was released in 2009 and served two more years under surveillance in Beijing.
Testimony 1: The victim moved to Japan with his family in the early 1990s. From 1995, the victim was a doctoral student at the Department of Oriental History, University of Tokyo. He reportedly "studied the 19th and 20th history of China's policies towards its minorities". His supervisors at the University of Tokyo were Tsugitaka Sato (a scholar of Islamic history) and Mio Kishimoto (a scholar of Chinese history). The victim published a monograph in Chinese language entitled "A Study of Uighur History and Culture" in 1995. The victim was born in 1959 in Aksu. The victim's wife's name is Rabiya. The victim studied at Minzu University in Beijing and later worked for the People's Congress Standing Committee [presumably before he moved to Japan in the early 1990s]. "Muzart" was a pen name that the victim used for his writing.
According to his Chinese Wikipedia, he was born in Bay County. According to an interview he gave not long before his death (https://archive.fo/bQNeE), he was born in the winter of 1963 (about 3 years later than what it said on his official ID).
Testimony 6: graduated from the Department of History of the Central Institute of Nationalities, Beijing with an M.A. [Master of Arts] in 1982. The victim was a member of the Ethnic Committee of the National People's Congress and had formed a close relationship with Seyfuddin Eziz and Ismail Emet (two former Xinjiang governors).
Testimony 6: the victim also wrote many articles in Chinese publications.
Testimony 6: the victim entered a doctoral course at the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology at the University of Tokyo in 1996 to continue his studies on the history of ethnic policies and Uyghur ethnic history after coming to Japan in 1995. This was not the first time he had been to Japan; he came to Japan for a period of approximately two years beginning in 1990 as a visiting researcher at Rikkyo University and a researcher at the Toyo Bunk (Oriental Library), to collect and research Uyghur historical materials that had been expropriated overseas. He published his study on Uyghur History and Culture (in Chinese) from Minzu (Nationalities) Publishing Company, Beijing in 1995.
He received a PEN / Barbara Goldsmith "Freedom to Write Award" in 2002.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: he died in 2015 in Beijing.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: detained on 6-Feb-98, sentenced to 11 years at the Xinjiang No. 4 Prison on March 10, 1999 (Testimony 2: by Urumqi Intermediate People's Court). [Wikipedia article: The victim was convicted by the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court on 10 March 1999. Following an appeal, the victim was sentenced by China's Supreme Court on 15 February 2000 to 11 years in prison with 2 years' deprivation of political rights.]
Testimony 2: held at No. 3 prison (as of 2006). [There is a high likelihood that the victim was subjected to forced labor while at the prison, as the Xinjiang No. 3 Lathe Factory is based inside the prison and is reported to employ the majority of inmates.]
Testimony 3: he died in Beijing in 2015 [presumably having been released after his sentence]. Testimony 1: In January 1998, the victim traveled to Urumqi to conduct archival research at the public records office. He secured official approval for his research and an archive clerk was authorised to provide him with a list of documents "relating to the Second East Turkestan Independence Movement of 1944". The victim reportedly copied those documents.
Testimony 4: According to a 2007 book by Japanese historian Naoko Mizutani entitled "中国を追われたウイグル人: 亡命者が語る政治弾圧", the victim was arrested in his hotel room on 6 February 1998 by six or seven agents of Urumqi's State Security Bureau. The agents reportedly said that they had a problem with what the victim had "been up to" and that they would search the victim's luggage. The agents blindfolded the victim, took him into custody and took his belongings.
Testimony 4: The victim was charged by the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court with "stealing state secrets for foreign persons" and "inciting national disunity" in November 1998. A copied document from the Urumqi public records office was used as evidence of the 'state secrets' charge, and a book that the victim allegedly published in Japan was used as evidence of the "inciting national disunity" charge. Authorities alleged that the book in question was "advocating separatism".
Testimony 4: According to Naoko Mizutani, the victim was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison with 2 years' deprivation of political rights on March 1999. The sentence was upheld on appeal and the victim was incarcerated in Urumqi.
Testimony 4: The UN Human Rights Committee took up the victim's case in April 2000. Later on in 2000, Tsugitaka Sato made a written submission about the victim to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. In response, Chinese government officials sent to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention the same allegations about 'state secrets' and the allegedly separatist book that were used to convict the victim. In response to what was submitted by Chinese government officials, Tsugitaka Sato reportedly provided evidence that "no such book existed" and insisted that the victim was undertaking legitimate research when he was detained.
Testimony 4: The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled in the victim's favour, saying that he had been arbitrarily detained in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Testimony 4: In relation to the victim, the then-former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a personal plea for clemency to Premier Li Keqiang in May 2008.
Testimony 4: According to Naoko Mizutani, at the time of the victim's release in February 2009, the victim was already suffering from heart disease and had not received adequate medical treatment during his detention.
Testimony 7: In approximately September 2008, before the victim was released, Chinese authorities asked Rabiya Tohti multiple times to return to China, promising that the victim and Rabiya would be given high-paying jobs if Rabiya returned.
Testimony 8: the victim was released from prison on 10 February 2009; unspecified supporters were told that the victim left the prison with his sister for their relatives' home on 10 February 2009. Testimony 7: several of the victim's professors and a number of journalists had traveled from Japan to Prison No. 3 in Urumqi to greet the victim when he was released on 10 February 2009, but were told that he had already left.
Testimony 5: The victim was unable to return to Japan after his release and could not resume his studies at the University of Tokyo. Authorities in Urumqi reportedly promised to support the victim's wife and her family if they returned to China to reunite with the victim. The victim's wife did not return back to China. After his release, the victim underwent a period of house arrest. The victim was reportedly permitted to "research approved topics" after his release. The victim was interviewed by Chinese media in 2014 (https://archive.vn/bQNeE). [Wikipedia article: according to the victim's friends and supporters in Japan, after the victim's release, he was taken to Beijing to serve the additional two-year sentence (until February 2011) of deprivation of political rights under surveillance from local authorities. The Wikipedia article also states that the victim worked as a language adviser for the English language edition of a Chinese magazine after his release from prison.]
Testimony 5: According to an anonymous scholar who visited the victim in early 2014 in Beijing, the victim reportedly hoped to get a visa to travel to the United States. The victim died in May 2015, alone in his apartment in Beijing from a heart attack. The victim's final book, entitled "Medieval Uighur History", was published in 2014.
Testimony 6: The victim was first arrested on 6 February 1998, a few weeks into a trip to the XUAR for research purposes. He was arrested by the Urumqi National Public Safety Office. Among the historical documents that the victim allegedly copied at the public records office was a historical data catalogue on the "Three Districts Revolution".
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: "inciting separatism and divulging state secrets abroad" (Despite the fact that the victim reportedly expressed no interest in Uyghur independence.)
Testimony 6: several Chinese attorneys [names unspecified] commented that copying a [public] catalogue of an event that occurred more than 50 years ago does not constitute "wrongful acquisition of state secrets". (Testimony 6 translates the crimes with which the victim was charged as "wrongful acquisition of state secrets" and "agitation for national breakup".) [The Wikipedia article mentions that the charge of "inciting national disunity" was for allegedly publishing a book in Japan in 1998 entitled "The Inside Story of the Silk Road". The Wikipedia article also adds that "according to the decision handed down at Urumchi in August 1999, neither the book nor its manuscript was submitted to the court as evidence."]
Testimony 6-7: it seems as though the book that Chinese authorities alleged that the victim published in Japan was merely a book that the victim was planning to publish, but he never actually published it. Testimony 6: the part of the manuscript that was designated by Chinese authorities as criminal and impounded by the authorities was a collection of notes that the victim recorded during his time with the Ethnic Committee in China in approximately 1991. The book that the victim was planning to publish was about the ethnic history of the Silk Road.
According to the Wikipedia article: The January 2001 issue of China's national security newsletter reportedly said that the victim had "turned his back on his homeland" by going to Japan to study for his Ph.D., where he "came under the influence of western liberal thinking" and "engaged in Xinjiang minority splittist activities."
Victim's status
Testimony 3: deceased.
Testimony 6: the victim had heart disease and suffered pain as a result of his heart disease for many years. He also lost blood because of a gastric ulcer in 2001 and still had pain in his stomach as a result, but never got a chance to see a doctor.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+2+4: presumably through colleagues, family, and friends who were based in Japan and continued to go to China to seek information about the victim's case.
Testimony 3: presumably from public sources.
Testimony 5: pieced together from different sources, including an official article in the media and an anonymous scholar.
Testimony 6: presumably by virtue of closing following the victim's case and being in frequent contact with his relatives in Japan.
Testimony 7: she is the victim's wife, with relatively direct knowledge of the case (having also traveled to Urumqi while he was in prison to try to see him).
Testimony 8: the source(s) cited attempted to greet the victim on his being released, and were there in person.
Additional information
HRI China report mentions (Testimony 1): https://www.hrichina.org/sites/default/files/PDFs/CRF.4.2006/CRF-2006-4_Custody.pdf https://www.hrichina.org/en/content/4563
Amnesty International report mention (Testimony 2): https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/92000/asa170212004en.pdf
Japan Times article (Testimony 4-5): https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2020/03/01/commentary/japan-commentary/persecution-lonely-d eath-uighur-scholar/
His Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohti_Tunyaz (English) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/吐赫提·土亚兹 (Mandarin)
His Baidu Baike: https://archive.fo/HFMsN
A book authored by him: https://www.toho-shoten.co.jp/toho-web/search/detail?id=395604&bookType=ch
BBC mention: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4360813.stm
An online profile page (unclear if he is the author, but the year of birth is given as 1951 here, as it is in his Chinese Wikipedia): https://archive.fo/5be4u
Old website to petition for the victim's release (Testimony 6): https://web.archive.org/web/20050311171710/http://www.monomono.jp/tohti_e/index.html
Radio Free Asia coverage (Testimony 7): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/prison-02102009160614.html
Coverage in Yomiuri Shimbun (Testimony 8): https://web.archive.org/web/20090304221056/https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/world/20090212TDY02311.h tm
Testimony 6: the maximum prison term as established in criminal law for the crimes with which the victim was charged should have been five years, but his sentence far exceeded that.
Testimony 6: The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared the victim to be arbitrarily detained in December 2001. The detention was in contravention of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Testimony 7: Rabiya Tohti once "sought permission to bring her husband to Japan for medical treatment, citing a foot injury resulting from a car accident." Rabiya Tohti reportedly travelled to Urumqi twice to visit her husband in 1998, but was not permitted to see him.
Testimony 7: the University of Tokyo renewed the victim's temporary leave status every year, and a new instructor was assigned for the victim after the victim's previous teacher retired.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/UyghurScientist/status/1254992739193638912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4082_2.jpg paper by the victim: https://shahit.biz/supp/4082_3.pdf
Entry created: 2019-05-10 Last updated: 2021-01-16 Latest status update: 2020-04-28 4111. Abdulgheni Memetimin
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|revealing "state secrets" Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights in China, a New York-based international, Chinese, non-governmental organization.
Testimony 2: BBC, a British public service broadcaster.
Testimony 3: Congressional-Executive Commission on China, an independent agency of the U.S. government which monitors human rights and rule of law developments in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Abdulghani Memetemin 26-Jul-02 A 40-year-old writer, teacher, translator and advocate was accused of divulging state secrets abroad. Memetemin was convicted on the basis of articles he translated for the German-based East Turkestan Information Center, and for recruiting additional reporters for ETIC. He was sentenced to nine years.
Testimony 2: the victim is a teacher and a journalist.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Detained on 26-Jul-02.
Testimony 2: The victim was sentenced on 24 June 2003 to 9 years in jail for "providing state secrets for an organisation outside the country".
Testimony 3: he allegedly did not have a lawyer during the trial and was allegedly tortured in custody. He served his sentence at the Xinjiang No. 4 Prison. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1-2: Divulging state secrets abroad.
Testimony 2: The victim was specifically accused of helping the East Turkestan Information Centre (ETIC) in Germany with its work by sending ETIC news reports and transcriptions of speeches by Chinese officials and trying to recruit new reporters for the group.
Victim's status
Unknown
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-2: not stated.
Additional information
Human Rights in China report (Testimony 1): https://www.hrichina.org/sites/default/files/PDFs/CRF.4.2006/CRF-2006-4_Custody.pdf
BBC mention (Testimony 2): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4360813.stm
CECC article (Testimony 3): https://www.cecc.gov/publications/commission-analysis/uyghur-political-prisoners-mehbube-ableshs-and -abdulghani
Entry created: 2019-05-10 Last updated: 2021-05-31 Latest status update: 2006-04-01 4193. Shalqar Tursynali (恰力哈力·吐尔逊艾力)
Chinese ID: 654128199304071738 (Nilka)
Basic info
Age: 28 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|5: Duisenali Mamish, born in 1987, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (uncle)
Testimony 3: "Azat Erkin", a Kazakh web activist. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Duisenali Mamish, as reported by Voices on Central Asia. (uncle)
About the victim
Shalqar Tursynali got married to his wife, Gaziz, in February 2018.
ID address: House No. 500, Suzmut Village, Qujurtay Township, Nilqa County, Xinjiang (新疆尼勒克县胡吉尔台乡索孜木图村500号).
Victim's location
Qarabura Prison [but unclear which].
When victim was detained
Shalqar received a phone call from the Qorgas police in February 2018, ordering him not to leave his home. He was later arrested on April 11, 2018. Around August of the same year, without a lawyer or any relatives attending his trial, Shalqar's wife received a letter from the police informing her that he had been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Shalqar's uncle believes that he was probably detained for attending a religious course for a few months, several years ago.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 15 years in prison with 2 years of deprivation of political rights. Shalqar's family members are allowed to talk to him once a month via video calls from a police station in Qujurtay Township. In one of these calls, Shalqar's face allegedly appeared swollen.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Presumably through Shalqar's parents, as they have had some contact with him.]
Additional information
Mentioned in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NwrLJrNa3E Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn1u4gQFPL0 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZMJDDAk-ik Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/Erkin_Azat/status/1163007122768039938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/4193_3.png testifier with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4193_5.jpg
Entry created: 2019-05-12 Last updated: 2020-09-24 Latest status update: 2021-06-03 4199. Kenzhe Rahadyl
Chinese ID: 654027195303?5??O? (Tekes)
Basic info
Age: 67 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: publishing
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4|5|7|8: Erkinbek Nuraqyn, born in 1970, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 6: Erkinbek Nuraqyn, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (cousin)
About the victim
Kenzhe Rahat (Testimony 8: Rahadyl) was born on March 15 (March 5, according to RFA), 1953. He's from Tekes county of Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. He worked for 30 years in a lead workshop at the Yili Publishing house in Kuytun City prior to retirement in 2006 (Testimony 7: mentions he retired in 2000).
Because of the working conditions at the publishing house, he became poisoned and is now a person with third-degree disabilities.
He has a son and daughter.
Address: Yelintao neighborhood (叶林桃小区), Kuitun city.
Victim's location it's written Kuitun city (Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture) on the list, yet the testifier says he's held in Wusu city (number 2 prison in Wusu).
When victim was detained earlier: April 1, 2019
Testimony 5: Put into a concentration camp at the end of March 2017 for praying. On April 4, 2019 he was sentenced to 8 years during a closed court hearing took place in Kuitun intermediate court (on April 8, 2019, his wife was informed about this and was forced to sign a document).
Testimony 7: He was sent to a re-education camp in September 2017. He was allowed to get in touch with his family through video calls (once a month) only since 2018. His last video call was in December 2018 and disappeared again and on April 1, 2019 the neighborhood administration informed his family members about his prison term. He has been allowed to have video calls twice a month since August 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention praying
Victim's status sentenced to 8 years in prison on April 4, 2019
Testimony 5: So far his family members have been able to see him only twice [presumably since detention]: once face to face and once through a video call.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 5: Since his salary was halted as well, his family is now struggling to pay back a 140000RMB bank loan for a mortgage.
RFA coverage (Testimony 6): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql-10172019064718.html
Testimony 7: His daughter had been selling products made in Kazakhstan and now she isn't allowed to go to Korgas boundary cooperation center for buying the products and is at home without any income.
Testimony 6: His family were forced to cover for his expenses in the re-education camp. They paid 70,000 yuan in total.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ3B8827C7g Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEwkeNL1qtE Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Svs3QVDqa4 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0aVUX4XimM Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l71SPNopHLQ Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BXh1Ph3x3Y Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJxoeb2ECao
Entry created: 2019-05-14 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-02-27 4255. Dalesh Sherizat (达列什·切里扎提)
Chinese ID: 652501196010100835 (Chochek)
Basic info
Age: 59 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" literature|--- Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Omirgul Elubai, born in 1967, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 2: Muratqan Kadenov Kusainovich, born in 1970, is from East Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 3|4: Aidyn Elubai, born in 1969, is originally from Dorbiljin County but now lives in Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 5: Adilet Sherizat, born in 1958, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
Testimony 6: Omirgul Elubai, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister-in-law)
About the victim
Dalesh Sherizat (达列西•契里扎提) was born on October 10, 1960 in Shanghu township (上户乡), Emin county, Tacheng prefecture. He started working as a civil servant in 1978 and became a translator at the county level administration office. He advanced his studies in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Lanzhou and became the Head of the translation office. in 2005 he was appointed as the Head of the Shagantogai county, and in 2010 promoted to the head of the Personnel Bureau of the Tacheng region. He was the head of the Bureau of disabled people in 2015 and retired in April 2017. He was put into a re-education camp in July 2018 for no reason and later was sentenced to two years in prison. According to his lawyer, he's become very thin now.
His phone number: 13899397760.
Address: Bopeng/Bofeng Residence, Tacheng City, Tacheng.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: in a prison for criminals with serious crimes in Wusu city
When victim was detained Testimony 1: July 2018
Testimony 2: Sent to camp in August 2018. His case was handled in court in April 2019 and he was found not guilty, but was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison anyway on June 12, 2019.
Testimony 6: sent to camp on August 3, 2018. Sentenced to 2 years on April 1, 2019, transferred to a "re-education camp" in Wusu on June 1, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 5: imprisoned for publishing 2-3 books (despite the books being formally approved)
Victim's status in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[probably through the victim's lawyer]
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 6): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-12022019061541.html
His public statement in response to the Wenchuan earthquake, which happened during his tenure as head of Civil Bureau of Tacheng, is available online: http://minzu.cnr.cn/mzxw/200806/t20080603_504815824.html (deleted)
Testimony 6: Dalesh’s father succumbed to cancer on December 2, 2019.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INyzl1x6noM Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwHbW4WlPnk Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpdbaBavYlA Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxNUCvj2uoI Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dB5MAqjWdM photo (left): https://shahit.biz/supp/4255_6.jpeg award: https://shahit.biz/supp/4255_7.jpg
Entry created: 2019-05-15 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2019-12-02 4288. Eli Yasin
Chinese ID: 65292219????????O? (Onsu)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
Victim's name is mentioned in the UHRP Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review https://docs.uhrp.org/pdf/UHRP_UPR_2018_March_2018.pdf
Victim's relation to testifier no relation, information publicly available.
About the victim
Eli Yasin, over 40 years old, a poor farmer and a resident of Qarasur village (喀拉萨尔克村), Chaghraq township (恰格拉克乡), Onsu county. Authorities had suspected Yasin and family members who viewed the film with him of planning to go abroad “to wage jihad.” Yasin was arrested with his family members from the nearby Toxula township.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
May 2015.
Likely (or given) reason for detention watching a politically sensitive film on Muslim migration
Victim's status
Sentenced to 7 years in prison in February 2016
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Information publicly available
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2019-05-18 Last updated: 2021-03-02 Latest status update: 2018-03-02 4361. Tursunjan Emet
Chinese ID: 654101195512031193 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 65 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): contact with outside world|"separatism" Health status: has problems Profession: art & literature
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
Testimony 2|6: Doğan Erdoğan, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (son-in-law)
Testimony 3|5|7: Doğan Erdoğan, a cook from Turkey. He married Gulnaz Tursun, Tursunjan Emet's daughter, but was forced to leave Xinjiang and has been unable to reunite with his wife and daughter. (son-in-law)
Testimony 4: Doğan Erdoğan, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (son-in-law)
About the victim
Tursunjan Emet is an Uyghur poet, originally from Ili.
Victim's location
Believed by his son-in-law to be in a camp in Miquan, Urumqi. [This is possibly in reference to the No. 1 detention center in Miquan, especially seeing as Tursunjan is currently being tried in Urumqi.]
When victim was detained
Tursunjan has been having issues since 2002, when he was first detained for reading an Uyghur poem at a New Year's party in the Urumqi People's Hall on January 1, 2002 (interpreted by officials as being "against the people and advocating separatism"). He was detained and released a number of times since.
The most recent detention was in September or December of 2018 [testimonies differ]. After initially being detained in Ghulja, he was later transferred to a camp in Urumqi [possibly a detention center].
In September 14, 2020, he was allegedly tried, also in connection with the poem he read in 2002, and sentenced three months later for "inciting separatism" (though it was originally stated that the verdict would be ready in ten days). Eight people from his family were allowed to come from Ghulja to Urumqi to attend the trial. Tursunjan has appealed the verdict, however.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The reason for the initial detention back in 2002 was "advocating separatism". The recent sentence appears to be for the 2002 poem as well, and again for "inciting separatism".
His son-in-law, a Turkish citizen, believes that the reason for the current detention is that he allowed his daughter to marry a Turk.
Victim's status
Sentenced, but he has appealed the decision.
A former cellmate allegedly told Tursunjan's relatives in mid-2019 that Tursunjan was in detention but "doing well".
He suffers from diabetes, however, and the testifier has heard of him needing to be taken to a hospital several times.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Dogan still appears to be in contact with his wife in Xinjiang, and they have been able to meet on the Kazakhstan-China border region on some occasions.
On June 11, 2021, Tursunjan's daughter spoke to him on the phone, for the first time in 33 months.
Additional information
Tursunjan's initial arrest led to the government establishing compulsory political classes for the literary elite in Xinjiang.
His original case was mentioned in a 2002 Amnesty International report: https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/116000/asa170102002en.pdf
Recent coverage from Radio Free Asia: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-lager-10302019155359.html https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/tursunjan-emet-12112020211020.html
Victims among relatives
Nazile Tursun (5610), Gulnaz Tursun (6309), Juret Ehmet (15085)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REovn6eE9fc Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8OZ-gHSGfc Testimony 7: https://twitter.com/erdogandgn/status/1403211446570393601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo with son-in-law (center): https://shahit.biz/supp/4361_1.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-05-22 Last updated: 2021-06-13 Latest status update: 2021-06-11 4531. Raisa Muty (热依沙·木特尼)
Chinese ID: 652323199207111424 (Kutubi)
Basic info
Age: 28 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: corporate work
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Unknown, but with a verified identity. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Qurman Duisenbai, citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 3: Tabarak Kamai, born in 1989, has been a citizen of Kazakhstan since 2011. (uncle)
About the victim
Raisa Muty. She got married to Abaidolla Duisenbai in September 2017.
ID address: Nanshan Livestock Village, Churgul Township, Hutubi county, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture
Victim's location
[Unclear, as she's been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: November 2017
Testimony 2: detained in February 2018, then given 12 years of prison about 2-3 months ago (as of December 2019).
Testimony 3: detained on February 20, 2017, and given 12 years on July 20, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: praying and joining a terrorist group (testifier mentions that "actually, these are people she worked with" [possibly means that the "terrorist group" was her coworkers]).
Testimony 3: sentenced for praying. Victim's status
Testimony 2: serving a 12-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFymTg03Iag Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz989cgOqkA Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GThmJqIlgBk Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/4531_3.jpg
Entry created: 2019-05-31 Last updated: 2021-06-23 Latest status update: 2020-09-26 4625. Baqbosyn Zhumaqadyr
Chinese ID: 654127198801252053 (Tekes)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Shynaigul Zhumaqadyr, born in 1990, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister)
About the victim
Baqbosyn Zhumaqadir studied religion at the Tekes campus of the Xinjiang Islamic Institute. He was sent to study in 2014 and attended a political education school in 2016 and 2017 (this does not appear to be strict detention).
He has two daughters: 3 and 6 years old (as of January 2020).
Address: No. 3 Village [Terekti], No. 5 Township [Qaratogai], Tekes county, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: approximately in 2015 [possibly not detention but compulsory political study]
Testimony 2: He was in a camp in 2018 and was sentenced to 7 years in prison in 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status serving 7 years of prison term How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
Testimony 2: His wife was threatened with being put into a camp if she kept going to the police station to ask about her husband's detention.
Victims among relatives
Sagdatqan Muqai (4622), Baibosyn Zhumaqadir (4623), Gulgaisha Zhumaqadir (4624)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRiLRxKXpCo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laAOevHa8ck
Entry created: 2019-06-06 Last updated: 2021-03-06 Latest status update: 2020-01-17 4628. Mahire Nurmuhemmed (玛依拉·努尔买买提)
Chinese ID: 650104198102141727 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kizilsu Status: sentenced (16 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|assisting "criminals", "terrorism" Health status: has problems Profession: government
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Memet'eli, originally from Atush. After studying in Egypt, he came to Turkey in 2017. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 2|7*: Mewlude Nurmuhemmed, sister of victim Mahire Nurmuhemmed. (sister)
Testimony 3|4: Nur'eli, a high-school student in Istanbul. (son)
Testimony 5*: Mewlude Nurmuhemmed, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (sister)
Testimony 6: Mewlude Nurmuhemmed, as reported by Bitter Winter. (sister)
Testimony 8: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 9: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Mahire Nurmuhemmed worked as a government administrator, and had retired due to health problems.
Address: Apt. 302, No. 3 Entrance, Building 6, Section A of the Chenguang Huayuan Residential Complex, Tuanjie Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi, Xinjiang (新疆乌鲁木齐市天山区团结路晨光花园A区六号楼三单元302).
Victim's location
In a pre-trial detention center in Atush.
When victim was detained
She was arrested on November 18, 2018 at her home in Urumqi and transferred to Atush. In January 2019, she was sentenced to 16.5 years in prison. Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to Memet'eli, for sending her son to Egypt at a very young age to study Islam.
According to Mewlude Nurmuhemmed, for "having the problematic religious ideology of Islam", as well as having her son study in Turkey.
An official court verdict for a Hui man, Nie Shigang (sentenced to 5 years for helping Uyghurs from southern Xinjiang [likely, Atush] transfer money to their relatives in Egypt), includes Mahire, saying that she sent 8650RMB to Mewlude and Memet'eli ("fugitive(s) suspected of endangering national security" and, elsewhere in the verdict, "terrorists") on May 13, 2015. [It is very likely that this was at least one of the reasons given for her sentence.]
Victim's status
Sentenced to 16.5 years in prison. However, she is still in a pre-trial detention center.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Mewlude learned of the detention from an anonymous source on November 20, 2018.
Additional information
Bitter Winter coverage: https://bitterwinter.org/uyghur-mother-punished-for-her-care/
Court verdict mentioning the victim: https://archive.is/M0nOJ
A police record notes an operation being carried out with regard to her ID [specifics unclear] on December 29, 2017, by the Victory Road Police Station (胜利路派出所).
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_39.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_39.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=39
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eAu_GXUTDw Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhdW048s14c Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgZNC53tEGg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4628_2.png Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/4628_3.pdf Testimony 7: https://shahit.biz/supp/4628_6.png
Entry created: 2019-06-06 Last updated: 2021-06-05 Latest status update: 2020-12-07 4642. Shireli Abdukerim (希尔艾力·阿布都克力木)
Chinese ID: 65010419740205441X (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: unclear (soft) When problems started: Jan. 2019 - Mar. 2019 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|5*|6*: Anonymous, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (friend)
Testimony 2|3: @ChinaFreeUyghur, an unverified Twitter account. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Nathan, a participant in the Silk Road Peace Project. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Shir'eli Abdukerim had previously been a lecturer at Xinjiang Normal University and was running a private business since 2009-2010. He was a CCP member.
ID address: Apt. 403, Entrance No. 1, Building 24, 18 Liyushan Road, Xinshi District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市新市区鲤鱼山路18号24号楼1单元403号)
Chinese passport number: G52112981.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi.]
When victim was detained
Initially detained in February 2019. In August 2019, he was allegedly sentenced to 1.5 years in prison and taken to a camp [presumably detention center] in Midong, Urumqi.
His release was scheduled for September 7, 2020, but this did not appear to occur and he remained missing, with no one having any news of him. However, his friend did report, in late January 2021, that he had been released.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Posting a Halal chicken advertisement on WeChat. Victim's status
Released from detention.
However, he had to be taken to the hospital because of high blood pressure and pulmonary edema.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
His company's listing: http://archive.is/cQiP5
It is also possible that the victim was subjected to forced labor while at the Midong detention center, as there is some evidence for this practice existing there.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5phlFvEApo Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/ChinaFreeUyghur/status/1219309348712828928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/ChinaFreeUyghur/status/1261134314777051141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/4642_2.png Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/4642_4.png organization code certificate: https://shahit.biz/supp/4642_5.jpg business license: https://shahit.biz/supp/4642_6.jpg tax registration certificate: https://shahit.biz/supp/4642_7.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4642_8.png
Entry created: 2019-06-10 Last updated: 2021-02-11 Latest status update: 2021-02-11 4647. Abliz Tohtihaji (阿布力孜·托乎提阿吉)
Chinese ID: 653101197507092811 (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uzbek Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "violating birth policies"|"breach of Party discipline", other, "illegal gathering" Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (friend)
Testimony 2|3: @ChinaFreeUyghur, an unverified Twitter account. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Nathan, a participant in the Silk Road Peace Project. (relation unclear)
Testimony 5: Anonymous, identity not verified. (relation unclear)
Testimony 6: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (from same town/region)
Testimony 7: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 8: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 9: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Abliz Tohtihaji, ethnic Uzbek, is a father of four.
He was a leader of the Kashgar Transportation Bureau (喀什运管局书记) and a CCP member. He was also a member of a local meshrep group, who often did charity work for the community. In his free time, he liked to play the dutar and guitar.
Victim's location
Pailou Prison in Yarkand.
When victim was detained Abliz and other members of the meshrep group had been previously arrested and interrogated in 2014, because of their donations to religious leaders who were detained in 2014 on "extremism" charges.
Abliz was arrested again in May 2017 (Nathan mentions that he was detained on the same night as most of the others in his meshrep group).
Four months into his detention, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
One anonymous testifier speculates that it could possibly be the fact that the victim had 4 children.
An official speech (https://archive.is/TO3S7), given at around the time of the 19th Party Congress (late 2017), calls him a "scum" (败类), using him as an example of someone who breached Party discipline and "colluded and acted in cahoots with the 'three evil forces'".
The anonymous source who spoke to Radio Free Asia has said that the entire meshrep group was detained on charges of "illegal gathering and organizing", which related to their work from 2014. The local police officer confirmed that the detention was due to the donations the meshrep group had distributed in the past.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 7 years. (A local police officer said that this sentence was relatively light, owing to the victim's "good behavior" during interrogation.)
[There is a good likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as the Kashgar Pailou Farm LLC operates out of the prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not stated how the testifiers abroad learned of his detention.
The local government and police staff who confirmed the detention would presumably have more direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/chief-02092021180453.html
The victim is also included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs (and other ethnic minorities), available at: https://shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJL_OZLu3Rc Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/ChinaFreeUyghur/status/1219309348712828928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/ChinaFreeUyghur/status/1261136451779133440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/Uyghur_NZ/status/1321580566823751680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/4647_1.jpg official speech mentioning him: https://shahit.biz/supp/4647_6.pdf photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/4647_7.png
Entry created: 2019-06-11 Last updated: 2021-04-30 Latest status update: 2021-02-09 4787. Nur Bekri (努尔·白克力)
Chinese ID: 650102196108034517 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 58 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"breach of Party discipline", "corruption" Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the highest internal control institution of the Chinese Communist Party.
Testimony 2: People's Daily, the largest newspaper group in China.
Testimony 3: Xinhua News Agency, the official state-run press agency of the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Nur Bekri, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission and Director of the Energy Bureau. Previously the governor of Xinjiang. Born in Bortala city in August 1961.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Liaoning province court filed the charges on April 2018, and he was detained later in September 2018. Expelled from the CCP in March 2019.
Testimony 3: sentenced to life in prison by Shenyang Intermediate People's Court in Liaoning province on 2 Dec 2019 for allegedly accepting more than 79 million yuan in bribes between 1998 and 2018. He said that he would not appeal.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: "breach of Party discipline"
Testimony 2-3: Corruption charges
Testimony 3: The victim reportedly confessed to crimes that prosecutors "had not known about" and volunteered to return some of the alleged bribe money.
Victim's status
Testimony 2: Sentenced.
Testimony 3: sentenced to life.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: this is a government body with direct knowledge of the case.
Testimony 2-3: this is an official media outlet of the government.
Additional information
Investigation notice (Testimony 1): https://archive.vn/oCdWe
Voice of America coverage: https://www.voachinese.com/a/Chinese-Official-Of-Muslin-Minority-Group-Under-Investigation-20181215 /4702084.html
People's Daily coverage (Testimony 2): https://archive.vn/CzTUm
Xinhua coverage (Testimony 3): http://archive.is/S7EJY
South China Morning Post coverage: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3040287/chinese-court-jails-senior-ethnic-uygur-offici al-life
His Baidu Baike: https://archive.vn/G3g1u
His Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nur_Bekri
Investigation announcement
"Vice Chairman and Party leadership group member of the PRC National Development and Reform Commission, Director and Party Secretary of the National Energy Administration Nur Bekri is suspected of seriously breaching (Party) discipline and the law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection." - Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (September 21, 2018)
Source: https://archive.vn/oCdWe
Supplementary materials in court: https://shahit.biz/supp/4787_1.jpg state media report: https://shahit.biz/supp/4787_2.mp4 judgment enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/4787_3.png Entry created: 2019-06-19 Last updated: 2020-10-03 Latest status update: 2019-12-03 4824. Rafail Umit
Chinese ID: 65420119930625??O? (Chochek)
Basic info
Age: 26 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): other|--- Health status: --- Profession: other
Testifying party
Gene A. Bunin
Victim's relation to testifier
The victim is the nephew of someone I know.
About the victim
Rafail Umit (热法意尔·吾米提) graduated from the No. 2 High School in Tacheng City in 2012, after which he spent 5 years in Jiangsu province, studying at a construction university. Following graduation, he returned to Xinjiang in 2017 and found work at a construction company in Urumqi that supplied/delivered metals.
Victim's location
It is unclear which jail he is being held at (may not be in Tacheng).
When victim was detained
He was arrested on February 7, 2018 and held in a camp in Tacheng City. Later, he was allegedly sentenced to 2 years in jail.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to his relative, there was a money issue, where people having made a deal with the construction company weren't paying up, and Rafail wrote a complaint, which would lead to him being jailed.
Victim's status
Serving a 2-year sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Through his relative, who was also in the same camp as him.
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Amanzhan Seiit (4981)
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W02RQ0STv5s photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4824_1.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-06-22 Last updated: 2019-06-22 Latest status update: 2019-07-20 4915. Erkin Ayup
Chinese ID: 6531211965??????O? (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: 55-56 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tumshuq Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|"terrorism" Health status: has problems Profession: government
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|6: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (brother)
Testimony 3|4: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 5*: Anonymous, as reported by Gene A. Bunin.
Testimony 7: Abduweli Ayup, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (brother)
Testimony 8: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 9: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 10: Abduweli Ayup, as reported by Amnesty International. (brother)
Testimony 11*: Abduweli Ayup, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (brother)
About the victim
Erkin Ayup, a local CCP head from Toqquzaq Township in Konasheher County in Kashgar.
He graduated from Xinjiang University's geography department in 1987. After graduation, he volunteered as an interpreter in a government disease-prevention department and spent several years working as a mid-level cadre in Toqquzaq Township. Prior to being promoted to the Supervision Department, where he was working at the time of his arrest, he had also been appointed as Deputy Party Secretary of Tashmiliq Township.
Victim's location
A prison in Tumshuq [presumably Tumshuq Prison, as there is only one known prison there]. When victim was detained
According to Abduweli Ayup, Erkin was arrested in July-August 2017. A Radio Free Asia investigation from November 2019 was also able to confirm that he's been detained for "almost three years", and was being held at a camp near the Kashgar Airport (more specifically, in an area called "Dongcun", near an old management station).
He was later sentenced to 14 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Believed to have been arrested and sentenced as a result of Abduweli's activism. Abduweli also mentions the official reason as being "inciting terrorism".
A police officer mentioned that Erkin was sentenced for "mistakes" made while working for the Family Planning Committee.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
He suffers from heart problems and diabetes.
[It is likely that the victim has been subjected to forced labor at the Tumshuq Prison, as the existence of "labor-skills workshops" has been documented at the facility.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not clear how Abduweli Ayup learned about the detention. The government officials and police that Radio Free Asia spoke to would presumably have more direct knowledge of the case, however.
A phone call by a shahit.biz volunteer to someone in the region at the end of September 2019 confirmed that Erkin was not at home, was doing "well", did not answer his mobile phone, and didn't have a new number (suggesting that he had not been released).
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-tutqun-11222019232613.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/brother-12052019152017.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/siblings-jailed-06032021174411.html
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR008
Victims among relatives
Abduweli Ayup (4616), Sajidigul Ayup (2886), Ablikim Tohti (5519), Gheyret Eysa (3147), Turkizat Gheyret (4829), Kamal Gheyret (6204), Nurmemet Ebeydulla (5518), Mihray Erkin (14280) Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PybwKcfaMLo Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WJzkcrpZjo Testimony 1: https://twitter.com/AbduwelA/status/1130419229503758338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/4915_3.jpeg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/4915_4.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-07-02 Last updated: 2021-09-18 Latest status update: 2021-06-03 4937. Memetjan Abduqadir (买买提江·阿不都卡德尔)
Chinese ID: 6531011977??????O? (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: 38-39 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"inciting subversion", "endangering state security", "extremism" Health status: --- Profession: medicine
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)
Testimony 3: Dui Hua, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 4: Beijing Times, a Chinese newspaper published in Beijing, and part of the People's Daily Group. It ceased publication in 2017.
About the victim
Memetjan Abduqadir, a former doctor at the Xinjiang Medical University No. 1 Hospital. Together with his schoolmate Tursunjan Ablimit, he founded Tewpiq Foundation, an organization which aimed to provide assistance to both poor and outstanding Uyghur students by running free English classes and extracurricular activities such as football tournaments.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as he's been sentenced. However, it is likely that he was imprisoned in Urumqi, and possibly at the No. 1 prison, as that's where the prison rally during which his sentence reduction was announced was held. (Testimony 4)]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1-2: detained in October 2009, then sentenced in December 2011.
Testimony 3-4: his sentenced was commuted on February 1, 2016.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: "Subverting state power"
Testimony 4: "endangering state security"; According to Chinese government sources, he ‘used his position as professor to spread extremist ideology and recruit new members to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement’.
Victim's status
Testimony 1-2: Sentenced to 15 years in prison
Testimony 4: A meeting of Xinjiang’s First Prison authority on February 2, 2016 saw the sentences of 11 ‘state-security convicts’ reduced, including Memetjan. It is not clear what sentence applies to him now, but 7 out of 11 convicts saw their sentence changed from imprisonment for life (无期判刑) to ‘incarceration for a fixed period’ (有期判刑), and 4 others got it reduced by 6 months. Presumably, this means that Memetjan's sentence has been reduced to 14.5 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-2: not stated, but both appear to be in the region and acquainted with the victim.
Testimony 3-4: presumably through official sources.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/tewpiq-09282012115644.html (Testimony 1-2) https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/commutes-02032016151916.html/ (Testimony 3)
Beijing Times coverage (Testimony 4): https://archive.vn/d8xcO
Supplementary materials photo with team (left arrow): https://shahit.biz/supp/4937_1.jpg
Entry created: 2019-07-04 Last updated: 2021-03-11 Latest status update: 2016-02-03 4941. Otkur Yarmemet (吾提库尔·亚尔买买提)
Chinese ID: 65410119900725??O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Anonymous, as reported by AidET. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2|3|4|5: Zulhayat Yarmemet, originally from Ghulja but now residing in the United States. (sister)
Testimony 6: Anonymous, as reported by Amnesty International. (relative)
About the victim
Otkur Yarmemet finished high school and went to study in Turkey, where he did 2 years of preparatory language courses and was then admitted to the marketing program at Kastamonu University. In 2016, he returned to China to take care of his aging parents and to help run the family shop that was opened by his father. He also worked hard to help expand the business. It was around this time that he got engaged.
Address: No. 9 10th Alley, Aydun Street (阿依墩街), Ghulja City.
Passport no: G38339162.
Victim's location
[Unclear, since he's been jailed, and Zulhayat says that his family doesn't know where he is.]
When victim was detained
He was taken by state security personnel from home at night in April 2017. His parents were told that he was being held at a "re-education" camp, but for a year they did not know where exactly. Originally, the family was told that Otkur was being taken away for 15 days, but then the authorities said that he would need 3 months. According to the base testimony, he was released for a day in July 2017 but then detained again.
In March 2018, Zulhayat's father was taken away as well (he was only released recently, as of October 2019), and a few days after this the mother was told that Otkur was going to be sentenced to 10 years. The first (anonymous) testimony says that Otkur himself called and said that he was in prison [this is slightly confusing].
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Not clear, but Zulhayat suspects it is because Otkur had studied in Turkey.
Victim's status
Believed to be serving a 10-year sentence.
In February 2021, his mother was able to video-call him, and said that he looked "gaunt and unrecognizable".
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Zulhayat does not explicitly state exactly how she learned all this, but from her testimony it is apparent that she is able to stay in touch with her parents.
Additional information
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR034
Zulhayat adds that her mother was not allowed to attend Otkur's trial and that no official confirmation of the verdict was ever received.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSXpMLNHfd8 Testimony 2: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php%3Fstory_fb id%3D921711728186476%26id%3D100010429727463&width=300 victim's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/otkur.uygur.3/posts/16482 05165430147:0&width=300 Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/ZYarmamat/status/1331094449070419968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/ZYarmamat/status/1335811332139048966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/4941_1.png Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/4941_2.png photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/4941_6.jpg photo (3): https://shahit.biz/supp/4941_7.jpg
Entry created: 2019-07-05 Last updated: 2021-09-28 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 4944. Zohre Tohti
Chinese ID: 65410119790523??E? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): contact with outside world|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Anonymous, as reported by AidET. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Abdujelil Haji, a resident of Germany. (brother-in-law)
About the victim
Zohre Tohti (also: Tohtahun).
Address: 155 Fourteenth Alley, Beidaying (北大营), Ghulja City.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as victim has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was initially detained on November 24, 2017. After spending about a year in a camp, she was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Contact with relatives abroad (sending them money and talking on the phone).
Victim's status
Serving a 12-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated. Additional information
Her detention left her daughter without care.
Victims among relatives
Shemshiqemer Abliz (815)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skoxgN3D15o photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4944_1.jpg
Entry created: 2019-07-05 Last updated: 2020-01-07 Latest status update: 2020-01-07 4958. Muhemmedeli Tursun (买买提力·吐尔逊)
Chinese ID: 652101197010011317 (Turpan)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"picking quarrels" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|2|3: Muherrem Muhemmed'eli, originally from Turpan but now living and working in Japan. (son)
Testimony 4: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 5: Muherrem Muhemmed'eli, as reported by Amnesty International. (son)
About the victim
Muhemmed'eli Tursun was a farmer by profession, and also served as an imam during Friday prayer for his neighborhood.
Address: No. 4 Group, Yengi'mehelle Village, Yar Municipality, Turpan City.
Victim's location
In a prison in Korla City.
When victim was detained
He was called to attend a "meeting" (with other local imams) on March 24, 2017, and was arrested there. Around August of the same year, he would have a closed trial, without a lawyer and without the family being notified, where they would sentence him to 6 years for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". He was then transferred to a prison in Korla.
While in prison, he wrote letters to his family, in which he emphasized such things as the need to learn the "national language".
Around April 2019, Muhemmed'eli called his family in Turpan from the prison. As they were only allowed to speak in Mandarin, only one of the family members was able to talk to him. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
From the video call he had with his family from prison, it was clear that he had lost significant weight (having previously weighed over 100 kilos).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The family would learn of what happened only in October 2017, when they got a letter from the prison, saying that he had been sentenced around August and was now serving the sentence in Korla.
It has been possible for him to have phone calls with the family (fixed time/length), though they are required to speak Chinese during these.
Additional information
The victim's son lists the following as illegal acts that the Chinese government has committed during this process and before (in violation of its own laws):
- keeping him in detention illegally for around 7 months - not granting him his right to call a lawyer - prior to this, questioning him on two occasions without any formal procedures - installing surveillance cameras outside the family home without any reason (in 2014)
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR050
Miscellaneous media evidence
Context: Muhemmed'eli Tursun was disappeared in March 2017, after being called to a meeting. In October 2017, his family learned that he had been sentenced to 6 years for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". In around April of 2019, his family had a video chat with him, where Muhemmed'eli can be seen as being in prison, with a guard present. His son in Japan, Muherrem, mentions that his father lost significant weight while in detention.
Video: https://shahit.biz/supp/misc_4958.mp4 Source: https://twitter.com/Muharram_BAQi/status/1274621699040751617
Victims among relatives
Mehmud Muhemmet (4964), Abdurahman Memet (5052), Ayshemhan Yasin (4957), Memet Ismayil (4959), Ehmed Muhemmed (4960), Nureli Ehmed (4961), Omer Ehmed (4962), Nurislam Ehmed (4963), Abdusalam Muhemmed (4965) Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raShn5OBNqQ mention on Japanese TV: https://twitter.com/UyghurInfo/status/1201683216127549440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/Muharram_BAQi/status/1274621699040751617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4958_1.png surveillance cameras outside home: https://shahit.biz/supp/4958_2.png
Entry created: 2019-07-07 Last updated: 2021-09-21 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 4980. Memetabid Zeydin
Chinese ID: 653101196402220413 (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|relative(s), related to going abroad Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Anonymous, as reported by AidET. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2*|3|5: Hebibe Memetabid, originally from Kashgar City. She went to the National University of Malaysia for her bachelor's degree in 2017, and then to the US for her master's. (daughter)
Testimony 4: Official notice to those with relatives abroad, warning the informed party that they will be held legally responsible in the case that their relative does not return to China quickly. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 7: Anonymous, as reported by Amnesty International. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Memet'abid Zeydin was a businessman who also did charity work for his community.
Address: Orda Street, Kashgar City.
Victim's location
A prison in Changji City.
When victim was detained
Local police formally warned Memet'abid on April 17, 2017, saying that he would be held legally responsible if his daughter, Hebibe, did not return to China in the coming 7 days. She did not, and that same month Memet'abid was detained and taken to a concentration camp in Kashgar City. In September 2020, his daughter learned that he had been sentenced and was now in a prison in Changji City.
Likely (or given) reason for detention Because his daughter did not return to China as asked.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 7 years and in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Hebibe learned about the detention and sentencing through relatives.
The notice threatening to hold Memet'abid responsible in the case that Hebibe not return comes directly from the local police organs, who are presumably responsible for his arrest.
Additional information
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR102
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_16.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_16.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=16
Victims among relatives
Semetjan Mijit (13571), Hesenjan Mijit (13572), Ablikim Mijit (13573), Metniyaz Hesen (13574), Asimgul Sabit (13575)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/Habiba97013872/status/1336697930472976384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/Habiba97013872/status/1338714835178184704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/4980_1.jpg Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/4980_2.png
Entry created: 2019-07-09 Last updated: 2021-09-23 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 5020. Muratbek Omar (木拉提别克·吾麻尔)
Chinese ID: 654124198402281237 (Tokkuztara)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"extremism" Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Ermuhamet Qudaibergen, born in 1990, is now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 2: Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek, a Kazakhstan citizen originally from Tokkuztara County. He is one of the key volunteers at the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization. (relation unclear)
Testimony 3: Ermuhamet Qudaibergen, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (brother-in-law)
About the victim
Muratbek Omar was an assistant imam. He has a wife and two children.
His ID address: 123, Number 1 Street, Almaly village, Jirgalang township, Gongliu county
Victim's location
"Zhanaturme" in Kunes county [Kunes Maximum-Security Prison]
When victim was detained
March 21, 2018
RFA: Arrested together with 6 others on March 21, 2018 after celebrating Nowruz and giving greetings in an Islamic way
Likely (or given) reason for detention probably for working in a mosque
RFA report: “illegal preaching of extremist religious thoughts”
Victim's status Testimony 1: sentenced to 17 years in prison in February 2019
Testimony 2: sentenced to 17 years
[RFA report: sentenced to 18 years]
[There is a good likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at Kunes Prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
After Muratbek’s arrest, his sister was forced to move to her relatives’ house.
RFA coverage (Testimony 3): https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/qisqa_xewer/uyghurda-imam-09182019165613.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-09172019070308.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKwui8-3xQ Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOnoY9wj9xk Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5020_2.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5020_3.jpg photo with wife: https://shahit.biz/supp/5020_4.jpg
Entry created: 2019-07-16 Last updated: 2021-07-02 Latest status update: 2020-01-09 5073. Ezimet Enwer (艾孜买提·艾尼瓦尔)
Chinese ID: 654101199406101977 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 26 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyg-Uzb Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|4|5|11: Marhaba Tursunhoja, an ethnic Uzbek from Ghulja City who is now living in Norway. (aunt)
Testimony 2|3: Dilnur Reyhan, an Uyghur scholar, originally from Ghulja but now in France. (cousin once removed)
Testimony 6: Marhaba Tursunhoja, as reported by BBC Uzbek. (aunt)
Testimony 7: Marhaba Tursunhoja, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (aunt)
Testimony 8: Patime Tursun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (aunt)
Testimony 9|15: Minewwer Tursun, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (aunt)
Testimony 10|16: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 12: Jewlan Shirmemet, originally from Qorghas County, but now living in Turkey. (friend)
Testimony 13: Anonymous, as reported by Justice Abroad. (relative)
Testimony 14: Tursunhoja, a citizen of Germany and brother of victim Enwer Tursun. (uncle)
Testimony 17: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Ezimet Enwer used to study theology in Turkey, at the Ondokuz Mayis University in Samsun from 2011 to 2016, graduating and returning home to Ghulja.
Address: 214 Yengihayat Road, Ghulja City, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁市英阿亚提路214号). Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Detained at home on January 27, 2018. According to his uncle, Tursunhoja, he was held in two different facilities (one in the Shuiding Municipality and one in Boz, both close to Ghulja City).
After a significant period in a camp, he was reported to have been sentenced in a closed trial on October 8, 2019, with the authorities saying that they would make the verdict known in three months. (According to Merhaba, the authorities originally said that there would be a trial on October 11, 2019 and that two family members would be allowed to attend.)
However, Ezimet's aunt Minewwer reported in June 2020 that he had been sentenced to 15 years in prison a month earlier, following a trial held in Shuiding Township. His mother (Muqeddes Bilal) and sister were both present. Ezimet was reportedly not given the right to legal representation during the trial.
Four others were allegedly sentenced with him, according to a local police source, though a local neighborhood administration worker said that the five cases were all separate.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Official reason unclear, but multiple testifiers believe it is because he studied in Turkey.
Victim's status
Allegedly having been tried and sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
From relatives in the region. Minewwer cites an anonymous "informed source" with regard to information about Ezimet's trial and sentence.
The local police in Xinjiang presumably have more direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
Relatives [abroad, presumably] have made repeated attempts to obtain written documentation of the victim's case/sentencing, but have been unsuccessful so far.
What appears to be his (property rental) business: http://archive.is/MxWV1
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/enwer-tursunghoja-08052019104441.html https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/taksim-soda-10082019170239.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/uzbek-06182020161918.html Justice Abroad statement: https://www.justiceabroad.co.uk/news/ethnic-uzbek-father-and-son-face-lengthy-detention-in-chinese-co ncentration-camp-despite-not-committing-any-crime-justice-abroads-michael-polak-represents
Victims among relatives
Enwer Tursun (5072), Muqeddes Bilal (5493)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdACkiZ5PSo Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do9QXdpaeTo Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc8pq9uhDZM Testimony 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9GdX3KJzxw Testimony 1: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/marhaba.tursun/posts/228 5780674809254&width=300 Testimony 2: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/Ouighour/posts/10155997 745396805&width=300 Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/DilReyhan/status/1178405538763300864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 12: https://twitter.com/CevlanJevlan/status/1261391704369893377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5073_3.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5073_5.jpg Testimony 6: https://shahit.biz/supp/5073_7.mp4
Entry created: 2019-07-29 Last updated: 2021-02-02 Latest status update: 2021-03-07 5149. Ulan Turdybek (吾兰·吐尔迪别克)
Chinese ID: 652222199409202111 (Barkol)
Basic info
Age: 25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Wujiaqu Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Rysgul Agian, born in 1972, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (aunt)
Testimony 4: Qisa Agian, born in 1975, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (uncle)
About the victim
Ulan Turdybek, a graduate from a Chinese university in Urumqi. He also did 9 grades' worth of study in Mandarin.
Testimony 2: he studied in Korla and majored in urban management.
Victim's location
Testimony 4: in Fangcaohu prison (in Wujiaqu City).
When victim was detained earlier: December 1, 2017 (Testimony 1: He stayed in a re-education camp in Barkol Kazakh autonomous county, then was transferred to Hami city camp, where he stayed for one year. Then, he was transferred back to Barkol.; Testimony 2 reports him as beig in the Huoyan detention house)
Testimony 3: July 2018
Testimony 4: Detained on December 1, 2017 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on approximately November 10-15, 2019. On January 7, 2020, the testifier got a message that he was imprisoned in Fangcaohu.
Likely (or given) reason for detention earlier: Sending a message to a friend
Testimony 4: He was detained for sending greetings like Assalamaleikum and Happy Friday blessings to his friends on WeChat.
Victim's status
In re-education camp
Testimony 2: in a detention house
Testimony 4: in prison [as the prison has links to a factory, there is a good chance that the victim is being subjected to forced labor; the Xinjiang Jungar Cotton & Hemp LTD (新疆准噶尔棉麻有限公司) appears to operate a cotton-ginning mill there]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated
Additional information
Testimony 3: the testifier tried to contact relatives in China to get more information about the victim, but couldn't get any details.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKwTeSlUrJM Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZVraxXmcsQ Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcU2SC-xhbY Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Shr6QbDz4 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5149_3.png
Entry created: 2019-08-24 Last updated: 2021-05-16 Latest status update: 2020-01-08 5163. Sayithaji Qasim (沙依塔吉·哈斯木)
Chinese ID: 653101197211230015 (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" association|--- Health status: --- Profession: medicine
Testifying party
Testimony 1: "Uyghur Man", an unverified Facebook account. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2|3: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)
Testimony 4|5: Kashgar No. 2 Hospital staff, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (colleague)
Testimony 6: Sawutjan Qasim, originally from Kashgar but now residing in the United States. (brother)
Testimony 7: Local procuratorate employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Sayithaji Qasim, a urologist at Kashgar's No. 2 People's Hospital (喀什地区第二人民医院). A graduate of Xinjiang Medical University (1996), he was appointed as a surgeon at the urology department of the Kashgar No. 2 People’s Hospital in 2004, and was sent to Beijing for additional study in 2006.
He is married and has two children.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Detained on September 4, 2017.
He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Allegedly detained for staying at the same hotel as a criminal suspect. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The staff at the hospital presumably had direct knowledge of his detention.
The news of his sentence came from a local procuratorate worker, who would also presumably have relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/surgeon-08272019153724.html https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/sayitaji-qasim-09062021170749.html
A source told RFA that Sayithaji could have been released if his hospital had vouched for him and wrote a formal letter to authorities. However, the hospital has declined his family’s request to do so.
Article in Chinese about Sayithaji’s achievements: http://archive.is/OBqKq
Included in a 2014 list of people in Kashgar who obtained senior hygiene qualifications (卫生高级资格评审拟通过人员): http://archive.is/hIGon
Various papers that he's authored: http://archive.is/r1afx http://archive.is/4g87K http://archive.is/uMTg4 http://archive.is/d4xCS
Supplementary materials
Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmdQpNg6qVM Testimony 1: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/USUYlaqin17/posts/49920 3730833929&width=350 work photo (right): https://shahit.biz/supp/5163_2.jpeg confirmation SMS: https://shahit.biz/supp/5163_4.png academic paper (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/5163_5.pdf academic paper (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/5163_6.pdf
Entry created: 2019-08-28 Last updated: 2021-09-30 Latest status update: 2021-09-06 5165. Nurmuhemmet Turdi (努尔买买提·吐尔迪)
Chinese ID: 652925196903100018 (Toksu)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Anonymous, but with a verified identity.
Testimony 2: Sufane Alimjan, an Uyghur now living abroad. (niece)
Testimony 3|4: Alimjan Turdi, a resident of Turkey. (brother)
Testimony 5: Alimjan Turdi, as reported by Anadolu Agency. (brother)
Testimony 6: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Nurmuhemmet Turdi lived in Urumqi. According to his brother, he was educated and had his own business.
Address: 1000 Baoshan Road, Saybagh District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市沙依巴克区宝山路1000号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Nurmuhemmet was first detained and put in a training camp on February 28, 2017. He was sentenced to 10 years in September 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to Nurmuhemmet's niece, he was jailed for having a beard.
Victim's status [Presumably in prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The initial anonymous testifier learned about the victim's status from the victim's brother.
Additional information
Anadolu Agency coverage: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/life/-where-is-my-family-uighurs-dreading-for-relatives-in-china/2119131
Victims among relatives
Helimem Turdi (7759), Osman Rozi (7760), Mubarek Osman (7761), Qemerdin Osman (7762), Abla Eziz (7763), Elzat Eli (6079)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKMAf4AiG3U Twitter mention: https://twitter.com/Alida7121/status/1204193640891002885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/A_Turdiniyaz/status/1307572390860333058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/A_Turdiniyaz/status/1277227505037033474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5165_2.png note from Xinjiang: https://shahit.biz/supp/5165_3.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-08-29 Last updated: 2021-04-28 Latest status update: 2021-02-09 5168. Ababekri Imremze
Chinese ID: 65290119????????O? (Aksu)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
I'm originally from Aksu City, but now live in Kayseri, Turkey. I'm testifying for my hometown friends who were unjustly locked up.
Victim's relation to testifier
The victim is my friend.
About the victim
Ababekri Imremze - nicknamed "Pochta" ("mail") - is around 40 years old (as of September 2019). He was born and raised on Aksu City's Wangsan Street (王三街).
Victim's location
---
When victim was detained
Around September 2015 in Guangzhou.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Trying to escape abroad.
Victim's status
---
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Sentenced to life a few months after the initial arrest. Additional information
---
Entry created: 2019-08-29 Last updated: 2019-08-29 Latest status update: 2019-08-29 5170. Halit Abdushukur (哈力提·阿布都许库尔)
Chinese ID: 65410119861218027X (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 33 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Tursun Ibrahim, now residing outside China. (former schoolmate)
Testimony 2*|3|4*|5|6: Arafat Erkin, originally from Ghulja, but now living in the United States. (cousin once removed)
About the victim
Halit Abdushukur is a restaurant owner from Ghulja City.
Address: No. 2, No. 6 Alley, Development Township Street, Ghulja City, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁市发展乡街6巷2号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as he has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Detained in October 2017 and taken to camp, from where he was released a few months ago (as of September 2019). Afterwards, he was detained again and held in a pre-trial detention center. In December 2019, Arafat Erkin reported that Halit has been sentenced to 7 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Studying and doing business in Malaysia and Turkey.
Tursun also mentions that his father's identity as a religious figure was used as a reason for his detention since the authorities couldn't find any legitimate legal reason otherwise.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 7 years. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Tursun Ibrahim received "trustworthy" info through other former classmates in Xinjiang.
Additional information
What is very likely the official listing of his restaurant: http://archive.is/oTEAZ
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xj-11252019113215.html
Victims among relatives
Erkin Tursun (179), Gulnar Telet (1387), Abdushukur Abliz (1388), Halide Zordon (1389), Mewjudem Abdushukur (5171), Hebibulla Tohti (1492), Ilzat Gheni (4340), Gulchekre Telet (1247), Eset Telet (5652), Gheni Abdushukur (5654), Gulzar Nizamidin (5653), Turmemet Nurmemet (5655)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVIW3MQWKwA Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mWzRa7dris Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/Alfred_Uyghur/status/1202690513184415745?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5170_1.jpeg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5170_2.jpg
Entry created: 2019-09-05 Last updated: 2020-01-20 Latest status update: 2020-02-07 5196. Tileuzhan Adilbek (铁留江·阿地勒别克)
Chinese ID: 654128199309161716 (Nilka)
Basic info
Age: 27 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: security/police
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|5: Duisenali Mamish, born in 1987, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
Testimony 3: "Azat Erkin", a Kazakh web activist. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Duisenali Mamish, as reported by Voices on Central Asia. (relative)
About the victim
Tileuzhan Adilbek worked as an auxiliary police officer (协警).
ID address: House No. 17, Aqtas Village, Qujurtay Township, Nilqa County, Xinjiang (新疆尼勒克县胡吉尔台乡阿克塔斯村17号).
Victim's location
Qarabura Prison [but unclear which].
When victim was detained
Tileuzhan was detained at his home in April 2018 by the Qorgas County Public Security Bureau.
In August 2018, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Duisenali believes that he was probably detained for attending a religious course for a few months, several years ago.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 15 years in prison with 2 years of deprivation of political rights. Tileuzhan's parents are allowed to talk to him once a month via video calls. In one of these calls, Tileuzhan's face allegedly appeared swollen (from edema).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
[Presumably through Tileuzhan's parents, as they have had some contact with him.]
Additional information
Tileuzhan's father died in 2019, but the prison authorities have allegedly not informed him.
Tileuzhan was mentioned in Voices on Central Asia: https://voicesoncentralasia.org/between-hope-and-fear-stories-of-uyghur-and-kazakh-muslim-minorities-i n-the-xinjiang-province/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpt4qf9yVqA Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn1u4gQFPL0 Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZMJDDAk-ik Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/Erkin_Azat/status/1163007122768039938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5196_4.jpg relative with victim's photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5196_5.jpg
Entry created: 2019-09-11 Last updated: 2020-09-24 Latest status update: 2021-06-03 5340. Bagdat Akin (巴合达提·阿肯)
Chinese ID: 654322199203101910 (Koktokay)
Basic info
Age: 29 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" association|"terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Nursapa Zhenishan, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (grandmother)
Testimony 2: Gulbaran Omirali, as reported by National Public Radio. (aunt)
Testimony 3: Bagdat Akin, a student at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, who was detained after his return to China in May 2017, to be tortured, forced into confessing to terrorism, and given a long prison sentence. (the victim)
Testimony 4*: Anonymous, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (acquaintance)
About the victim
Bagdat Akin was a student at the Al-Azhar university in Egypt, where he started his studies in 2012. He's married and has a son.
Residential address: Qashuyn Village, Shaqurty Municipality, Koktogai County, Altay Prefecture.
Victim's location
No. 2 District of the Xin'an Prison (新安监狱二监区).
When victim was detained
He was detained at the Urumqi airport by the Koktogai National Security Bureau branch on May 20, 2017, immediately after returning to China. He would then be tortured for 20 days, from May 20 to June 9, before being transferred to the Koktogai detention center.
His official detention didn't take place until August 25, 2017, however, with the formal arrest following on August 31, 2017. He says that the police had him recite his forced confession on camera on August 25, which he did as they threatened to sentence his wife, father, and younger sister if he did not cooperate.
On November 13, 2018, there was a closed trial, during which he was sentenced to 14 years and 5 years' deprivation of political rights. He appealed to the prefectural court but had the appeal rejected, after which he appealed to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region High People's Court on July 22, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The policemen forced him to confess that he was involved in the East Turkistan Terrorist Organization while in Egypt.
His grandmother says that the charge stemmed from him transferring some money to an Uyghur acquaintance in 2016 over WeChat, so as to get a cheaper plane ticket from Egypt to Urumqi.
Victim's status
Originally sentenced to 14 years with 5 years' deprivation of political rights, though relatives have reported this has been reduced to 7 years following their appeals.
[It is very likely that he is being subjected to forced labor while at the prison, as the Shihezi Xin'an Cotton Processing Plant is based here.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The majority of the information comes from the victim's own appeal letter.
It is not clear how Bagdat's acquaintances/relatives in Kazakhstan learned about the sentence reduction.
Additional information
Mentioned by National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10262017104004.html
Letter from detention
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/letori_4.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/lettran_4.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/letview.php?no=4
Victims among relatives
Akin Kemel (10382), Arai Kerim (10383), Madina Akin (10384)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLPzTYTq-_4 Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/5340_2.png student certificate: https://shahit.biz/supp/5340_3.png study documents: https://shahit.biz/supp/5340_4.png proof of self-funded study abroad: https://shahit.biz/supp/5340_5.png confirmation of registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/5340_6.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5340_7.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-10-02 Last updated: 2021-03-28 Latest status update: 2021-03-25 5349. Baimurat Nauryzbek (巴依木拉提·那如孜别克)
Chinese ID: 654121199008111219 (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"inciting ethnic hatred" Health status: --- Profession: security/police
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Madihan Kunbolat, born in 1987, now a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
Testimony 3|4|5|6|9|10: Baibolat Kunbolat, now residing in Kazakhstan. (cousin)
Testimony 7: Madihan Kunbolat, as reported by National Public Radio. (cousin)
Testimony 8: Gu Ming, a staff member of the Chinese mission in Kazakhstan.
Testimony 11: Baqyt Zharyqbasova, born in 1983, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 12: Bazarbai Adilzhan, originally from Ghulja County, immigrated to Kazakhstan in 2008 and obtained citizenship there. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Baimurat Nauryzbek was born on August 11, 1990, and was adopted by relatives (Baibolat and Madihan's aunt) at the age of 5 months. After studying at the Almaty Technology University for a year in 2012-2013, he went back to China, where he'd work as an auxiliary police officer (协警). He's a fluent Chinese speaker, having gone to a Chinese school until ninth grade and having graduated from high school in Shanghai.
Address: Group No. 3, Shormanbulaq Village, Qarayaghach Township, Ghulja County (新疆伊宁县喀拉亚尕齐乡下奥依曼布拉克村三组).
Chinese passport: G43889756. Kazakhstan green card: 026674161.
Victim's location
Confirmed by the Xinjiang authorities to be in Wusu Prison.
When victim was detained The official Chinese account and that of relatives differ.
According to his relatives, he was detained in March 2018 and kept in a camp for 18 months before being sentenced to 10 years in October 2019.
The official account, as conveyed by a representative of the Chinese mission in Kazakhstan, Gu Ming (顾明), is that he was sentenced on April 11, 2018 (to 10 years and 5 years of deprivation of political rights) without ever having been in an "education & training center".
An early testimony from a fellow villager, Bazarbai Adilzhan, appears to support the official version, as already in October 2018 Bazarbai had testified that Baimurat had allegedly been sentenced to 10 years for something found on his phone.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to Gu Ming, Baimurat was found guilty of "inciting ethnic hatred" (for an article he posted on Baidu Tieba in 2012, in addition to other later posts).
Victim's status
Serving a 10-year prison sentence.
There is also a strong likelihood that he is subjected to forced labor, as there are indications of this happening at Wusu Prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
While it's not clear how the victim's relatives in Kazakhstan learned about his status, that Baimurat has been sentenced to 10 years has been confirmed by Gu Ming, who is a representative of the Chinese government and says he got the information from the Xinjiang government directly.
Additional information
The victim's case has been mentioned by NPR: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/764153179/china-has-begun-moving-xinjiang-muslim-detainees-to-form al-prisons-relatives-say
Baibolat has tried calling the victim's mother, Yrzyq Asengazy (mobile number: +86 176 9939 6047), more than ten times, but she didn't answer. She picked up the phone once, but hung up immediately. In a later testimony, the testifier reported that she sent him a message telling him to stop petitioning, claiming that it was making their lives even harder.
The Rights Protection Blog (https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/03/10.html?spref=tw) has given a differing account, in which the victim was formally arrested at the end of 2019, instead of being released from the camp, and then sentenced by the Ghulja County People's Court in March 2020. [However, this seems to have a number of inconsistencies, both with the official confirmation from the Chinese mission that came earlier and with the fact that the 10-year sentence is reported as starting from March 2018, which would imply a formal arrest in March 2018, and not the victim being sent to camp. In the absence of additional information, this account will not be integrated into the entry for the time being.] Official communication(s)
Source: Chinese Mission in Kazakhstan
------
Baibolat Kunbubek [Kunbolat],
The embassy has just received the formal reply from the Xinjiang regional government. I can now inform you of the formal result regarding your brother Baimurat Nauryzbek’s case.
Your brother was never in an education & training center (what you call “study class”). On March 20, 2012, your brother posted an article on the Chinese social network platform Baidu Tieba, in which he incited ethnic sentiment and ethnic hatred. Afterwards, your brother would continue to leave remarks inciting ethnic hatred on social media, doing so on multiple occasions. As a result, the Xinjiang Ili Yining People’s Court – in accordance with Articles 249 and 56 of the “Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China” – judged your brother guilty of inciting ethnic hatred and sentenced him to 10 years of prison and 5 years of deprivation of political rights on April 11, 2018. He is currently serving his sentence in Wusu Prison.
Provided above is the official reply. What follows now are my remarks on the behalf of the embassy:
1) There is no so-called “totally groundless arrest”. China is a country and society of law. If you continue to slander the Chinese government, then we will engage with the Kazakhstan government to have action taken against you.
2) Your brother committed a crime and must submit to the appropriate punishment. I hope that he can successfully reform while in prison and become a new person. Should you continue to act here as a pawn of the anti-China forces and to continue to make trouble, then rest assured – your brother and your brother’s family will certainly not wish your actions to further affect your brother’s reform.
3) The embassy and consulate here, together with the Xinjiang government, have dedicated time to formally look into and inquire about your brother’s case. You ought to be grateful, and I hope that you’ll be more careful with your actions in the future. Don’t expect such politeness and assistance the next time that you cause trouble. As we’ve learned, your brother was adopted by your aunt’s family when he was 5 months old. Your aunt and uncle are still living in Xinjiang, and your actions can have an effect on them. They don’t want you to keep making trouble. If they’re not happy with the verdict, they can simply appeal through the legal channels. Don’t think that you can do whatever you like just because you’ve obtained Kazakhstan citizenship. Nor is the Kazakhstan government going to protect those who harm China-Kazakhstan relations, attacking and insulting the Chinese people, even if that person happens to be a citizen of Kazakhstan.
Finally, I hope that you can distance yourself from those negative people, and to use these best years of your life to really work hard, to earn more money, and to take good care of your parents. Don’t get involved with anti-China forces. I trust you to get all that sorted.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFWBETIF4M4 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myksF_fKHlU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxZL3Gvzv1s Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL9gkIORTRE Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1-c_UG9Qjw Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIBMhKYZ6mY Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUjaX3kCcqE Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfJwuikKONE Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srdBjhFgsiA Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWoUMUnLGlg Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/5349_2.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5349_8.png Gu Ming phone call: https://shahit.biz/supp/5349_14.mp4 Almaty student ticket: https://shahit.biz/supp/5349_20.jpg Kazakhstan residence: https://shahit.biz/supp/5349_21.jpg official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_5349.png
Entry created: 2019-10-04 Last updated: 2021-01-11 Latest status update: 2021-08-29 5367. Nureli Obul
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: media/journalism
Testifying party
Murat Perhat Ataman, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
About the victim
Nureli Obul, webmaster of Salkin, a Uyghur language website.
Victim's location
Unclear. It is unknown in which prison he is to serve his sentence. Last known location is Urumchi.
When victim was detained
Sentenced in July 2010.
Likely (or given) reason for detention endangering state security, possibly for not deleting postings about the situation in Xinjiang/Urumchi 2009 riots
Victim's status
He was sentenced in a closed trial at the Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court. He received a three-year prison sentence in late July 2010.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
His brother was sentenced together with the victim (though it's not clear how exactly he got the information).
Additional information http://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/?p=10114 (4 Aug 2011) https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/webmasters-07282010170425.html (28 Jul 2010) http://ppdcecc.gov/QueryResultsDetail.aspx?PrisonerNum=7814
He was arrested with two other website administrators, Dilshat Perhat (entry 1698) and Nijat Azat (entry 1738).
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5367_1.png
Entry created: 2019-10-07 Last updated: 2020-08-20 Latest status update: 2010-07-28 5399. Abdureshit Tohti (阿布都热西提·托胡提)
Chinese ID: 6531211964??????O? (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: 56-57 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tumshuq Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"disturbing public order", "terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Nurmangul Abdureshit, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (daughter)
Testimony 2|3|4: Nurmangul Abdureshit, originally from Kashgar but now living in the US. (daughter)
Testimony 5: Nursiman Abdureshit, originally from Kashgar but now residing abroad. (daughter)
Testimony 6: PRC consulate-embassy staff, a staff member at a People's Republic of China embassy or consulate.
Testimony 7: Nursiman Abdureshit, as reported by SupChina. (daughter)
Testimony 8: Nurmangul Abdureshit, as reported by Amnesty International. (daughter)
About the victim
Abdureshit Tohti graduated from Kashgar College, completing a two-year degree in agronomy and returning to his village, where he was given a job organizing agricultural work for the local work brigade. In around 1993, he opened a flour mill where villagers could grind their own wheat. He also worked as an elementary-school teacher. At one point, he became a member of the Chinese Communist Party.
Address: No. 035, Group No. 6, Shor Village, Saybagh Township, Konasheher County, Kashgar Prefecture (疏附县沙依巴格乡肖尔村6组035号).
Victim's location
Third Division Tumshuq Prison.
When victim was detained
Until April 2017, Nur'iman and Nursiman Abdureshit would call their parents regularly. In April 2017, Nursiman asked her father if she should stop calling, but he reportedly said that he didn't think it was a problem. The last point of contact between the two sisters and their father was reportedly June 18, 2017. After five days of calls without an answer, Nursiman and Nuriman asked a friend to call their family on their behalf. It was then that they learned that both their father and younger brother had been taken to a village center to "study", with the friend telling them not to call. Nobody was left at the family home after that point in time.
According to a Chinese embassy staff member, Abdureshit Tohti was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months in prison on December 13, 2017.
According to an official document, he was transferred to the prison in Tumshuq on February 1, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the embassy staff member, for "disturbing social order" and "preparing to commit terrorist activities".
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
[It is likely that the victim has been subjected to forced labor at the Tumshuq Prison, as the existence of "labor-skills workshops" has been documented at the facility.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The original detention was heard about through contacts in the region (friends/relatives). It is not clear how the information regarding his being transferred to prison was obtained.
The Chinese embassy staff member who confirmed the sentencing presumably has more direct knowledge of the matter.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xinjiang-08232019110731.html
Testifier's article in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/08/i-was-a-model-uighur-china-took-my-family-anyway/
Coverage in SupChina: https://supchina.com/2020/07/01/the-imprisonment-of-the-model-villagers/
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR026
Official communication(s)
Source: Chinese Mission in Turkey
------
Chinese embassy staff (from Ankara, +90 312 490 06 79): Eh… we… it’s like this… we’re also, actually… We’re very sympathetic towards you, but… we must tell you about the situation. You can also make a petition for your complaint back in the country. You can go back to China to visit the prison. Because, we originally applied for you to see if you could contact (your family from outside) the country, but domestic prisons do not have the conditions to permit overseas phone calls. So, let’s say, especially after the pandemic, you can apply for a visa and come back to China, and visit the prison. This could include appealing against the verdict. So, do you need to know the details of your family’s situation?
Nursiman Abdureshit (Abdureshit Tohti’s daughter): Oh, you mean to say that it’s like I heard? That there’s no one left at home now?
Embassy staff: Yea, that’s about right. It’s like that, according to what we have found out.
Nursiman: How… How is that possible? I… Take my mother, at least – what crime could she have committed? A woman in her fifties…?
Embassy staff: It’s… written clearly in the file that we received. I mean, to be frank… Ours is a country of law, so they must have a reason. It’s written that she was sentenced to a 13-year prison term on December 13, 2017 for the crime of preparing to commit terrorist activities.
Nursiman: Ah? The one sentenced to 13 years was my mother?
Embassy staff: Yes.
Nursiman: December 13, 2017, okay. And my father?
Embassy staff: Your father… He… was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months for the crimes of disturbing social order and preparing to commit terrorist activities. He is in prison now.
Nursiman: What? I’m sorry, my emotional state right now isn’t exactly… Could you please say that again?
Embassy staff: Of course, of course… I understand. I mean, I’m just informing you. I understand very clearly how it must feel. But, there are some things that we simply have to face.
Nursiman: So… My father… Can you tell me again – when did this happen? How long was he sentenced to?
Embassy staff: On December 13, 2017, he was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months for the crimes of disturbing social order and preparing to commit terrorist activities… Yes… And now he is in prison.
Nursiman: And then, my younger brother?
Embassy staff: Your younger brother is Memet’eli? Is that right?
Nursiman: Yes.
Embassy staff: His was on August 20, 2017. He was sentenced to 15 years and 11 months for a criminal offense and for the crime of preparing to commit terrorist activities.
Victims among relatives
Tajigul Qadir (5400), Emetjan Abdureshit (5401), Memeteli Abdureshit (3146) Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLiAWnl9_Wg Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad6wbrh1xLA Doha Debates feature: https://twitter.com/DohaDebates/status/1164219492001603584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5399_1.png Testimony 3: https://shahit.biz/supp/5399_4.jpg official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_5399.png
Entry created: 2019-10-21 Last updated: 2021-09-29 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 5400. Tajigul Qadir (塔吉古丽·卡迪尔)
Chinese ID: 653121196909????E? (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Nurmangul Abdureshit, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (daughter)
Testimony 2|3|4|5: Nurmangul Abdureshit, originally from Kashgar but now living in the US. (daughter)
Testimony 6: Nursiman Abdureshit, originally from Kashgar but now residing abroad. (daughter)
Testimony 7: PRC consulate-embassy staff, a staff member at a People's Republic of China embassy or consulate.
Testimony 8: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
About the victim
Tajigul Qadir is a housewife and a mother of four.
Address: No. 035, Group No. 6, Shor Village, Saybagh Township, Konasheher County, Kashgar Prefecture (疏附县沙依巴格乡肖尔村6组035号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as she's been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Contact lost on June 20, 2017, but unclear when detained. [According to the article in Foreign Policy, their last phone call was on June 18, 2017, when Nurmangul called from Turkey.]
According to a Chinese embassy staff member, she was sentenced to 13 years on December 13, 2017.
In February 2020, her daughter Nursiman reported that Tajigul was now in prison. Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the embassy staff, she was sentenced for "preparing to commit terrorist activities".
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The initial disappearance and detention were heard from the victim's brother-in-law, and later from other relatives. It is not clear how the testifier learned of the more recent imprisonment.
The Chinese embassy staff who confirmed the sentencing would presumably have more direct knowledge of the matter.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xinjiang-08232019110731.html
Testifier's article in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/08/i-was-a-model-uighur-china-took-my-family-anyway/
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR027
Official communication(s)
Source: Chinese Mission in Turkey
------
Chinese embassy staff (from Ankara, +90 312 490 06 79): Eh… we… it’s like this… we’re also, actually… We’re very sympathetic towards you, but… we must tell you about the situation. You can also make a petition for your complaint back in the country. You can go back to China to visit the prison. Because, we originally applied for you to see if you could contact (your family from outside) the country, but domestic prisons do not have the conditions to permit overseas phone calls. So, let’s say, especially after the pandemic, you can apply for a visa and come back to China, and visit the prison. This could include appealing against the verdict. So, do you need to know the details of your family’s situation?
Nursiman Abdureshit (Abdureshit Tohti’s daughter): Oh, you mean to say that it’s like I heard? That there’s no one left at home now?
Embassy staff: Yea, that’s about right. It’s like that, according to what we have found out.
Nursiman: How… How is that possible? I… Take my mother, at least – what crime could she have committed? A woman in her fifties…?
Embassy staff: It’s… written clearly in the file that we received. I mean, to be frank… Ours is a country of law, so they must have a reason. It’s written that she was sentenced to a 13-year prison term on December 13, 2017 for the crime of preparing to commit terrorist activities. Nursiman: Ah? The one sentenced to 13 years was my mother?
Embassy staff: Yes.
Nursiman: December 13, 2017, okay. And my father?
Embassy staff: Your father… He… was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months for the crimes of disturbing social order and preparing to commit terrorist activities. He is in prison now.
Nursiman: What? I’m sorry, my emotional state right now isn’t exactly… Could you please say that again?
Embassy staff: Of course, of course… I understand. I mean, I’m just informing you. I understand very clearly how it must feel. But, there are some things that we simply have to face.
Nursiman: So… My father… Can you tell me again – when did this happen? How long was he sentenced to?
Embassy staff: On December 13, 2017, he was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months for the crimes of disturbing social order and preparing to commit terrorist activities… Yes… And now he is in prison.
Nursiman: And then, my younger brother?
Embassy staff: Your younger brother is Memet’eli? Is that right?
Nursiman: Yes.
Embassy staff: His was on August 20, 2017. He was sentenced to 15 years and 11 months for a criminal offense and for the crime of preparing to commit terrorist activities.
Victims among relatives
Abdureshit Tohti (5399), Emetjan Abdureshit (5401), Memeteli Abdureshit (3146)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLiAWnl9_Wg Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgZzPsr0j6o Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad6wbrh1xLA Doha Debates feature: https://twitter.com/DohaDebates/status/1164219492001603584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5400_1.png Testimony 3: https://shahit.biz/supp/5400_4.jpg official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_5400.png
Entry created: 2019-10-21 Last updated: 2021-09-23 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 5401. Emetjan Abdureshit (艾麦提江·阿布都热西提)
Chinese ID: 65312119860416??O? (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kizilsu Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Nurmangul Abdureshit, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
Testimony 2|3|5: Nurmangul Abdureshit, originally from Kashgar but now living in the US. (sister)
Testimony 4: Nursiman Abdureshit, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (sister)
Testimony 6: Nursiman Abdureshit, as reported by SupChina. (sister)
Testimony 7: Nursiman Abdureshit, as reported by Coda Story. (sister)
Testimony 8: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
About the victim
Emetjan Abdureshit became a mechanic after finishing middle school, first studying as an apprentice in a nearby town and then starting his own repair shop when he was 18. Later, he started to sell car parts in Kashgar, with his brother Memet'eli joining him in the business as they opened a second branch in the Chinese part of Kashgar City, where they would repair and maintain luxury cars.
He is a father and has three small children.
Address: No. 035, Group No. 6, Shor Village, Saybagh Township, Konasheher County, Kashgar Prefecture (疏附县沙依巴格乡肖尔村6组035号).
Victim's location
Kizilsu Prison.
When victim was detained
He was originally arrested in March 2016, and would be sentenced to 7 years in prison in October 2016. (His father attended his trial, where he was seemingly represented by a government-assigned lawyer.) Likely (or given) reason for detention
In one interview, Nursiman says that he was detained for an "alleged non-payment of a debt".
His sisters were also able to find out that he signed papers admitting his guilt in order to protect his two sisters abroad.
Victim's status
Presumably still in prison, where it was heard that the inmates were forced to help assemble electronic devices.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
From the victim's brother, while the latter was still free, who heard it from the victim's ex-prisonmate.
Emetjan's father also told his daughters about the sentencing, but said that he couldn't tell them the details and asked them not to ask any questions about it.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/jieduxinjiang/xinjiang-08232019110731.html
Testifier's article in Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/08/i-was-a-model-uighur-china-took-my-family-anyway/
Coverage in SupChina: https://supchina.com/2020/07/01/the-imprisonment-of-the-model-villagers/
Coda Story coverage: https://www.codastory.com/authoritarian-tech/china-uyghur-migration/
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR101
Victims among relatives
Abdureshit Tohti (5399), Tajigul Qadir (5400), Memeteli Abdureshit (3146)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLiAWnl9_Wg Doha Debates feature: https://twitter.com/DohaDebates/status/1164219492001603584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/NurKashgar/status/1333231703570190339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5401_1.png
Entry created: 2019-10-21 Last updated: 2021-09-23 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 5414. Sun Wenlian (孙文莲)
Chinese ID: ??????19651103??E? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Sun Wenlian, a Christian who had been living in Ghulja County.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Detained by the local authorities on July 6, 2018, then formally arrested on August 2, 2018, to be held at the Ghulja County pre-trial detention center. She was formally prosecuted by the Kuytun People's Court on January 1, 2019, with a 7-year prison sentence being handed down on January 28, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Illegally using heterodox groups to undermine the rule of law" (犯利用邪教组织破坏法律实施).
She was accused of belonging to the Church of the Almighty God, considered a "heterox group", and participating in a number of related activities from 2012 on. On several occasions in June 2018, she reportedly went to the home of Mr. Semet (赛买提), who was at that time in a re-education camp. It was located in Chebatubek village (其巴吐别克村), Qash township (喀什乡)，Yining county. According to the Kuitun city court report, she told the family that "religion is a person's individual right", that "China has no freedom, you have to build mosques using your own money" and compared the camp system to the Cultural Revolution.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 7 years in prison (to end on July 5, 2025) and ordered to pay a 30000RMB fine. [Subject to appeal.] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict comes from the authorities themselves.
Additional information
The court verdict: http://archive.is/dzaUw
Written about in the Berliner Bericht: https://berlinerbericht.de/2019/09/05/4689/
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804c7fc2fd90d4b007b83/
Supplementary materials
Twitter mention: https://twitter.com/1957spirit/status/1169715583312703488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw court verdict (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/5414_3.pdf
Entry created: 2019-10-23 Last updated: 2021-07-07 Latest status update: 2019-01-28 5416. Mewlude Hilalidin (毛丽旦·依拉吾冬)
Chinese ID: 654101198607011762 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|5|6: Medine Hilalidin, originally from Ghulja City but now a citizen of Turkey. (sister)
Testimony 4: Medine Hilalidin, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (sister)
About the victim
Mewlude Hilalidin went to Turkey in 2006 as an international student, obtaining a degree in business administration from Istanbul University. She returned to China in late 2012 / early 2013, working as an English and Turkish instructor at a private school. She is a Turkish citizen.
Address: No. 33 Residential Area, Alley No. 5, Ili Street, Ghulja City.
Chinese passport: G41576042.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as she's been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was taken to a camp at the end of 2017. In May 2019, she was released, but was again arrested on June 12, 2019 on suspicion of separatism. Three months later, it was learned that she is to be tried in court. In December 2019, the testifier learned that Mewlude had been sentenced to 10 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Her second detention was on "separatism" charges. The testifier mentions that she studied in Turkey legally and never got involved in any political activities there, and says that her only "crime" is being Uyghur and having studied in Turkey.
Victim's status Presumably serving a 10-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
The testifier mentions that she and her husband have been unable to contact their relatives for over 2.5 years now (as of September 2019).
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/qamaq-bolgunchilik-10042019181557.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrcfkXk6T80 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzTFCTs_F6I Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZSmuKMk72s Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/DilReyhan/status/1342818927341146112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 6: https://twitter.com/KampMagdurlar/status/1346737759474614277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/5416_2.png Turkish ID document: https://shahit.biz/supp/5416_5.jpg Turkish ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5416_7.png
Entry created: 2019-10-24 Last updated: 2021-01-08 Latest status update: 2021-02-09 5417. Mahire Yaqup (玛依拉·亚库甫)
Chinese ID: 654101197710050028 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"terrorism", assisting "criminals", "extremism" Health status: has problems Profession: corporate work
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|5: Merhaba Yaqup, originally from Ghulja but now living in Australia. (sister)
Testimony 3: Nyrola Elima, as reported by Washington Post. (cousin)
Testimony 4: Merhaba Yaqup, as reported by Washington Post. (sister)
Testimony 6|8|14: Nyrola Elima, residing in Sweden. (cousin)
Testimony 7: Merhaba Yaqup, as reported by Amnesty International. (sister)
Testimony 9: Nyrola Elima, as reported by CNN. (cousin)
Testimony 10: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 11: Chinese Mission to the EU, China's official representative body in the European Union.
Testimony 12: XUAR People's Government Information Office, the formal body in charge of making official public statements to the outside world regarding events in Xinjiang.
Testimony 13*: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, as reported by Nyrola Elima.
Testimony 15: Nyrola Elima, as reported by Amnesty International. (cousin)
About the victim
Mahire Yaqup is a single mother of three. She worked as an insurance saleswoman for the Ili branch of China Life, did private business, and was also a part-time Mandarin teacher, teaching Mandarin to adults in a training center in Ghulja. She was also a tutor who taught English, Mandarin, and mathematics to primary school students.
Address: Ghulja City, Ili Prefecture. Chinese passport: G38324942.
Victim's location
Ili Women's Prison.
(Her correspondence address is given as 212 East Airport Street, Ghulja City, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang (新疆伊犁哈萨克自治州伊宁市飞机场东街212号).)
When victim was detained
Mahire underwent a police check in Urumqi on December 26, 2017, during which she was let go, but with the system reporting that she was a "person under surveillance having come to Urumqi" (来乌布控人员).
She was taken to a concentration camp in Ghulja at the beginning of March 2018, then released from camp in the December of the same year, at which point she called her sister abroad to tell her that she was fine, in addition to praising the Party. She disappeared again on April 9, 2019, being taken to the Ghulja City pre-trial detention center (伊宁市看守所).
Following pressure from the Australian authorities, the Chinese side gave an official reply in which they said that Mahire had been formally arrested in May 2019, on crimes that the testifier believes are made up. She was prosecuted in July 2019, and charged in January 2020 for "financing terrorist activities" (资助恐怖活动罪).
On September 4, 2020, she was released from police custody, but would be taken to the Ghulja People's Hospital without a reason the day after, with authorities warning Nyrola's parents to tell Nyrola to stop tweeting publicly about the case. There would be no news of Mahire for weeks.
When Nyrola tweeted about Mahire being taken to the hospital, her parents pleaded with her to stop (the police having shown up at their home soon after with printouts of Nyrola's tweets). She did, going silent for months. However, Mahire was later taken back to the detention center. Nyrola later reported that Mahire spent a total of 3 months in the hospital.
On December 12, 2020, she was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in prison. Her savings have allegedly been confiscated as well.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
In their report to the Washington Post, Mahire's sisters say that she was prosecuted for "funding terrorist activities", when in reality this money had been sent to Australia to help her relatives buy a house in Adelaide.
She was ultimately sentenced for "financing terrorist activities" and "illegal possession of extremist items".
Victim's status
In prison. [There is a high likelihood that she is subjected to forced labor at the Ili Women's Prison, as this practice has been documented there.] According to her cousin, she looked pale and weak after her release in September 2020, and had lost a lot of weight. She had already been diagnosed with liver damage following her release from camp before that.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not completely clear how the details of the initial detention in camp or the later detention in custody became known, but her sister mentions having to appeal to the Australian government for help as contact with relatives in Xinjiang could not be established. Mahire was able to contact her relatives abroad after her initial release from camp, however.
Her cousin Nyrola was able to video chat with her after she was released from custody in 2020. Nyrola has also been able to contact her family.
Confirmation of her trial and sentencing were obtained from official government representatives.
Additional information
Her aunt, Gulbekrem Memtimin, and uncle, Qasim Tohti, were taking care of the three children (including the youngest, who was born prematurely) during Mahire's detention. All three are attending a Mandarin-language school.
The victim's story has been featured in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/for-chinas-embattled-uighurs-a-bank-transfer-abroa d-can-become-a-terrorism-ordeal/2019/09/19/eb6a8b1e-c3dd-11e9-b5e4-54aa56d5b7ce_story.html
CNN feature: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/16/china/uyghurs-silenced-abroad-intl-dst-hnk/index.html
Amnesty International campaigns: https://action.amnesty.org.au/act-now/help-free-mahira https://www.amnesty.org.au/act-now/emailambassadormahira/
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR002
Official communication(s)
Source: XUAR People's Government Information Office
------
Concerning the situation of Mahire Yaqup: Mahire Yaqup ("Mayila Yakufu" in Chinese) is from Ghulja City in Ili Prefecture. Her father, Yaqup Sabir, and mother, Bahar Memet'imin, are members of the "East Turkestan Liberation Organization". In June 2013, the public security organs had already informed her, in writing, that her father and mother were taking part in a terrorist organization abroad, and notified her that she should not send funds abroad to them. However, during the time period between July 2013 and December 2014, she still used her own, as well as her maternal aunt's and uncle's, bank cards to remit money to her parents on multiple occasions, with the sum accumulating to 758741RMB. The public security organs also found 192 religious extremist photos on her computer. On December 12, 2020, Mahire Yaqup was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months for the concurrent crimes of financing terrorist activities and illegal possession of extremist items.
Query hereby addressed. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Information Office June 8, 2021
Victims among relatives
Gulbekrem Memtimin (10328), Qasim Tohti (10329)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysDSYYprAjY Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tff7ErptHic teaching video: https://twitter.com/Yusura0531/status/1204867969563541504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/Yusura0531/status/1253648580079792128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 6: https://twitter.com/nyrola/status/1292841245644070912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw victim's words after camp: https://twitter.com/nyrola/status/1294706448245686272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 8: https://twitter.com/nyrola/status/1301976044174561280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 14: https://twitter.com/nyrola/status/1437085251260633090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/5417_2.png Testimony 11: https://shahit.biz/supp/5417_9.png official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_5417.png
Entry created: 2019-10-25 Last updated: 2021-09-20 Latest status update: 2021-06-08 5419. Qaster Musahan (哈斯铁尔·木沙汗)
Chinese ID: 65422119890209301X (Dorbiljin)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: outside China Status: free When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): other|--- Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3|4|5|6|7|18: Qaster Musahan, a refugee from China who fled to Kazakhstan in October 2019. (the victim)
Testimony 2: Murager Alim, a refugee from Xinjiang who fled to Kazakhstan in October 2019. (friend)
Testimony 8|9|17: Radio Azattyq, the Kazakhstan branch of Radio Free Europe.
Testimony 10|11|12|13|14|15: Lazzat Ahatova, a Kazakhstan lawyer who took the case of Murager Alim and Qaster Musahan. (lawyer)
Testimony 16: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
About the victim
Qaster Musahan was a butcher at the time of his flight from China. He has a 57-year-old mother, a wife, a daughter, and a younger brother - Qasiet Musahan. His strongest (written) language appears to be Arabic-script Kazakh.
He worked in Urumqi from 2006 to 2009, and recalls being interrogated many times because he was in the city in 2009 [the year of the July 5 riots].
Address in China: No. 208, Livestock Group No. 3, Emil Livestock Farm, Emin County, Xinjiang (新疆额敏县也木勒牧场牧业三队208号).
Victim's location
In Kazakhstan.
When victim was detained
Qaster claims that he had been persecuted by the authorities in Xinjiang as early as 2013, when he was arrested and forced to confess that he had been part of a gang charged with violent misconduct. He maintains that he does not know who the gang even was. During the interrogation process, he claims to have been handcuffed and shackled and put into a dark room, in addition to being beaten for a week until he confessed.
He believes that his arrest was linked to his presence in Urumqi around the time of the July 5 incident, even though he had left for his village two months before the incident occurred.
He would go on to spend over 4 years in prison, from March 8, 2013 to November 8, 2017 (the first year and a half being spent in pre-trial detention). He recalls noticing how everything had changed after he was released and allowed to go home. He says that the local police told him to give lectures to other villagers about how the re-education camps were good places for learning and how the conditions there were excellent.
Afterwards, he claims that he was placed under house arrest for a year and four months.
According to his account, he and his friend Murager Alim {5418} were summoned by the Emin County police in August 2019 for interrogations. Qaster claims that they were fined 300000RMB.
On September 28, 2019, he received a phone call and learned from acquaintances that he was going to be imprisoned, which prompted him to tell Murager and the two to decide to flee to Kazakhstan.
On October 1, 2019, he and Murager fled China. As pieced together from their various accounts, they left the Emin Municipality (额敏镇), traveled east to Qaraemil Town (喀拉也木勒镇) by motorbike - passing through 9-10 checkpoints - and then abandoned the bike to walk what was approximately 40km to the border, which they say was in Kobyksar County. According to them, they left the bike at 6 in the evening and arrived at the Chinese side of the border, avoiding detection, at 1 in the morning, after which they walked until they reached the barb wire on the Kazakhstan side about 5 hours later. Among their known possessions at this time were two bags of money and some bread. They then stayed in the nearby Kazakh village of Shilikti for 3 days, after which they decided to head to Almaty and declare their case at the office of the Atajurt human rights organization. They arrived there on October 10, 2019.
After a few days and a press conference on October 14, they were arrested by authorities and had to go to Zainan - the county seat of the region where they crossed the border. They were soon transferred to a detention center further north, in Oskemen. They were given asylum-seeker status in late October, but have had to remain in detention in Oskemen, only going to Zainan in early November for questioning and inspection regarding the details of their crossing, prior to being taken back to the detention center in Oskemen.
Despite a statement from Kazakhstan security in December that the two had no chance of staying in Kazakhstan (https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/12/07/kazakhstan-to-return-asylum-seekers-to-china-security-committee/) , a trial took place in January 2020 with both Murager and Qaster found guilty of illegally crossing the border and ordered to serve a year in prison in Kazakhstan without being expelled to China.
After serving the year in Kazakhstan, Qaster and Murager were both given 1-year asylum statuses, but continue to fear for their safety (given the attacks on both Murager and refugee Qaisha Aqan in January 2021).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Officially, he was in detention in Kazakhstan for violating Section 1, Article 392 of the Criminal Code (intentional illegal crossing of the border).
Victim's status
Released from detention. He has a 1-year asylum status in Kazakhstan.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Both Murager and Qaster are eyewitnesses who are describing their own experiences.
Additional information
Qaster mentions divorcing his wife before fleeing, since it would bring her trouble otherwise.
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-10102019072505.html
Eurasianet coverage: https://eurasianet.org/chinese-kazakhs-slip-into-kazakhstan-for-asylum https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-chinese-kazakhs-arrested-face-trial-in-remote-location https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-xinjiang-fugitives-secure-asylum-status
Radio Azattyq coverage: https://www.rferl.org/a/two-ethnic-kazakhs-from-china-s-xinjiang-receive-asylum-seeker-status-in-kazakh stan/30241868.html https://rus.azattyq.org/a/30388648.html
Eyewitness account
[The following is a translated transcript of a discussion between the victim and Bekzat Maqsuthan, of the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization in Almaty, Kazakhstan.]
Qaster: 2016 is a lie. It started in 2009. Back then, it didn't take place in villages. It took place in towns and cities. We call it Urumqi City – our central city. There was a big uprising on July 5, 2009 there.
Bekzat: It was mainly Uyghurs?
Q: Yes, Uyghurs. The uprising was on July 5 and, starting from 11 PM on July 7, they started to clean the streets. They killed all the creatures who could move, cleared them from the streets.
B: They killed the people.
Q: They didn't care which ethnic group you belonged to. It didn’t matter if you were Kazakh, Uyghur, or Hui. They killed the people who were on the street, and cleared it up in two hours. They took everyone, no matter if the person was alive or dead. It was on July 7.
B: So the Uyghurs’ thing [uprising] was on the fifth, and this was on the seventh.
Q: Yes. On July 7, they killed everyone who was on the street. B: This was in Urumqi?
Q: Yes, in Urumqi. Then they started arresting them all: some were imprisoned, while the others were given capital punishment.
B: It started from this.
Q: Yes. The minimum [prison term] was 5 years.
B: And there were those who got imprisoned for life.
Q: Yes, and many were given 10, 11, 12, 8, 5 years…
B: What was the reason for that?
Q: The reason was that an Uyghur girl who worked in a restaurant in a big city in inner China got raped. The Han raped her. And the news was circulated with the help of the internet. The Uyghurs and other Muslims there got very upset. They were upset about the news of rape by Han. Then they started protesting in the streets, but nobody cared. After two days of protesting, they cleaned up everything. It wasn’t like killing people - they mainly threw stones at windows. So, the windows of the cars and the shops would be shattered. Nothing more serious than that. However, they were given life imprisonment and the like. It was an excuse, and from that point on they would just say that they were doing it to secure peace. Then, in 2013, the pace picked up.
B: Xi Jinping became president in 2013.
Q: Yes, he became president in 2013 and started cleansing the Uyghurs in southern Xinjiang. It was implemented for two years and then reached our [northern] Xinjiang. Starting in 2014. In 2014, it started in the north. All the imams, assistant imams, the intelligentsia, and those who were open-minded were targeted. Because they had spread “propaganda”. They [the authorities] were afraid of them spreading “propaganda” among the people. For example, let’s say that you were the head of a village and people listened to you. Those are the people they started detaining. The imams and those who were well respected in the village were arrested first.
Then, in 2015, they no longer cared if you were an influential person or not, or if you were old or young. You couldn’t have a praying mat and you were not allowed to celebrate Eid or anything else of that nature. In the past, candy from Kazakhstan used to be sold there, and so they even arrested those people who bought the candy. Those who wore T-shirts with Kazakhstan flags on them were given 6 months of prison. They [the innocent people] couldn't get what was going on.
B: Those clothes were made in China, no?
Q: Yes, China was producing those clothes. And some people hung tiny Kazakhstan flags in their cars. Not because they were nationalists, but just because it looked cute and so they did it. They were imprisoned too. The majority of Kazakhs do livestock-related business or are herders. They are not aware of the policies or the politics. They’d just come to town and buy those clothes. That’s all. And then they’d be detained for it.
B: Because there was a Kazakhstan flag on them.
Q: That’s right. B: What about your friends, neighbors, in-laws, and other relatives?
Q: My classmate, someone I grew up with, was an imam in a village called Tuji, and he had the certificate that allowed him to work as an imam. It was them [the authorities] who taught him, them who appointed him as an imam. He was given a 13-year prison term.
My maternal aunt’s husband, Daukei, was also an imam in a village. He was my classmate’s teacher. He spent more than a year and a half in there [in camp] for being an imam. He became so thin that he couldn’t walk. He couldn't share any of his secrets, not even to his wife. They’re afraid of disclosing anything. They’re horrified - the Kazakhs there.
For example, in the small county of Dorbiljin alone, you have several development areas or villages, and many people from those were sent to the camp. There are 6-7 such educational camps, in Dorbiljin alone, and each of them has at least 500-600 people. The number placed in each cell can go from 7-8 to 10-11. Here, they [the officials] are saying that no camps are left. That’s a lie. You don't have an exact prison term there. You might be held for 5 days, 10 days, months, or 10 years. And once you’re taken there, nobody cares, nobody asks. You can’t ask about them either. If you look for them, you’re going to become their next target. Even if my parents or brother are being taken [to the camp], I can't go and look for them.
B: Our minister said last Friday that the Chinese side has let know that no Kazakh is left in those facilities.
Q: That is a lie. If they release, say, 200 people today, then they just replace them with a new 200-300 people. Take the tiny town of Qara’emil, where you have around 1000 households. About 100 are free - all the rest are in camps. If you don't believe it, you can go and ask the Kazakhs from there. It’s close to the border. However, because of the fear and anxiety, nobody there would talk to you. But it's the truth. For every 100 households, the members of 90 of them are in camps.
The Party members who have been propagating Party policies are the only ones who haven't been taken to the camps. They [the Party members] will tell you to not believe in religion, that it originated from the Arabic countries and isn’t your religion to begin with. Since you're a Chinese citizen, they’ll say, you need to follow the rules of China. Those are the kinds of things they propagate. So, they were spared. All the rest are in camps, both the old and the young.
Can you find a 70- or 80-year-old Kazakh who doesn’t grow a beard? There, they made them shave their beards, saying that they were imitating Arabs. Now you can't find old men with beards. You can't find praying mats at home, and praying no longer exists. If you do pray, then you're considered to be a criminal. They could find something to accuse you of, saying that you’re doing something secretly, and that you’re propagating religion.
B: Could you talk a bit about your own imprisonment in 2013?
Q: I was in Urumqi from 2006 to 2009. I worked there. The unrest there took place on July 5, 2009, two months after I had left Urumqi. They interrogated all the people who had been in Urumqi before the unrest. I was one of them, and they interrogated me in 2013. I told them that I had been in Urumqi in 2009. They then falsely accused me of somehow being involved in the unrest, and being in contact with some influential people. I was a young guy who had come to Urumqi from a village. I attended some gatherings organized by some respectful people – all we did was share the same table.
A year and a half would pass before the court hearing. In the end, they told me to confess. They tortured and beat me. They showed me a photo of a fight, and told me that I was the guy whose back was seen in the photo. I had no choice but to confess and sign the document, even though that guy wasn’t me. I just wanted to get the prison term and serve it. Because I had already spent a year and a half in detention without knowing when I’d be released. When you’re given a prison term, at least you know. I was given 4 years and 8 months – I was detained on March 8, 2013 and released on November 8, 2017.
I came home at night [on the day of my release], to my “great mother’s” [can be grandmother or aunt]. I wasn’t aware of the fact that the outside world was also like the prison now. My great mother used to pray, but had stopped now. All sharp tools, like knives, had to have a code on them, and you couldn’t use them outside the house. There were no longer any praying mats in the house. No one told me anything that night, and the next day I went back to my own home.
The local police summoned me when I woke up in the morning. I went and was told that they could send me back to prison whenever they wanted, and was asked to give lectures to the villagers, about the rules and discipline and all the “good” things in those facilities. I needed to tell people that the food, hygiene, and general conditions there were good, and that the only thing you did there was get educated and learn the language. I had to talk about this. To just praise the prison. During the flag raising ceremonies and other meetings, we would praise Xi Jinping, praise the policies being implemented. That was how I spent a year and four months in the village.
I needed to be present whenever they called me to come. It didn’t matter if I was in the middle of a meal – I needed to be there on time, every time they called me. If I was two minutes late, I’d be criticized. I also needed to get “points”. For example, I could be sent to camp if I came 5 points short of the target.
The prison I had been in held a total of 3000 people. About 600-700 of them were Han, at most – most of them accused of serious crimes, such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, robbery, and the like. The rest – Kazakhs and Uyghurs – were political criminals, detained solely for their faith. There was one guy who had eaten a fish with an imam, and for that reason had been given a 13-year prison term. It was really heartbreaking, because these were not even crimes, let alone serious ones. We used to think that only those who had killed someone or robbed someone would end up in a prison. But now that's changed – anyone can be detained. And you can’t challenge them and ask why you ended up there.
B: We only learned about it after 2016.
Q: It was being implemented secretly. Back then, people just believed that those who were imprisoned must have taken part in the unrest. People really thought that, at the very least, we were among the masses in Urumqi, even if only by accident. So, nobody talked about this. When the arrests became widespread in 2013, people started to wonder, and there were parents who were brave enough to demand answers. Some of the families just disappeared after that. For example, the police would come to your house and detain your sons for no reason – you’d ask them why and they’d tell you that it was impossible for the family to not be aware of the crime. The other family members would then be accused of hiding the crimes and sent to prison also.
In some cases, the entire family was arrested. One of my classmates was an imam, and so was his father. He, his sister, and their father were all sent to prison, leaving the old mother alone at home. They’re still in prison.
B: We’ve received information that young women were getting raped in the re-education facilities. Some people are denying this.
Q: As soon as they entered the facility, women would be stripped naked, with the police touching their bodies in search of something [cavity search]. I haven't heard of them being raped there, but touching their bodies during the search was standard. However, I did hear of women with detained husbands being tricked – and, in this sense, raped – when they came to the camp to ask about the husband’s well-being. They’d be promised their husband’s release in exchange. There are many such cases.
The number of divorced couples has been increasing dramatically in China – there are many couples who get married today and are divorced tomorrow. Why? Because the husbands would spend 7-8 months in camp and then finally return only to find their wife drinking. Because she had been forced to do so, instead of just staying at home. They [the authorities] would scrutinize them, asking them why they were staying shut up inside the house, why they didn't go out for dinner, why they wore a headscarf, and so on. Just staying at home meant getting yourself questioned, and they would ask you why you didn't go out and enjoy life with the others. And after getting drunk, who knows what things humans are capable of… I’m too ashamed to pronounce those words.
There were many new families with their 3- or 4-month-old babies who’d get divorced. Why? Because the husbands would learn what their wives had done. They didn't have the right to go searching for the truth and find out exactly what caused it. Divorce was the only way. Numerous children have become orphans as a result, and nobody cares about the future of those children, who will now grow up without a father. In the past, hearing news of a divorce was shocking, but now it’s become normal. People react normally when they hear about it and say: “What else can they do in this situation?” Divorce was not acceptable for Kazakhs historically, but now… How will a divorced woman raise her children without their father present? They might not be able to endure this for more than 3-4 years, and then they will remarry. And the children… It is hard to talk about this. It hurts…
Today, people are horrified to the degree that they’ve stopped giving advice to others. Everyone is afraid of one another. There is no mutual trust. If you give advice to someone, you’ll have to worry about that person telling it to someone else and that someone else finding it wrong. Everyone just wants to live their life peacefully without any additional problems. They just want to be able to drink a pot of tea without being bothered.
Now, even the herders have to prepare documents about their whereabouts before they can go to the grasslands. You have to write in which places you will be herding your livestock. And when you have to move from one place to another, you need to get permission for that, too. When your relatives visit you and want to stay at your house, they need to declare, in written form, how many days they plan to stay. And after the number of days indicated on the form has passed, they [the authorities] will start asking you if they’ve left or, if they haven’t: why, and what are they doing?
If you need to take a taxi from, say, Urumqi to some other place, the Kazakh drivers will never take you. And even if you’re driving your own car, you will get checked many times along the way. We’re all Chinese citizens, we’re not foreigners, and we have Chinese ID cards. But at the checkpoints they would not check the foreigners the way they would check you. And when you go to pass through the lane with cameras, the sounds that they make for Han are not the same as the sounds they make for Kazakhs. If you’re Kazakh, then it might take you around half an hour to pass, while the Han are allowed through so easily. They’d just tell them to “tongguo” (pass), and that’s it – they could leave. For us, they’d ask us to wait and wait we would.
Gulzhan (Atajurt): It would be good to hear about the situation inside the camp [presumably in reference to the prison].
Q: I was there for three years. During that time, I saw with my own eyes how… There was a young Uyghur guy, about 20-21, hadn’t gone to school. He was imprisoned for political reasons. Once during lunch, the Han asked him about his family, saying that he would be released if he told them the truth. So he ended up telling them that his father was a mullah. Some time later, he understood that he had made a huge mistake and fainted, right there. They asked us to take him to the hospital, where the doctor didn’t believe that he was unconscious and started to remove his fingernails [unclear to what degree this was done and how], and put a stick in his nose and lips. The guy didn’t respond. He then injected him with something, and after half an hour injected him again. Then, on the third injection, that guy just died there. The Han were laughing.
When somebody dies, they don’t return the corpse to their relatives – they just let them take their ashes. In about the four years I spent there, about 17-18 people died. Nobody knows why they did. These are just the ones I saw. A day before my release, there was a guy named Qanat from Dorbiljin who died as well. We slept in triple bunk beds and were told that he fell from the top bunk and suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage.
As far as beatings go, that happens every day. During dinner, they would require us to keep silent, during which time you could hear the voices of people screaming. They would wear gloves and carry these electric batons, which burned your skin whenever they hit you with it. They didn't even hit you – just touched your body and it would be enough to electrocute it. They wouldn't beat you until you bled, no – they’d electrocute you with those electric batons. After being hit with those, you’d be made to lie down and cover your face with plastic, over which they’d place a wet cloth. When the plastic gets wet too, it makes it very difficult for you to breathe. The water starting to enter your nose has a terrible effect on your brain. Some people would just pee themselves while lying there like that.
There are many rules that you get punished for breaking, including disobeying the police. We have the right to speak in our native language, but the police tell you that they don't understand your language and make fun of you when you speak in their language or in your own. If you translate for the elderly, explaining to them something the policemen said, they [the police] reprimand you, saying that those people have to speak Chinese if they want to be heard. The elderly people couldn’t – it was very hard for them to speak Chinese. On the other hand, those of us who were young had encountered many Chinese before and could speak some, though not much. I was at least able to express my feelings, but they [the elderly] couldn't at all. So we tried to help, but they [the police] would ask if we were those elderly men’s relatives or family – why were we helping them? It was really difficult for them. Because they weren’t able to convey their problems. The Kazakhs there suffered a lot because of the language barrier. They [the police] would always be blaming you for this and that, and you couldn’t explain to them that you were right. Sometimes, groups of officials with some Kazakh cadres among them might come to the facility, and the Han would grow suspicion if the cadres spoke in Kazakh even for a few minutes.
The inmates got beaten very often. They didn’t even take pity on the ones who had, for example, lower back pain. They’d beat them too. Some people would be dragged until they died, accused of “pretending to be ill”. This is what happened in the detention center [unclear if referring to the pre-trial detention center or the formal prison].
There used to be policies defending the rights and equality of the ethnic minority groups, but those policies haven't been implemented since 2013, or 2011. We weren't able to enjoy such policies. Starting in 2013, we became their enemies. They started believing that we were at the root of all the problems, that it was all our fault.
For example, we traditionally ask for a “bata” (blessing) whenever 5-6 guests gather together. They would be suspicious of why we were doing that, and interfere in things like this. They would ask if we were praying. What’s wrong with the word “bismillah”? And “Allah”? They forbade us to say them. We weren’t allowed to greet each other with “As-salamu alaykum”. When my great mother passed away, they weren't allowing us to have the burial ceremony at first. All of my relatives, including the ones who were cadres, had to visit various government bodies to get permission. “As-salamu alaykum” means “peace be upon you”. It’s just a greeting – what's wrong with that? It’s not dangerous to say this. I don’t know what their main goal was. They might have wanted us to not pronounce “Allah”, or maybe they just wanted to eradicate our culture. Greeting others this way was considered a major crime.
B: That’s humiliating.
Q: Yes. It’s insulting. Exterminating an ethnicity is a major crime. … They also removed the script from the tombstones. Even the famous Bashbai’s. What did he ever do to them? He’s dead. Why did they have to remove the script?
We wanted to tell our fellow Kazakhs that our nation is in a very difficult situation. We came here, and we’ll be happy even if we die here. My father passed away a long time ago and my brother has been in camp for three years. He’s younger than I am. His name is Qasiet. He’s in Toli County. He’s not allowed to meet with anyone, not even via a screen [video chat, presumably]. I went to the camp to bring him clothes, but I couldn't meet him in person. He couldn't call us, and so we don't know if he received the clothes or not. My mother would cry when thinking of him. I told my mother that he was doing okay and that I was visiting him.
Officiating marriages in an Islamic way is also not allowed now. We used to have 10, 20, or even 50 tables of guests at a wedding. Now, the government has placed restrictions, through which they decide how many people may be there. If they say two tables, then you can't have any more guests than that. The police would be standing all around us during the wedding too, and the guests would sit there and feel the pressure. Come 10 in the evening, the police would hold their rifles and yell at the guests, telling them to leave. If you refused, they beat you and took you away. It happens every single day.
For example, sometimes some young guys might meet their friends at a restaurant and have a bit of wine or a beer. On their way back home, the police would tell them to go home. If they reply by saying that they are already on their way home in a slightly higher tone, the police will take them to the detention center and they will spend the night there, released the next morning after paying a fine. That’s the best-case scenario. Otherwise, they may end up there for fifteen days.
There’s also a policy now that any girl who marries a Han will get an apartment and money. If her parents are against the marriage, then they are considered to be criminals. Numerous girls have married Han as a result. You just get a red document (a marriage certificate), and that’s enough. But the Han guy might have another wife in another place, nobody knows. Nobody asks the Han guy if he has a wife in inner China. They would find young Kazakh girls, get married, and then divorce, leaving the children for the girls’ parents to raise. Out of 100 households in a village, daughters from at least 10 would marry Han Chinese. I’m just talking about what I’ve seen in Dorbiljin. There are other places too, such as Ili, Altay, Koboksar, Changji, Mori… I haven’t seen how many Kazakhs are suffering there.
In Qara’emil, 900 of 1000 households ended up in camps. The majority of the people in the camps would then become mentally ill or suffer from lower back pain. Because of being beaten. Whenever you get sick there, they just inject you, vaccinate you, and you don’t know what kind of vaccination it is. I’ve mentioned the Uyghur guy who was killed by three injections. They found excuses for his death. All the officials are Han, and everything is in their hands, so people generally listen to their orders. But some people might be rebellious, and those would usually get injected. The people who didn’t follow their rules died there.
In one place, the floor was made of cement and many people committed suicide, while in the second place it was impossible to kill yourself. [Not clear what this is in reference to.]
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrv4JvnxjRM
Victims among relatives
Qasiet Musahan (5420)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZRaRpWpIOc Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPFoCZo2zyQ Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5-1Nk1pd_k Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrv4JvnxjRM Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PESMMrN9tZs Testimony 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHAeafL3Eb8 Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Ji9XgrpQI Testimony 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8KgcEhCNnI Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttGq03RKllk Testimony 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5xEFMkAnz4 Testimony 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E63mqklC_gM Testimony 12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2BzEG3A364 Testimony 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUwFO3BmKPU Testimony 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhUiiuC1HcI Testimony 15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4sUiD5NHRI Testimony 18: https://twitter.com/ArailymUtegeno1/status/1361706261247635456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw geography of events: https://shahit.biz/supp/5419_15.png Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5419_18.png
Entry created: 2019-10-26 Last updated: 2021-02-22 Latest status update: 2021-02-16 5505. Shawket Abdulla
Chinese ID: 65410119690305??O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Perhat Abdulla, a citizen of Norway. (brother)
About the victim
His name is Shawket Abdulla. He was born on the 5th of March 1969 and he is 50 years old this year. He lives in No. 4 Alley, Uch Tarwuz Neighborhood, in Ghulja city. He graduated from Xinjiang Normal University and studied biology. Since then he has been working in Ili Normal University as a teacher.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
According to the video testimony, on the fist day of 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: Accoding to the testifier, he has recently learned from others that his brohter had been sentenced for 25 years in prison on the charge of following:
1) having sent money abroad.Perhat says that around 2013, his father said on the phone that he would send money to him. Perhat refused. But his father insisted, saying that he is 80 years old and this is just a help and gift from him as a father and he would be so sand if he didn’t agree. And 50000 Yuan had been sent to Perhat by the victim. He used to this money to buy a house;
2) having talked and discussed about books with the testifier on the phone. Accoring to the testifier, he doesn’t remember anything about this. If they had talked and discussed, it would be about legally published books by government publication agencies;
3) having participated in Meshrep. According to Perhat, his brother had participated in Meshrep with his friends for short period of time when Meshrep was popular among young and middle-aged people duing 1995 and 1997. Later, the government banned the Meshrep and stated it as illegal activity when they saw Meshrep's effects of uniting Uyghur people and furnishing Uyghur culture. [In November 2010, China successfully petitioned UNESCO to list the traditional Meshrep in its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.];
4) having had more children than indicated in family planning law. The victim has two daughters and one son. According to the Chinese Family Planning Law, those in violation of the law are faced with economic and administrative punishment; where the circumstances are serious, the person is legally stopped and dismissed from work.
Victim's status
Testimony 2: sentenced to 25 years in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
From some people who came abroad from Xinjiang.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/shawket-abdulla-09252019190206.html
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y2394ARmkw Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXeMRjiLBY4 photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5505_3.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-11-12 Last updated: 2021-03-15 Latest status update: 2019-09-25 5604. Hejergul Nur
Chinese ID: 654101196???????E? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (19 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|3: Ehmetjan Ablimit, a resident of Turkey. (son)
Testimony 2*: Ehmetjan Ablimit, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (son)
About the victim
Hejergul Nur is a housewife from Ghulja.
Address: 14 Bayanday Road, Bayanday Municipality, Ghulja City.
Victim's location
A prison in Wusu City.
When victim was detained
Arrested in November 2017. Sentenced to 19 years in prison sometime in 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Presumably serving a 19-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
From relatives abroad.
Additional information ---
Victims among relatives
Ablimit Imin (8521), Ablehet Ablimit (8522), Ilyas Tursun (8520)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShrjbcRxURs Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHtCXYsRvTw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5604_1.jpg
Entry created: 2019-11-23 Last updated: 2020-10-05 Latest status update: 2021-05-15 5610. Nazile Tursun
Chinese ID: 654101198209271163 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2019 - June 2019 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|5: Doğan Erdoğan, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 2|3|4: Doğan Erdoğan, a cook from Turkey. He married Gulnaz Tursun, Tursunjan Emet's daughter, but was forced to leave Xinjiang and has been unable to reunite with his wife and daughter. (brother-in-law)
About the victim
Nazile Tursun is a mother of two.
Testimony 4: She was residing in Urumqi at the time of her arrest.
Victim's location
Testimony 4: reportedly sent to a camp in Urumqi.
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
In April 2019. [A report by Radio Free Asia Uyghur from October 2019 cites Dogan as saying that she has been in camp for a year, but this may simply be an error or an approximation.]
Testimony 5: Nazile Tursun was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment in approximately June 2020.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Testimony 5: sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Dogan still appears to be in contact with his wife in Xinjiang, and they have been able to meet on the Kazakhstan-China border region on some occasions.
Additional information
Dogan Erdogan married to his wife (Uyghur) in 2016. He was given Resident Permission in Urumchi, he had to come back to Turkey to renew his Visa once every six months. He has got a child with his wife. Everything was good, he says. And now he was not allowed to enter Uyghur Region so he stays in Kazakhstan. He has made phone calls to Turkey Embassy in Beijing many times, they have been saying that they are working on it. When he lost hope in Turkey Embassy, he came to RFA. According to him, his sister-in-law has never got any relations to terrorism.
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-lager-10302019155359.html (Testimony 1) https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/tursunjan-emet-12112020211020.html (Testimony 5)
Testimony 4: victim's mother is taking care of the victim's two sons in Ghulja.
Victims among relatives
Tursunjan Emet (4361), Gulnaz Tursun (6309), Juret Ehmet (15085)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REovn6eE9fc Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH-aduoBCaw Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8OZ-gHSGfc photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5610_1.jpeg
Entry created: 2019-11-24 Last updated: 2021-05-03 Latest status update: 2020-12-11 5634. Hushtar Eysa
Chinese ID: 65292919????????O? (Kelpin)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "terrorism"|past "transgressions", "terrorism", "extremism" Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Dolkun Isa, an Uyghur activist based in Germany. The president of the World Uyghur Congress. (brother)
Testimony 2|4|8: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Hebibulla Izchi, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (friend)
Testimony 5|7: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6: Dolkun Isa, as reported by The Times. (brother)
About the victim
Hushtar Isa. (Testimony 6: 48 years old, as of June 2021)
Testimony 2: Hushtar graduated from Xi'an Jiaotong Gonglu University in 1996.
Testimony 3: After his release [from prison in 2000], Hushtar opened a restaurant called "Ardabil" with a friend, but was forced to give up his share because of police surveillance.
Testimony 4 (an employee at the Hong Qi driving school in Aksu): Hushtar then worked as an instructor at the Xinyun or Jilong driving schools, until he disappeared "several years ago".
Testimony 5: Hushtar worked at the Yong'an Driving School before his arrest in 2017.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained Testimony 2: He had previously been detained in 1998 and sentenced to 2 years.
Testimony 1: According to the testifier, he has been missing since March 2017.
Testimony 5: he was re-arrested in early 2017.
Testimony 6: Dolkun believes Hushtar was detained before April 2017.
Testimony 2: Hushtar then spent 2 years at a concentration camp in Aksu. (2017-2019)
Testimony 7: On May 25, 2021, this police officer told RFA that Hushtar had been sentenced to life in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 5: re-arrested for being a former prisoner.
Testimony 6: The reason for Hushtar's 2017-2019 detention was "inciting terrorism".
Testimony 8: At the camp in Aksu, Hushtar was accused of "more than 10 crimes" and sentenced. He was accused of "preparations for terrorism", "religious extremism" and being "counter-revolutionary". The testifier (an Uyghur teacher now abroad) heard this from his former students.
Victim's status
Unclear. The testifier doesn't know if he is the camps or in prison; or still alive or not.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 5+7: this is a local police officer, with presumably relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
The testifier's mother Ayhan Memet (in Entry #1248) died on the 12th of June 2018. And the testifier's father Isa Memet is in #1249 and he is nearly 90 years old. The testifier doesn't know if he is still alive or not. Also, the testifier's elder brother Yalqun Isa is detained (in #1749) and according to the latest news Mr. Dolqun Isa received, he was sentenced for 20 years in prison on the charge of separatism, but Mr. Dolqun Isa doesn't know the real situation.
RFA coverage (Testimony 2+3+4+5+7+8): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/hushtar-isa-06012021175745.html
The Times coverage (Testimony 6): https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/uighur-campaigner-dolkun-isas-brother-given-life-sentence-by-chines e-authorities-cv9f2nfhn
Victims among relatives
Ayhan Memet (1248), Eysa Memet (1249), Yalqun Eysa (1749) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dr48QTt1hs
Entry created: 2019-11-26 Last updated: 2021-08-13 Latest status update: 2021-06-01 5645. Iminjan Seydin (依明江·赛都力)
Chinese ID: 650102196504284534 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: --- When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: publishing
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|3|4|8: Semire Imin, a student in Boston, daughter of famous publisher Iminjan Seydin. (daughter)
Testimony 2: Radio Free Asia Uyghur, the Uyghur-language service of Radio Free Asia.
Testimony 5: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
Testimony 6: Semire Imin, as reported by Voice of America. (daughter)
Testimony 7: China Daily, an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China and published in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 9: Semire Imin, as reported by Daily Express. (daughter)
Testimony 10: Semire Imin, as reported by Associated Press. (daughter)
About the victim
Iminjan Seydin was a book publisher and an associate professor of history at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute. Originally from the Say District of Atush City's Ustun Atush Municipality, he settled in Urumqi for work in 1990, shortly after his graduation from the Xinjiang University Department of History. In 1988, he had started teaching Chinese history classes at the Xinjiang Islamic institute.
His daughter refers to him as the kindest and most generous person she knows, saying that he was very supportive of his family and others in need. According to her, his students liked his teaching and insightfulness, his business partners appreciated his integrity and generosity, and he earned respect by dedicating his whole life to improving the intellectual level of the community.
After a major car accident some years back, he decided to start up his own publishing company - the Emin Publishing House - in 2012, publishing nearly 50 books on topics such as language, education, technology, and psychology, including many translated versions of world-class books (including "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey and "The Willpower Instinct" by Kelly McGonigal). His work focused on delivering advanced knowledge to those who could only read Uyghur, so that they would not lag behind because of language barriers in society. According to his daughter, he wanted to improve the connections between all groups in society as a whole.
Sometime in 2016-2017, he was sent to rural Hotan for the local government's mandatory rural-village work program.
Victim's location
Previously reported by his daughter to be in a prison in a Bingtuan part of Urumqi. [Not clear if this is the Bingtuan prison in southwestern Urumqi.]
However, it is unclear if he is still there or if he's been released home.
When victim was detained
He was taken by the Chinese officials back in May 25, 2017. He was then accused with false charges and sentenced to 15 years of prison, with 5 years' deprivation of political rights and a 500000RMB fine, in February 2019.
On May 4, 2020, China Daily aired a "proof-of-life" video of Iminjan, in which he said that his life in Xinjiang was good, while saying that anti-China forces abroad had used his daughter. [His completely shaved head seems to indicate that he had recently been released.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
His daughter says that Iminjan has always obeyed the law, and adds that the false accusation against him is totally unacceptable and needs to be strongly condemned internationally.
According to a Radio Free Asia report, which cites multiple sources and documents, he was accused of "propagating extremism". Amnesty International has run an urgent action for him, in which it says that he was sentenced for "inciting extremism". His daughter also cites "inciting extremism" as the reason in her interview to Voice of America, adding that the specific act was his publishing the book "A Teacher of Arab Tongue, the Science of Rhetoric" in 2014, with the permission of the government.
Victim's status
Unclear. Previously in prison, but unclear if he's now been released following his "proof-of-life" video.
About a week after the video, his daughter posted on Twitter, saying that she is "lectured" every time that she tries to talk to her father, and demands that the authorities stop pressuring her parents and let them talk normally.
In her interview to the Daily Express, Semire mentions that her father suffers from high blood pressure.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
His daughter says that she got the information from a reliable source. In a later report from Voice of America, she says that she heard this through a friend in Beijing. Additional information
Business entry of his book company: http://archive.is/3DfAK
Associated Press coverage: https://apnews.com/article/bcbf0108163c692e0dcab51bf5d3dca9
A Chinese state media article from June 2017 quotes him supporting the Party policies: http://archive.is/Oh3uH
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/islam-instituti-12022019170235.html
Amnesty International's Urgent Action: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/1792/2020/en/
Covered by the Daily Express: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1282764/China-news-Beijing-nazi-concentration-camps-muslim-U yghur-Xinjiang-coronavirus-latest
Radio Free Asia adds that the Xinjiang Islamic Institute has cancelled its contract with him and has demanded that he return 2 years' worth of his salary (from 2017 to 2019).
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BmlQW7lzY Testimony 4: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php%3Fstory_fb id%3D2334345826827032%26id%3D100007549125674&width=300 daughter's song: https://twitter.com/SamiraImin/status/1207578484517814272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 7: https://twitter.com/ChinaDaily/status/1257249358367674368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 8: https://twitter.com/SamiraImin/status/1260936387181842432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo with daughter: https://shahit.biz/supp/5645_1.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5645_2.jpeg photo (zoom): https://shahit.biz/supp/5645_3.jpeg speech photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5645_4.jpg leisure photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5645_6.jpeg proof-of-life video: https://shahit.biz/supp/5645_10.mp4 photos before and after detention: https://shahit.biz/supp/beforeafter_5645.png
Entry created: 2019-12-02 Last updated: 2020-12-18 Latest status update: 2020-05-14 5679. Hebibulla Metniyaz
Chinese ID: 65410119700423353X (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: WGEID submission, a completed form with the details of a missing or detained person, to be sent to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Testimony 2: Nijat Hebibulla, from Ghulja, came to Turkey in 2014 as a student. (son)
Testimony 3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Hebibulla Metniyaz is a businessman from Tot Dukan, Ghulja City.
Victim's location
According to his son, he is currently being held in Shihezi Prison.
When victim was detained
He was detained on July 1, 2017. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on April 5, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Because his two sons are studying in Turkey.
Victim's status
Believed to be serving his prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated. Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Sulayman Aman (424), Shehide Amanulla (5678), Muhter Mehmetniyaz (418), Melike Metniyaz (425), Mutellip Muhter (419), Mubarek Muhter (5680), Mehbube Muhter (5681), Shehide Muhter (5682), Ismayil Eli (430), Esidulla Abdulla (5461), Zulpiqar Hakim (5460), Selime Kerim (5462), Ilham Imammemet (5459), Qasimjan Abdukerim (426), Amanulla Metniyaz (423), Juret Mahmut (173), Abdurehim Erkin (413), Ablikim Erkin (414), Pezile Perhat (416), Maynur Mahmut (417), Perhat Mahmut (415), Muhter Mutellip (11138), Sherwan Mutellip (420), Mehpuze Mutellip (421), Shohret Ablet (428), Shawket Ablat (429)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5kLLMGqHJE Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/5679_1.png
Entry created: 2019-12-05 Last updated: 2020-07-31 Latest status update: 2019-12-07 5704. Serikzhan Aqan (赛尔江·阿汗)
Chinese ID: 65400119811023181X (Kuytun)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"extremism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Saule Abilkasymova, a native-born Kazakhstan citizen. (friend of relative)
Testimony 4: Gulsim Adilbek, born in 1978, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (relative)
Testimony 5: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Serikzhan Aqan is a father of one (his wife divorced him and left home after his imprisonment).
Residential address: Caoyuan Number 2 Alley East, Koboksar Municipality, Koboksar county, Tacheng Prefecture.
Victim's location
[unclear, as sentenced]
When victim was detained earlier: 2017
Testimony 4: He was sentenced to 17 years in prison on November 4, 2018. [this is likely a misunderstanding of the verdict]
Testimony 5: according to the official Chinese verdict, he was arrested by the Kobuksar PSB on November 4, 2018 on the suspicion of "propagating extremism" (and one more charge, which is illegible). Available verdict is incomplete, and so it is not clear when he was sentenced.
Likely (or given) reason for detention earlier: praying Testimony 4-5: official verdict accuses him of "propagating extremism".
Victim's status sentenced to 13 years in prison
Testimony 3: no news for over 2 years
Testimony 4-5: sentenced to 17 years (and fined 30000RMB).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 4: the testifier has the official court verdict.
Testimony 5: this is the official verdict.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhMM8QZzkJs Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm4zMBim6kI Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ_MdnkxzJ0 Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kSU-vjhW6Y Testimony 5 (first page of verdict): https://shahit.biz/supp/5704_5.jpg
Entry created: 2019-12-06 Last updated: 2021-03-23 Latest status update: 2020-01-16 5821. Nurlan Pioner (努尔兰·皮吾尼尔)
Chinese ID: 652627196806280519 (Jeminey)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Altay Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"disturbing public order", "extremism" Health status: critical Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4: Sholpan Amirken, born in 1984, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 5: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 6: Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin.
Testimony 7: Tabysqan Magrupqan, originally from Jeminey County but now residing in Kazakhstan. He is a survivor of the mass incarcerations in Xinjiang, having spent around nine months in a camp. (detained together)
Testimony 8: Sholpan Amirken, as reported by Darren Byler. (sister-in-law)
Testimony 9: Sholpan Amirken, as reported by The New Yorker. (sister-in-law)
About the victim
Nurlan Pioner was a state-sanctioned imam, having been nominated for the position in 2003 and having received the necessary certificate. He was also a representative of the United Front and a representative of the People's Congress (a representative of the first session of the first congress in Ulasty Municipality).
He had translated 7-8 books from Arabic into Kazakh.
Address: House No. 11, Shiqorzha Village, Ulasty (originally Topterek) Municipality, Jeminey County, Altay (吉木乃县托普铁热克乡齐阔尔加村11号).
Victim's location
Believed to be in a prison somewhere in Altay.
When victim was detained
The very first testimony by his sister-in-law says that he was detained in May 2016, but this is neither corroborated by the official documents nor is it reported by her again later [the source of this contradiction isn't clear, and may simply be an error].
According to the official court verdict, he was first detained by the Jeminey Public Security Bureau on June 10, 2017, on the suspicion of "gathering a crowd to disturb public order". He was then formally arrested on July 17, 2017. (In the meantime, there was a decision made to suspend his People's Congress representative duties on July 3.)
He spent a significant amount of time in pre-trial detention. It is possible that he was held in multiple centers, as co-detainee Tabysqan Magrupqan reports seeing him in a detention center in Shiqorzha Village in early February 2018 ("They took me directly to the prison/detention center in Zhimunai County. There was a village named Shiqorzha, and the prison was located there, next to a middle school (“Qisyq Mektep”). In the western part of the town. To the east of the river... I was with Nurlan Pioner in the detention center."), while the official court document notes him being held in a detention center in Burshyn County (as of August 2018).
While in pre-trial detention, his health worsened dramatically, to the point where he was granted permission to be released on bail on August 4, 2018 (having developed both upper-limb and lower-limb amyotrophy and reportedly having lost the ability to control his body). On August 31, 2018, he was nevertheless sentenced to 17 years. He was allowed to stay at home for three months, but was later transferred to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.
His sister-in-law notes that the trial was essentially a mock trial, and that Nurlan was unable to defend himself, was in extremely bad health, and was essentially just told by the court that his crime was his being religious. According to her description of him that day:
"[he] had aged dramatically. He was gaunt and could no longer walk. His trousers were stained with urine. He trembled, barely able to sit. When [Sholpan] shouted his name, she didn’t see any recognition on his face."
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to his sister-in-law, he was detained for praying, being religious, and teaching others how to pray.
According to the Chinese authorities, he was initially detained on the suspicion of "gathering a crowd to disturb public order". According to his court verdict:
"Offender Nurlan Pioner is accused of gathering a crowd to disturb social order; using extremism to undermine law enforcement; illegally obtaining materials propagating extremism, and is sentenced to 17 years in prison."
Among the "evidence" presented in the verdict, it is noted that Nurlan has educated over 70 people (in religion), and more than 100 people were found to be somehow related to this (receiving religious education from him or being in contact with him). 34 among them were sent to camp.
Victim's status
Serving a 17-year prison sentence, though it is unclear where. His health is extremely poor, as his time in detention has resulted in his becoming disabled/paralyzed. His sister-in-law, who attended his trial, says that he has become incredibly thin (to the point of her being able to lift him). According to her, he cannot really see or hear anymore.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Sholpan Amirken attended the court hearing and interacted with the victim while he was released on bail.
The bulk of the official information regarding his case comes from the court verdict, which comes directly from the Xinjiang court system.
Tabysqan Magrupqan, who mentions seeing Nurlan in the detention center, was interned with him briefly.
Additional information
While Sholpan was back in Xinjiang in 2017, she was interrogated by the public security bureau, who treated her as if she were a criminal. She was asked if she knew about Zharqyn 7 [previous online name of Serikjan Bilash]. After 6-7 hours, they'd finally release her.
Sholpan also notes that a male Han cadre was assigned to be a relative in the testifier's home, and that they would call each other "brother" and "sister".
The New Yorker feature: https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/china-xinjiang-prison-state-uighur-detention-camp s-prisoner-testimony
Coverage in the Prospect: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/big-brother-vs-chinas-uighurs
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql2-07172017103134.html https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01202020095234.html
Victims among relatives
Erbaqyt Pioner (5823), Erlan Pioner (5822)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j78_NKeZRsQ Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmw7DCtroU Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbSh8ghBgeQ Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXN3BKVQ5_c Testimony 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8CHjUu4Ye8 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5821_3.png old photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/5821_8.jpg Testimony 5 (court verdict): https://shahit.biz/supp/5821_10.pdf
Entry created: 2019-12-11 Last updated: 2021-05-01 Latest status update: 2021-02-26 5824. Baisultan Yusiphan (巴依苏勒坦·玉苏汗)
Chinese ID: 654123198110083777 (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"inciting ethnic hatred", "disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|2|4: Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek, a Kazakhstan citizen originally from Tokkuztara County. He is one of the key volunteers at the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization. (relative)
Testimony 3: Official incarceration notice, which provides the details about a given inmate's upcoming internment.
Testimony 5*: Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (relative)
About the victim
Baisultan Yusiphan.
Address: 21 Mukai Group, Qorgas County (霍城县木开队21号). [The Mukai group now appears to officially be a part of Qorgas City's Happiness Neighborhood, according to local government posts.]
Victim's location
In the No. 14 detention area of Qarabura Prison (in Ghulja City).
When victim was detained
Contradictory detention dates are reported, despite both coming from the same testifier.
In one testimony, Seitmuhamet Shezhimbek says that the victim was detained on December 7, 2018. In an earlier testimony, he gives the date as June 18, 2018.
According to the official incarceration notice, he was transferred to the prison on January 29, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the incarceration notice, the victim was sentenced for "instigating ethnic hatred and discrimination and gathering a crowd to disturb the social order" (煽动民族仇恨民族歧视、聚众扰乱社会秩序罪).
The unofficial reason, as explained by Seitmuhamet, is that he had invited some people to his house to pray when he saw them praying outside on a cold winter day in 2009. He was allegedly drunk when he made this offer, and himself was not a religious individual.
Victim's status
Serving a 15-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
It is not clear how Seitmuhamet learned about the unofficial reason of the arrest or when it first took place.
The incarceration notice is an official document from the Xinjiang prison system.
Additional information
A local "Qorgas up close" (霍尔果斯零距离) report (http://archive.is/YV5oj) from December 25, 2019, focusing on ethnic unity and the people's lives being improved, mentions a bridge being built in front of the home of someone with the same name and location (Mukai Group) as the victim. Seitmuhamet confirms that there is a small river in front of the victim's home.
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_13.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_13.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=13
Victims among relatives
Meiramgul Maidan (6818), Aqai Yusiphan (6819), Nursultan Anargazy (6820)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfK8HJQbwfg Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkbmrTjdaRI Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDG9vddi4Z0 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/5824_2.png
Entry created: 2019-12-12 Last updated: 2020-09-06 Latest status update: 2020-01-09 5854. Iminjan Rehmutulla (依明江·热木都拉)
Chinese ID: 65300119????????O? (Atush)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Fazilat Abdureshit, as reported by Global Voices. (niece-in-law)
Testimony 2: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
About the victim
Imin Haji is the brother of Shanshidin Haji and Nurgul Rahmitulla, and the father of Adiljan Imin [son's surname inferred from victim's first name]. Imin Haji heads a major construction company.
Testimony 2: He is the vice president of Xinjiang trade association, and represent of China's trade-industrial association.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: It is unclear when the victim was initially detained, but he has reportedly been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Testimony 2: arrested in 2017, sentenced to 20 years in 2021.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
The victim is currently in prison, having been sentenced to 20 years. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Global Voices article (Testimony 1): https://globalvoices.org/2020/09/16/chinas-persecution-of-muslim-minorities-one-uyghur-student-living-i n-turkey-shares-her-story/
His company listings: https://archive.ph/sNTeJ https://archive.ph/uTdf7 https://archive.ph/7lcR9 https://archive.ph/MVbwg https://archive.ph/atbUe https://archive.ph/pna8i
Victims among relatives
Rizayidin Abdureshit (5441), Abdureshit Hoshur (2868), Ablimit Hoshur Halis (2867), Shemshidin Rehmetulla (3482), Nurgul Rehmutulla (5853), Adil Iminjan (5855), Muqeddes Abdureshit (12280), Ehmetjan Muhemmed (12279), Hemrulla Abdusemi (12281), Elijan Hemrulla (12282), Ilham Heyrulla (12283)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/AbduwelA/status/1393517200074592261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2021-01-11 Last updated: 2021-07-08 Latest status update: 2021-05-15 5885. Erkin Qurban (艾尔肯·库尔班)
Chinese ID: 65322619590516??O? (Keriye)
Basic info
Age: 60 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Aksu Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"taking bribes", "abuse of power", "extremism" Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Local People's Procuratorate, a local prosecution body in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Erkin Qurban (艾尔肯•库尔班). Born on May 16, 1959 in Keriye county. Erkin Qurban is a former Vice-Secretary of the Education Working Committee of Hotan Prefecture and a former Chairman and Vice-Secretary of the CCP Education Bureau. Before the arrest, he resided at Apartment No. 501, Entrance 1, Urumqi Road 220, Hotan city (和田市乌鲁木齐北路220号1单元501室).
Victim's location
Aksu Prison
When victim was detained
Arrested in Hotan on charges of corruption on July 19, 2017. The arrest order was issued nine days later. His sentence was announced on November 11, 2017, by the Intermediate People’s Court of Hotan Prefecture. Erkin appealed it, but the sentence was upheld in a final hearing on November 28. On May 16, 2019, his case was transferred from the District Procuratorate to its subordinate unit in Hotan city.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
“Accepting bribes” and “abusing power and neglecting duties”.
He was accused of taking a total of 1 400 000 yuan in bribes, 375 578 of which have been given over to the state treasury, along with a gold bar worth 12 3630 yuan.
Erkin’s “abuse of power” charges were related to him having “extremist ideology” and “obstructing the implementation of national policies in the greater environment of the policy of popularizing the country’s common language and script in the region”, thus creating an “particularly damaging influence on society”. Victim's status
Erkin was sentenced to 9 years for accepting bribes and concurrently to 7 years for abusing power. In total, his punishment amounted to a 15 year-sentence in prison and a 200.000 yuan fine.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The information comes directly from Chinese government sources.
Additional information
Original court verdict (Testimony 1): https://archive.is/p3T27
Notice of change of jurisdiction (Testimony 2): https://archive.is/VgwEI
Supplementary materials possible mention (very unlikely): https://shahit.biz/supp/5885_1.png
Entry created: 2021-05-23 Last updated: 2021-05-23 Latest status update: 2019-05-16 6077. Mehbube Seydehmet
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Imam Tahawi Abdumilik, originally from Ghulja but now living in Istanbul. (nephew)
About the victim
Her name is Mehbube Seydehmet. She is 50 years old. She is from Ghulja.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was put in Boz Prison [Ghulja City Pre-Trial Detention Center] In Ghulja in April[probably 2019, not clear].
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown.
Victim's status
She was sentenced for 5 years in prison around in September 2019.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
--- Victims among relatives
Raziye Seydehmet (6076), Mehpuze Seydehmet (6078)
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSLO7YaGATE Boz facility mention: https://shahit.biz/supp/6077_2.jpg
Entry created: 2019-12-24 Last updated: 2021-07-07 Latest status update: 2019-11-26 6078. Mehpuze Seydehmet
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Imam Tahawi Abdumilik, originally from Ghulja but now living in Istanbul. (nephew)
About the victim
Her name is Mehpuze Seydehmet. She is from Ghulja.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was put in concentration camp in 2017. Later she was sentenced for 12 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown.
Victim's status
In prison. She was sentenced for 12 years in prison later in 2019.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
The victim's husband, Yasinjan, is also missing. According to the testifier, the authorities have had him disappeared. Victims among relatives
Raziye Seydehmet (6076), Mehbube Seydehmet (6077)
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSLO7YaGATE
Entry created: 2019-12-24 Last updated: 2021-03-25 Latest status update: 2019-11-26 6121. Mewlan Nurmuhemmed (买吾拉尼·努尔买买提)
Chinese ID: 65270119860605??O? (Bortala)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1: Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, one of the thematic special procedures overseen by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Testimony 2: Rizwangul Nurmuhemmed, as reported by Bitter Winter. (sister)
Testimony 3: Rizwangul Nurmuhemmed, as reported by 1 News. (sister)
Testimony 4|6: Rizwangul Nurmuhemmed, a scholar residing in New Zealand. (sister)
Testimony 5*: Rizwangul Nurmuhemmed, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (sister)
Testimony 7: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
Testimony 8: Rizwangul Nurmuhemmed, as reported by Amnesty International. (sister)
About the victim
Mewlan Nurmuhemmed is a father of one, who worked as a fiber internet technician prior to his arrest. He had also lived in Turkey from 2012 to 2014 as a language student, hoping to improve his career prospects.
Victim's location
Beiye First Prison in Shihezi City. [Presumably the first district/area of the Eighth Division Beiye Prison.]
When victim was detained
Mewlan was arrested in January 2017 by plainclothes police officers while on lunch break at a local restaurant. According to the report published in Bitter Winter, he was allegedly "hooded, shackled, and hauled away by machine-gun brandishing police officers".
As of March 2017, he was reported as being at a Bortala detention center [presumably 博乐市看守所]. At one point during his detention, there was reportedly a false alarm that he would be released, but this never happened.
There was no immediate trial following the arrest, and the Chinese authorities did not initially provide an explanation as to why the victim was being detained.
According to Rizwangul Nurmuhemmed, Mewlan was transferred between a concentration camp and "prison" [likely: pre-trial detention center] several times after the initial arrest.
Information later obtained by the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) showed that Mewlan had been sentenced to 9 years in prison for "splitting the Chinese state". According to a later statement by the Chinese embassy [presumably in New Zealand], he had been sentenced in August 2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Separatism".
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
On June 10, 2020, Mewlan's mother was reportedly allowed one brief video call with him, after which she said that he looked "okay". Rizwangul reported this as confirmation that the victim was still alive. (She adds that he's never had problems with his health prior to detention.)
[There is a strong likelihood of him being subjected to forced labor at the prison facility, as the prison has been documented to have textile workshops, previously contracted to the Zhuofan Garments & Accessories LTD.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Through [monitored] conversation(s) with her mother over WeChat, as well as via official statements from the Chinese authorities.
Additional information change.org petition: https://www.change.org/p/help-me-get-my-brother-back-help-him-get-his-normal-life-back-he-is-innocent -yet-arbitrarily-detained-for-more-than-3-yrs-in-china
(Since starting this petition, Rizwangul Nurmuhemmed has received "several intimidating phone calls", which she reported to both the Chinese embassy and the New Zealand police. About three weeks after the petition was launched, she also started to receive voice WeChat messages from her mother, after approximately two and a half years of silence.)
UN Human Rights Commission report: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Disappearances/A_HRC_WGEID_118_1_Advance.pdf
1 News coverage: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/top-kiwi-scholar-speaks-her-imprisoned-brother
Bitter Winter coverage: https://bitterwinter.org/rizwangul-a-uyghur-woman-in-search-of-a-brother-who-disappeared/
Amnesty International urgent action: https://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent-actions/urgent-action-uyghur-jailed-for-nine-years-in-secret-trial-chi na-ua-135-20
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR060
Mewlan's company in Bortala City: https://archive.is/zpC6n
Supplementary materials
Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-6SkPO5NsI photo with son: https://shahit.biz/supp/6121_2.jpg
Entry created: 2019-12-28 Last updated: 2021-09-23 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 6493. Abduleziz Edhem
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party (submitted by third party)
"Belgium Uyghur Association" (Twitter handle: @BelgiumUyghur)
Victim's relation to testifier
N/A
About the victim
Abdul'eziz Edhem was a student at the Xinjiang Agricultural University.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as he's been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Detained in October 2014 and held in a pre-trial detention center for a year, before being sentenced to 5 years of prison on terrorism charges.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Terrorism".
Victim's status
[Presumably] still serving his prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated. Additional information
---
Supplementary materials original testimony: https://twitter.com/BelgiumUyghur/status/1213526331645935618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2020-01-15 Last updated: 2020-01-15 Latest status update: 2020-01-05 6510. Abdureshit Qelem
Chinese ID: 65402319????????O? (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduweli Abdureshit, originally from Qorghas County but now living abroad. (son)
Testimony 2: Uyghur Transitional Justice Database, a project documenting the Uyghur victims of the repressions in Xinjiang.
About the victim
His name is Abdurehit Qelem. He is 60 years old and he is a businessman. He has serious health problems like diabetes.
Victim's location
Qarabura Prison in Ili.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: detained in 2017.
Testimony 2: went missing on 26 August 2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown.
Victim's status
In Qarbughra prison in Toqquztara County, Ili. [This is presumably Qarabura Prison in Kunes County, as the prison's location is not far from the border with Tokkuztara.]
[There is a high likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at Qarabura Prison.] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear. The testifier says that he got reliable information about the victim [probably from his classmates].
Additional information
UTJD entry (Testimony 2): https://www.utjd.org/missing/index.php?ref=574
The victim was taken to the camp, then later he was taken to the prison.
Victims among relatives
Anargul Sawut (6511), Amangul Abdureshit (6512)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVN4byeM6IU
Entry created: 2020-01-04 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-10 6619. Mihray Hebibul
Chinese ID: 652101197706030022 (Turpan)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: security/police
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|4|5: Melikezat Hebibul, originally from Turpan but now living in Turkey, which she hasn't left since 2016. Her passport expired in 2018. (sister)
Testimony 3: Melikezat Hebibul, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (sister)
Testimony 6: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
About the victim
Her name is Mihray Hebibul (米日阿衣·艾比布). She is 40 years old. She graduated from Police Training School. She worked in Idiqut Police Station in Turpan City. She is rewarded as outstanding cadre almost every year in Urumchi. She was a Party member.
Address: House No. 26, Dilshat Neighborhood, Junmin Gongjian Road, Turpan City, Xinjiang (新疆吐鲁番市军民共建路迪力夏提买里26号).
Testimony 5: she is a mother of 2.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
In 2018.
Testimony 4: sentenced to 3 years on November 6, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown. Victim's status
Testimony 3: sentenced to 3 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 3): https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/melike-hebibul-01092020124808.html
The victim is also included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs (Testimony 6), available at: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Victims among relatives
Hebibul Abdul (6617), Meryemhan Tursun (6618), Bahargul Hebibul (6620), Memet Hebibul (6621), Alim Hebibul (6622), Abdurehim Abduqadir (6623), Shemshinur Abduqadir (6624), Aygul Hebibul (8528)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT6j-2DZhfo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MzmIRC_KcE Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/melike79963876/status/1231631534928560128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/MelikeUyghur/status/1214581457022308353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/6619_4.jpg photo with husband: https://shahit.biz/supp/6619_5.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-05 Last updated: 2020-11-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-30 6620. Bahargul Hebibul (巴哈古丽·艾比布)
Chinese ID: 652101198304302245 (Turpan)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): contact with outside world|"endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: engineer
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|4: Melikezat Hebibul, originally from Turpan but now living in Turkey, which she hasn't left since 2016. Her passport expired in 2018. (sister)
Testimony 3: Melikezat Hebibul, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (sister)
Testimony 5: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
Testimony 6: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Bahargul Hebibul graduated from Xinjiang's University of Finance and Economics in 2009. She then worked as an IT engineer at the Railway Telegraph Bureau for 6-7 years, starting in 2010. She was a Party member.
Address: Apt. 501, Entrance No. 4, Building No. 9, Youth Road, Turpan City, Xinjiang (新疆吐鲁番市青年路9号楼4单元501室).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was allegedly taken to a camp on June 11, 2017, and sentenced to 5 years in November 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to her sister (the testifier), the victim's WeChat and bank accounts were linked to the testifier's business in wholesale Turkish goods, and all of the payments were transferred to the victim's bank account.
The victim was allegedly questioned for two days, in 2016, because money from her account was sent to an anonymous person's account in Turkey. $20000 belonging to both the victim and testifier was frozen, and the victim was told that if the testifier returned from Turkey, the money would be returned.
Victim's status
Believed to be serving a 5-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
The victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/melike-hebibul-01092020124808.html
Since May 2017, the authorities have been pressuring Melikezat to return to China. When she called her father, he told her that if she did not come back, they [Chinese authorities] would take all of the family members to camp. Melikezat says that she has been living in pain and depression since.
Victims among relatives
Hebibul Abdul (6617), Meryemhan Tursun (6618), Mihray Hebibul (6619), Memet Hebibul (6621), Alim Hebibul (6622), Abdurehim Abduqadir (6623), Shemshinur Abduqadir (6624), Aygul Hebibul (8528)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT6j-2DZhfo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MzmIRC_KcE Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/MelikeUyghur/status/1265675233358417920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/6620_3.jpeg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/6620_4.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-05 Last updated: 2020-11-19 Latest status update: 2021-01-30 6621. Memet Hebibul (买买提·艾比布)
Chinese ID: 652101197207010051 (Turpan)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: unclear (hard) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: corporate work
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|4|5: Melikezat Hebibul, originally from Turpan but now living in Turkey, which she hasn't left since 2016. Her passport expired in 2018. (sister)
Testimony 3: Melikezat Hebibul, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (sister)
About the victim
Memet Hebibul(买买提·艾比布) is 45 years old. He worked at China Life Insurance.
Address (as on ID, 2014): Apt. 501, Entrance No. 4, Building No. 9, Qingnian Road, Turpan City, Xinjiang (新疆吐鲁番市青年路9号楼4单元501室).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced and possibly still in prison.]
When victim was detained
30th April 2017.
Testimony 4: sentenced to 3 years on November 6, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Going to Turkey.
Victim's status
Testimony 1: In the camp.
Testimony 2: sentenced to 3 years in prison. Testimony 5: his sentence should have been served already, but it does not appear that he has been released.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 3): https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/melike-hebibul-01092020124808.html
Victims among relatives
Hebibul Abdul (6617), Meryemhan Tursun (6618), Mihray Hebibul (6619), Bahargul Hebibul (6620), Alim Hebibul (6622), Abdurehim Abduqadir (6623), Shemshinur Abduqadir (6624), Aygul Hebibul (8528)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT6j-2DZhfo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MzmIRC_KcE Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH70HALlnFc Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/melike79963876/status/1231631819390488577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/6621_4.jpg proof of relation: https://shahit.biz/supp/6621_5.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-05 Last updated: 2021-02-11 Latest status update: 2021-02-01 6622. Alim Hebibul (阿力木·艾比布)
Chinese ID: 652101197504092217 (Turpan)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: unclear (hard) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: security/police
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|4|6: Melikezat Hebibul, originally from Turpan but now living in Turkey, which she hasn't left since 2016. Her passport expired in 2018. (sister)
Testimony 3: Melikezat Hebibul, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (sister)
Testimony 5: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
About the victim
His name is Alim Hebibul, 42 years old (as of December 2019). He worked at Xingzan Prison (Testimony 5: as a prison guard) in Turpan and was a Party member.
Address: Apt. 401, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 1, Qingnian Neighborhood, Qingnian Road, Turpan City, Xinjiang (新疆吐鲁番市青年路青年小区1号楼2单元401室).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced and possibly still serving his sentence.]
When victim was detained
In 2018.
Testimony 4: sentenced to 3 years in prison on November 6, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown.
Victim's status Still in the camp.
Testimony 3: sentenced to 3 years.
Testimony 6: should have finished serving his sentence, but still does not appear to be released.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
The victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs (Testimony 5), available at: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
RFA coverage (Testimony 3): https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/melike-hebibul-01092020124808.html
A 2003 listing of 435 model workers for their "strike hard" work, where he is included as a police officer from the Turpan police: http://archive.is/bscir
Victims among relatives
Hebibul Abdul (6617), Meryemhan Tursun (6618), Mihray Hebibul (6619), Bahargul Hebibul (6620), Memet Hebibul (6621), Abdurehim Abduqadir (6623), Shemshinur Abduqadir (6624), Aygul Hebibul (8528)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT6j-2DZhfo Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MzmIRC_KcE Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH70HALlnFc Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/melike79963876/status/1231631819390488577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/6622_4.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/6622_5.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-05 Last updated: 2021-02-11 Latest status update: 2021-02-01 6631. Eli Abdulla (艾力·阿布都拉)
Chinese ID: 65????19????????O? (---)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): other|other, related to religion Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 2: Local court employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Eli Abdulla (know as Eli Horaz) is a very well-known jade businessman. He has a company called Xinjiang Qashtishi Real Estate (Xinjiang Yu Cheng (Jade City) Real Estate Development Ltd) which offers jobs to more than 500 people.
The victim had real estate properties in both Urumqi and Hotan.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as allegedly sentenced.]
When victim was detained
RFA report (possibly Testimony 3): The victim went missing in mid-2016. It is assumed that he was arrested at this time. The victim was sentenced a year later in mid-2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention illegally opening mines. But according to a person who knows the situation very well (Testimony 3), the victim and his brothers were arrested because they have made a lot of money and have done some charities. Plus, he was questioned about ethnic characteristics of his building in people's square.
Some rumors say that a Chinese company wanted to buy land in Hoten, and the land was put in auction; the Chinese company put 94 million Yuan price on the land, and the victim increased the price, putting 294 million price Yuan on it and this drag the government attention and the government started to investigate his property.
Testimony 1: The victim donated either 1 million or 10 million yuan to a local mosque in or before 2015. This is based on the testifier's recollection, who said he met with the victim around 2014 or 2015. The official said that he was told the victim was sentenced because of that donation, but also said that there may have been other reasons. He also said that there were rumours that "the Chinese companies" had sued him, referring to companies run by Han Chinese people from outside the XUAR that were interested in mining jade in the region.
Victim's status
Probably in prison. According to the one of the workers of the court in Hoten (Testimony 2) who was interviewed by RFA mentioned that Eli Abdulla sentenced for life time in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
RFA made several phone calls to local government offices in Hoten and some of them confirmed the news (Testimony 1-2).
Additional information
According to a person who works in the court in Hoten, 13 relatives of the victim and 35 people from his company were sentenced; the other 4 people who are close to the victim were taken into camp. The victim and his brothers were fined 1,500,000 Yuan.
RFA report (Testimony 1-2): https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/eli-xoraz-12232019162235.html https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/developer-12202019165452.html
Additional mention: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/magnate-01172020175553.html
Business listing of his company (which has now been transferred over to his children): https://archive.is/reRcc
Victims among relatives
Memtimin Abdulla (6632), Abdulehed Abdulla (6633), Ibrahim Abdulla (6634), Abliz Islam (6635), Memtimin Islam (6636)
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/6631_1.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-06 Last updated: 2021-04-02 Latest status update: 2019-12-23 6648. Gulbahar Eysa
Chinese ID: 65410119????????E? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Mehbube Abla, originally from Ghulja City, but now living in Austria. (cousin)
About the victim
Her name is Gulbahar Eysa. She is a housewife and has two children. She hasn't got a passport and she has never been abroad.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as she's allegedly been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
In May 2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown.
Victim's status
In prison. According to the testifier, she was first detained in May 2017 and put in a camp. Then in 2018, she was sentenced for 18 years in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
--- Victims among relatives
Peyzohre Omerjan (478), Ablajan Hebibulla (477), Adiljan Ablajan (479), Shepqet Tohtasun (3384)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjfVkYWwFF0 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzK12MtCzuA photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/6648_3.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-08 Last updated: 2020-02-02 Latest status update: 2021-04-06 6784. Nebi Ghojaehmet
Chinese ID: 65322219????????O? (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tiemenguan Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"extremism", "inciting ethnic hatred", "disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Local court employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 3: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
About the victim
Nebi Ghoja'ehmet is originally from Qaraqash County, but was working at the sandstone factory in Bayingolin Prefecture's Chaqiliq County's No. 36 Corps in late 2016 [it is not clear if he had relocated there in any long-term capacity]. He was a Party member.
Household registration address: House No. 25, Group No. 3, Qirimchi Village, Qaraqash Municipality, Qaraqash County, Xinjiang.
Victim's location
At the Ulughkol Prison (第二师乌鲁克监狱) in Tiemenguan.
When victim was detained
The investigation of his case was started on August 8, 2017, and he was arrested the following day (August 9). He was formally arrested on September 29, 2017 on the charge that he had "propagated extremism". On June 12, 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 5 years' deprivation of political rights.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The reason for his arrest was his essentially telling his co-workers at the sandstone factory, in December 2016, to be better Muslims and not "infidels", like the Han Chinese. Specifically, he was reported as saying: "Don’t use bad language or watch pornography, or you’ll become infidels and your faith will be polluted. Your soul will be stained for 40 days if you don’t pray and if you watch those kinds of things. You’ll turn into an infidel if you eat without praying. If you don’t pray, you’ll go to hell and God will not forgive you. The only ones who don’t pray are the infidel Chinese. It’s haram to eat food prepared by women who don’t pray. It’s haram to eat food prepared by people who smoke or drink. You shouldn’t eat that kind of food."
There were multiple charges against him over the course of his detention and trial. He was originally detained on the suspicion of "gathering a crowd to disturb public order". The formal charge when he was formally arrested over a month later was that of "propagating extremism". The charge in his indictment, as sent by the procuratorate to the court, was "inciting ethnic hatred and discrimation", and this is what he was sentenced for (although extremism was also mentioned in the verdict multiple times).
Victim's status
Serving a 10-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The bulk of the information comes from the official court verdict for his case. Additional confirmation was obtained from local officials, who presumably have a more direct understanding of the case.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia made several phone calls to local authorities, with a court worker in Chaqiliq County saying that nearly 100 people with connections to Nebi Ghoja'ehmet were arrested, and that 82 of them were sentenced.
The court worker also said that those detained had listened to Nebi's preaching about not watching pornographic videos, and were accused of "disturbing social order" by "[illegally] gathering and trying to split China". They were sentenced from 5 years and 6 months to 10 years in prison.
A village policeman from Qaraqash County added that those who had been sentenced were mostly from his village - almost all men between 18 and 60 years old, and two women.
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/mexpiy-hojjet-12122019171346.html https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-lager-12162019155902.html
The court case was also covered in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/24/china-cables-uighur-man-10-year-sentence-shows-hars h-reality-of-chinese-repression
Coverage by El Pais (https://elpais.com/internacional/2019/11/24/actualidad/1574585419_300447.html) gives additional details, specifying that the victim was 50 years old and providing the names of the people that he said his controversial things to (Kerim Tursun, Memetjan Kerim, and Gheyret Memet).
Court verdict Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_35.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_35.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=35
Entry created: 2020-01-08 Last updated: 2020-07-23 Latest status update: 2019-12-16 7056. Memetimin Yusup (买买提衣明·玉素普)
Chinese ID: 65312719860629015X (Mekit)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Omer Yusup, originally from Mekit County but now residing in Turkey. (brother)
About the victim
His name is Muhammetimin Yusup. He is from Mekit County, Kashgar Prefecture. He visited Turkey and Egypt in June 2017 and went back. He's a father of three. He owns a shop close to his residential complex.
Address: House No. 199, Group No. 3, No. 4 Community, South Construction Road, Mekit County, Kashgar, Xinjiang (新疆喀什麦盖提县建设南路4社区3组199号).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Kashgar.]
When victim was detained
At the end of March 2017. [which is a contradiction, since he went abroad in June 2017]
Testimony 3: detained at home by police.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: for going abroad to travel.
Victim's status
Testimony 1: Unknown. The testifier doesn't know if the victim is in camps or in jails; or if he is alive.
Testimony 2: no news since his detention.
Testimony 3: recently sentenced to 7 years. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
According to the testifier, the victim's grandchildren's situation is also unknown- how they are and who is looking after them and so on.
The victim's shop: archive.is/QFvxJ
Victims among relatives
Yusup Hoshur (7054), Amangul Qurban (7055), Reyhangul Yusup (7057), Risalet Yusup (7058), Meryemgul Yusup (7059)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhxdpqNduiU Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/Omeryus75395290/status/1115693744605548544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/Omeryus75395290/status/1248286825850044416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/7056_4.jpg photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/7056_5.jpg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/7056_6.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/7056_7.jpg photo (3): https://shahit.biz/supp/7056_9.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-15 Last updated: 2020-07-22 Latest status update: 2021-06-29 7057. Reyhangul Yusup (热依汗古力·玉素普)
Chinese ID: 65312719901127??E? (Mekit)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Omer Yusup, originally from Mekit County but now residing in Turkey. (brother)
About the victim
Her name is Reyhangul Yusup. She is from Mekit County, Kashgar Prefecture. She visited Turkey and Egypt in June 2017 and went back. She's a mother of one.
Address: House No. 199, Group No. 3, No. 4 Community, South Construction Road, Mekit County, Kashgar, Xinjiang (新疆喀什麦盖提县建设南路4社区3组199号).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Kashgar.]
When victim was detained
Arrested at the end of March 2017 [which contradicts them going abroad in June 2017].
(Testimony 3: abducted from home "three years ago" (as of May 2020), sent to camp, then "recently" sentenced to 14 years)
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: going abroad to travel.
Testimony 3: sentenced "on false charges"
Victim's status
Testimony 1: Unknown. The testifier doesn't know if the victim is in camps or in jails; or if she is alive.
Testimony 2: no news since her detention. Testimony 3: sentenced to 14 years in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
According to the testifier, the victim's children's situation is also unknown- how they are and who is looking after them and so on.
Victims among relatives
Yusup Hoshur (7054), Amangul Qurban (7055), Memetimin Yusup (7056), Risalet Yusup (7058), Meryemgul Yusup (7059)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhxdpqNduiU Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/Omeryus75395290/status/1115696495909593097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/OmerYusuf210/status/1256887758561427456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/7057_3.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-15 Last updated: 2020-05-22 Latest status update: 2020-12-05 7065. Mehmet Ali Kashgarli
Chinese ID: 6531??19661215??O? (---)
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"terrorism" Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Ahmet Kaşgarlı, as reported by Euronews. (brother)
Testimony 2: Uyghur Transitional Justice Database, a project documenting the Uyghur victims of the repressions in Xinjiang.
Testimony 3: Ahmet Kaşgarlı, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (brother)
Testimony 4: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Mehmet Ali Kasgarli is a Turkish citizen for 32 years and he is not a holding any other citizenship. He went to China for business on the 24th of April 2017 and he was taken from his home by the police.
Testimony 3/4: he moved to Turkey in 1989, then moved back to Xinjiang in 2001 and opened a clothing store in Urumqi. He is an acquaintance of victim Abdujelil Helil {3377}. He is a father of four.
Victim's location
Testimony 3-4: Qalghach Binam Prison in Peyziwat County.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: The victim was taken from his home when he was here for business on the 24th of April 2017.
Testimony 2: sentenced to 15 years.
Testimony 3: He was first sentenced to 15 years and a fine of 74 million yuan on 31 July 2017 by the Kashgar Intermediate Court. Ahmet heard about this sentence in 2019 from the Chinese government, but was never provided a court judgement. In January 2018, that conviction was overturned on the basis of "irregularities". The conviction was then upheld at a secret retrial on 17 March 2021 in Qalghach Binam Prison, Peyziwat County. [This was the same retrial as Abdujelil Helil.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Allegedly for "financing terrorist organizations".
Victim's status
Testimony 2: sentenced.
Testimony 4: The anonymous source says that he looked "very emotionally and physically weak" at the retrial, implying he may have health issues.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+3: Unclear. [Probably the victim contacted his brother Ahmet Kasgarli as Ahmet contacted the Turkish Embassy in Beijing about the victim's situation on the 27th of April 2017.]
Testimony 4: the anonymous source appears to have attended the trial.
Additional information
On the 27th of April 2017, the victim's brother Ahmet Kaşgarlı emailed the Turkish Embassy in Beijing about the victim's situation and they said they would look into this matter and get back to him. He also wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Turkish Grand National Assembly Human Rights Commission informed the victim's brother that the Minister of Foreign Affair would respond to this matter. On the 6th of May 2017, the victim's brother received a note from the Turkish Consulate that said the victim was arrested because he had financed the terrorist organizations. However, no documents and information regarding the victim's being taken to court nor his penalty were provided by the Turkish Consulate. There's no official information about his arrest.
Euronews report (Testimony 1): https://tr.euronews.com/2019/04/18/cin-deki-toplama-kamplarinda-turk-vatandaslari-da-mi-tutuluyor
RFA coverage (Testimony 3-4): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/retrial-04152021160420.html
Testimony 2: his wife has also been detained.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/UyghurJustice/status/1375424347830108163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Turkish ID card: https://shahit.biz/supp/7065_2.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/7065_3.jpg
Entry created: 2020-01-17 Last updated: 2021-06-08 Latest status update: 2021-04-15 7089. Hemit Abdurahman
Chinese ID: 65240119540520003X (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 65 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|--- Health status: has problems Profession: government
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|2: Tughluq Hemit, originally from Ghulja but now residing in Stockholm. (son)
Testimony 3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 4: Tughluq Hemit, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (son)
Testimony 5: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
About the victim
Hemit Abdurahman worked at the Ili regional telecom office prior to his retirement.
Victim's location
In "Boz prison" [Ghulja City Pre-Trial Detention Center].
When victim was detained
Taken by the Ghulja public security bureau on January 27, 2017. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in January 2020.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Meeting the testifier in Turkey in 2014. The testifier asking for political asylum abroad and being a political activist.
Victim's status
Sentenced, with release scheduled for January 26, 2035.
His health appears to be quite poor. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Tughluq learned about it through former classmates now working in inner China.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01102020072341.html
Rights Protection Network coverage: https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/03/18.html
Victims among relatives
Saadet Bawdun (7090), Gulshen Hemit (8441)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSNt9WWEPSo photo with son: https://shahit.biz/supp/7089_1.jpg Boz facility mention: https://shahit.biz/supp/7089_2.jpg family photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/7089_4.jpeg photo with wife: https://shahit.biz/supp/7089_5.jpg
Entry created: 2020-02-02 Last updated: 2021-05-21 Latest status update: 2020-03-29 7090. Saadet Bawdun
Chinese ID: 652401195608210027 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 63 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|--- Health status: has problems Profession: corporate work
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|2: Tughluq Hemit, originally from Ghulja but now residing in Stockholm. (son)
Testimony 3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 4: Tughluq Hemit, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (son)
Testimony 5: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
About the victim
Sa'adet Bawdun worked at the transportation department of the Ili Hotel prior to her retirement.
Victim's location
"Boz prison" in Ghulja [Ghulja City Pre-Trial Detention Center].
When victim was detained
Taken on January 27, 2017 by the Ghulja public security bureau. She was sentenced to 18 years in January 2020.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Meeting the testifier in Turkey in 2014. The testifier asking for political asylum abroad and being a political activist.
Victim's status
Sentenced, with release scheduled for January 26, 2035.
She is not in good health, and the testifier heard that she has gotten sick while in prison. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Tughluq learned about it from friends working in inner China.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-01102020072341.html
Rights Protection Network coverage: https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/03/18.html
According to Tughluq, her WeChat account and phone number are no longer active.
Victims among relatives
Hemit Abdurahman (7089), Gulshen Hemit (8441)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSNt9WWEPSo photo with son: https://shahit.biz/supp/7090_1.jpg Boz facility mention: https://shahit.biz/supp/7090_2.jpg family photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/7090_4.jpeg photo with husband: https://shahit.biz/supp/7090_5.jpg
Entry created: 2020-02-02 Last updated: 2021-05-21 Latest status update: 2020-03-29 7239. Suriye Tursun
Chinese ID: 65402319640321??E? (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|other, "terrorism" Health status: has problems Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Jewlan Shirmemet, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (son)
Testimony 2|5: Jewlan Shirmemet, originally from Qorghas County, but now living in Turkey. (son)
Testimony 3: Jewlan Shirmemet, as reported by Daily Express. (son)
Testimony 4: PRC consulate-embassy staff, a staff member at a People's Republic of China embassy or consulate.
Testimony 6: Jewlan Shirmemet, as reported by Bitter Winter. (son)
About the victim
Suriye Tursun was an employee of the Management Office of Trade and Industry in Qorghas County.
In 2013, she visited Turkey with a Chinese tour group, to see her son and his university, travelling for 15 days and going back.
Family address: West Central Street, Lengger Township, Shuiding Municipality, Korgas County, Xinjiang (新疆霍城县水定镇兰干乡中心西街).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Suriye was detained at the beginning of 2018 and sentenced in early 2019. [Exact dates unclear.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the Radio Free Asia report, she was allegedly detained for "having looked down on the Chinese education system" [possibly an informal reason]. According to the staff of the PRC consulate in Istanbul, she was officially sentenced for "assisting in terrorist activities".
In the interview to the Daily Express, Jewlan says that she was detained for having visited him while he was studying in Turkey.
Victim's status
Currently in prison, presumably serving a 5-year sentence.
According to her son, she is not in good health.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Jewlan does not state how he learned about the detention, saying only that he lost contact with the family on January 13, 2018, when he found that they had all deleted him on WeChat.
The confirmation of her arrest and sentence was provided by a Chinese government representative, and may be considered as official.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/jewlan-shirmemet-01152020222320.html
New York Times coverage: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/world/asia/china-coronavirus-xinjiang.html
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR066
Crimean News Agency (Turkey) coverage: https://qha.com.tr/haberler/dogu-turkistanda-aileler-toplama-kampina-atiliyor/146690/
Daily Express coverage: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1282764/China-news-Beijing-nazi-concentration-camps-muslim-U yghur-Xinjiang-coronavirus-latest
Bitter Winter coverage: https://bitterwinter.org/visited-her-son-in-turkey-she-went-to-jail/
Official communication(s)
Source: Chinese Mission in Turkey
------
-- February 12, 2020 (first call with Istanbul consulate) --
Jewlan: …[provide some] proof, or maybe you can explain it to me clearly? I went to high school here. I’m a tour guide with a travel company here. I have never even participated in a single illegal activity. I promise this is - even the police knows, and you at the Chinese embassy all know, that this is completely made up. It is made up. You’ve sentenced my mom to five years, taken my family… my dad and younger brother… to a concentration camp. Now I don’t even know their whereabouts. Consulate staff: This situation, I think, has already been checked and confirmed in the mainland. Your father and younger brother are not in an education and training center. They’re both outside.
J: I know, they’ve already been released…
CS: Now it’s just that they don’t want to, they aren’t willing to…
J: Then what is my mom’s crime? What is my mom’s crime? My mom’s crime is that she, as a mother, came to Turkey in 2013 on a vacation with her work unit, with a Chinese holiday tour group. That group had Han, and Uyghurs, and Hui, coming here together to travel. After returning, she continued working as she always had. I also frequently travelled back and forth without any issues, until 2013 [misspoken: 2016], when we stopped communicating all of a sudden. After that, I didn’t know… So as to not bring them any trouble - since I knew that contact with people abroad would bring trouble at that time - I didn’t contact them, because I didn’t want to bring them any trouble. Until later when I received the news that, at the beginning of 2018, my dad, my mom, and my younger brother were all taken by the police and brought to a concentration camp, the so-called “training center”. But they are all high-school graduates, and my parents are both civil servants. I also have never participated in a single illegal activity to this day.
After receiving this news, do you know whom I immediately went to look for? I immediately went to my contacts in the mainland, looking for people in the government, but they also wouldn’t reply to me. Then I went to contact you guys, the people at the consulate, but you’ve also been dragging it out. Now you come out and tell me that I “participated in illegal activities”. If that’s so, can you please find some piece of evidence that I participated in illegal activities? Also, another point. Where in the national law does it say that, when a child does something wrong, it is the rest of the family who should be punished? Never mind that I have not even done anything wrong. I have never even participated in any illegal activities.
CS: This thing with your mom… I can tell you that it was definitely not because of you. It was because she violated China’s laws. This…
J: Which laws? Since you’re saying that, can you give me the court verdict? I want to find a lawyer. I want to find an international lawyer. Can you provide me with the verdict?
CS: Look, there’s no need to get so agitated. The mainland has also already told us that your case may not be that severe. Or maybe it was a case where other people’s influences played a role, like being in contact with some wrong people - what I mean is, maybe you could write down whom you’ve been in contact with, starting from the last time that you left the country up until now, including when you were in Egypt before and in your current situation now.
J: Let me tell you…
CS: I feel like… I feel like you should think about doing this. Once you’ve got it, you could send it via the e-mail you used to e-mail us before. Because this situation of yours… Some of it we’ve already talked to the mainland about. The mainland might also think that your situation is not that serious. I feel like you should go ahead and clearly write down all this information. If there’s an error somewhere…
J: Let me just tell you here…
CS: …you can also tell us.
J: Alright, first… CS: In that case, the mainland might reconsider your family’s situation.
J: I’ll tell you now. No need to write anything down. I’ll just tell you now.
CS: Hmm...
J: First, you asked me just now whom I had contacted in Egypt, and now in Turkey. You can look at the entry and exit information in my passport. All the records are there. I have never been to Egypt. I have only been to Turkey. In 2011, I came to Turkey to attend university here. I went to Istanbul Commerce University, the law department, and after graduating started working here. Originally, I was able to go back, and wanted to go back after graduation, but didn’t because I lost contact with my family. All this time, I’ve been working here, at a travel agency. You can look at the relevant travel agencies - I’ll give you the names of the mainland Chinese travel agencies and the names of the Turkish ones too, and you can go search. You can find all my travels, all the plans that the group made for me… Where would I have the time to go contact other people, seeing as how I’ve been receiving travel groups nonstop? And then I started working independently, started to create my own travel company. I have not contacted any anti-Chinese organizations. I never even wanted to. I have always stayed far away from politics. I have not even brushed shoulders with politics. While here, I have always stuck to doing my own work, even on social media. No matter if it was Instagram or Facebook or whatever, I have not posted even a single sentence of anti-Chinese speech.
I also know about the concentration camps over there. I see all those things on the news over here, but I have not even had a single crazy thought in that regard - I’ve always been like this, just living my own plain, normal life. I’ll have you know that, over here, I’m probably in contact with more Han than with Uyghurs or Turkish. I’m often with them over here, and when their families come, I take them out and show them around. I simply haven’t been involved in any other activities apart from the regular tour group leading ones. Up until when I contacted the Chinese embassy, calling the embassy over and over and over again but getting no reply. Finally, I contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry, but they didn’t reply either. So, at last, I realized that I needed to go to the media. I want to… In order to save my family, in order to save my mom, I will furiously battle to the end. Now, I…
CS: Actually, actually… I, let me say this… Actually, we are all certainly very willing to help you. After all, we’re all Chinese people, so we’re willing to help you. But going to the media won’t actually help you with your problem, right? Right now, the mainland doesn’t think that your situation is very serious either…
J: My… My “situation” isn’t very serious…
CS: These things that you’ve said… You can send us an e-mail…
J: This is not a “situation” - I simply do not have a “situation”. And my mom? My mom is a… Three months after the last time that she contacted me in 2018… She was planning to retire three months after that. A retired… Someone who, for thirty years… Both my mom and my dad were Party cadres for thirty years in the Industry and Commerce Bureau, in Qorgas County’s Industry and Commerce Bureau. They worked for thirty years. If this country actually has law and order, if it’s obliged to protect its citizens’ rights, then why go and arrest a Party cadre with thirty years of work history and then sentence her? Can you think about this for me: if you were in my shoes, what would you do? If your mom was sentenced just because you attended university overseas, and she had come to visit you, with her travel group, and then got sentenced? What would you think? I just want to ask your thoughts here, or ask if you could put yourself in my position. You think about it. I really want to ask: those who sentenced my mom, or issued the order to have my mom arrested, issued the order to have my family taken to a concentration camp (although my dad and my younger brother were released I heard, but I still don’t know their situation) - I really want them to put themselves in my position and think about it, really, really, extremely carefully… I really want them to think about this with regard to their own humanity, all right? You said just now that these are Chinese people. Right? I… But I only realized this point now. Clearly, they are Chinese people, with the rights of Chinese citizens, so then why sentence my mom? Saying that I attended some “activities” in Egypt and in Turkey, when I have not even been to Egypt. I can even take a photo of every page in my passport for you - you look and see if there’s an Egyptian visa there. Or you can check the entry and exit records that are recorded in my passport. I can also send my passport to you now. You take a look. See if there’s Egypt.
CS: All right… With this situation, I believe that the mainland also have their reasons. I feel like, now, if you have your passport information, or other kinds of proof that you did not attend those activities, then, I feel like, you can send it over to our e-mail, and we can help you report that to the mainland.
J: I can do that. I can take photos one by one and send them to you.
CS: Yes, and if there’s some other situation, or if you want directions for dealing with some problem, you can just write an e-mail and send it to us. I see that you wrote e-mails to us before, and even writing in Chinese wasn’t a problem. You send those things to us and the mainland might be able to help. They’ll certainly help.
J: Yes, I… I will send it over to your e-mail in a bit. There’s another thing that I want to ask: what’s my mother’s crime? I really want to understand. Can you send me my mother’s written verdict? Can you provide it to me? What is the crime?
CS: This… We don’t really have this on our side. It’s not something we handle.
J: Can you, from the Xinjiang government…?
CS: But your mom… I’m pretty sure the crime was “assisting in terrorist activities”.
J: “Assisting in terrorist activities”? When did she “assist in terrorist activities”? I…
CS: This… I believe that if the mainland gave the sentence, then they must have evidence. To tell you the truth, that’s to say, as a warning, this is… They… There’s no way to keep up with what they do over there. I suggest… I think the best thing that you can do now is to clarify your own situation, so we can let the mainland take a look, and then see if you can first make contact with your dad and your brother.
J: I… I do want to contact my dad and my brother, but I really, absolutely want to know my mother’s verdict. Send it to me. I want to look for an international lawyer. I want to look for an international lawyer to defend my mom. My mom… Just now you said that my mom was involved in some terrorist… My mom doesn’t even know what terrorism is - she is just a plain and ordinary, an extremely, how to put it, law-abiding… Always respecting the country’s laws. She’s never even broken the law, never even had the idea of breaking the law. She’s a Party cadre who spent thirty years always working for the country, contributing to the country. I…
Even while at the Industry and Commerce Bureau, when my mom wanted to retire early - because of her health, she wanted to retire early - she ended up realizing that her work unit couldn’t do all the things that someone in her position needed to do, and so she kept waiting until she could retire regularly and not because of poor health. That’s how giving of a person she is. All of a sudden, “terrorist” something… “Assisting in terrorist activities”? Let me tell you: when I went back… I came out here by myself, going to school while also leading tour groups, and I never even asked [my parents] for a single cent. I know that relatives sometimes send money overseas, to children studying overseas, the tuition fees, and that this can be the cause of their arrest. But my mom didn’t even do that. Not even this. There aren’t even any records of her sending me money. It’s all money that I earned myself. I work here with a Chinese travel agency, collaborating with them, leading tour groups, keeping myself alive with the money that I’ve earned myself.
CS: These, these… These feelings I can understand. But at the same time, I personally feel like right now what would be best for you would be to gather the materials, first explaining your own situation, and then see if we can help you get in touch with your family members in the mainland first. I feel like this is the more urgent thing right now, and also what would help solve your problem?
J: I… I want… I want to contact my family members, and right now I also want to have my mother’s written verdict. Her written verdict. Written verdict. Can you give that to me? You said, in the e-mail…
CS: We don’t have that either. This…
J: I’m asking you to request it from the Chinese government, from the court. This written verdict. Because I want to go look for a lawyer. I can look for one in Beijing, or look for one outside the country. I want to find a lawyer.
CS: I feel like the more urgent thing right now… I feel like the more urgent thing right now is to first explain your own problem to the mainland, and then to talk about other things. If your situation can be clearly explained, then it can help resolve your mom’s problem. But if the mainland thinks that you did some bad things here, they will not trust you, and there’ll be no one [there] who trusts you. So, you… I feel like you should clearly explain your own situation first. This is more important.
J: Yes, even my passport I can…
CS: …don’t you think so?
J: …every page…
CS: Mainly, whatever materials you have, you can directly… Or these things you’ve said. You can write all of it up as text and send it over to our e-mail.
J: Okay then. All the information from Turkey onwards. How I went to university, and then even every page of my passport. And you take a look to see if I’ve been to Egypt?
CS: Yes. Uh-huh.
J: But I still want… I still want… You need to provide me with the written verdict. Because each day my mom spends over there, being tormented… I know what the situation over there is like, and right now the COVID-19 situation is also extremely severe. My mom, she…
CS: This thing… Right now, it’s definitely not a problem. That we can confirm for you. But I feel like the more pressing thing now is to first resolve your own problem. Only then can you talk about other things. If the mainland decides that you’ve done a lot of things here that aren’t right, then the mainland will not help you. Your family also isn’t willing to contact you right now, right? Explain your own situation clearly first. Only by doing that will you be able to make progress in resolving this problem. J: I really want to know - is it that my family doesn’t want to contact me, or is it the government not letting me contact them? I don’t even know right now.
CS: Right now, it is your dad and your younger brother who don’t want any contact with you.
J: Why? As a child… For a father to not want to contact his child is an extremely unnatural situation, don’t you think?
CS: That’s why I feel like you should clearly explain your own situation first. Only then can these other things be resolved.
J: I will take my passport, where I went to school here, what I did here, when I received which tour groups… I will write every single thing out for you.
CS: That’s right. That’s right.
J: Okay. I will send it over.
CS: You can tell us all of this, send us all of this.
J: Can you tell me your name? If I want to directly… If I want to learn about my family’s situation, I will look for you directly and call this number.
CS: Uh… You send us the e-mail first, and then we’ll contact you again.
J: Then, the e-mail address is the one I wrote to before?
CS: Yes, that’s right.
J: Right now, my request… My request is that you provide me with my mom’s written verdict. I really must see its contents. What my mom’s criminal charge was - I really want to understand that. This is my… I feel that, for a Chinese citizen, this is an extremely normal request, right? The consulate should be able to provide me with this, right? Because the consulate is there to protect the rights of citizens who are overseas in the countries the consulates are in, right? This is my right, right?
CS: That’s why right now the issue is your mom, who is currently in the mainland. I feel like what’s most important right now is to change the mainland’s opinion of you. If you yourself have any…
J: The mainland’s opinion of me is a separate matter. The sentence given to my mom…
CS: This is not a separate matter. Right now, they are the same thing.
J: …which of China’s laws says that the issues of the child must drag down their whole family? Even though I don’t have any, regarding which I can provide you all the relevant information. But still: if a child, or anyone who is abroad, does a bad thing, why should that implicate their family members? That’s why I say that these are two separate things. For a citizen, what I request is an extremely normal thing. It is my mom who is currently in jail, who was sentenced. I really want… Because I… Don’t China’s laws also have this? The right to appeal, right? We can go to the Supreme People’s Court to appeal, right? In any case, going to the Supreme People’s Court to appeal is an extremely normal thing, a normal legal process. That’s why I want the consulate, if it really wants to help me, to ask the court for the written verdict. CS: To be honest, this… Right now, it’s not… Right now, it’s not us helping you. Right now, it is you needing to help yourself. First, explain your own situation clearly. Tell us about your situation first, and only then will it be possible to talk about other things.
J: I… This… Like I said, I’ll send you everything about my travels, my studies here… I’ll send it all to you, even including my university graduation diploma, when I graduated… I will send it all. Where I studied, where I work…
-- February 12, 2020 (second call with Istanbul consulate) --
CS: …you need this to go look for people in Xinjiang…
J: When I try to contact people in Xinjiang, no one replies to me. I found someone from a police station the other day, someone who used to be in my WeChat contacts. After I found them, they deleted me.
CS: No… The reason why they aren’t replying to you now is because they think that, right now, you yourself have social problems. I think that, if you can clearly explain your issue, the mainland’s attitude towards you will also change. That’s what I can help you with right now.
J: I will provide you with all the information, but you also need to help me ask for the written verdict. Because I want to go find - I have already found - a lawyer. I have already found a lawyer. I have found a lawyer in Beijing and I have found a lawyer internationally: one in England. I want to appeal, so I need to see this written verdict. I think that this is an extremely normal process in Chinese law. To appeal, to refute, to go to the Supreme People’s Court and appeal, to find a lawyer - this is how the legal process works. I don’t think that this violates the law in any way. Right now, my request is also very simple.
CS: This… You might have the right to do this, but right now we over here don't have a way to help you appeal either…
J: No, no, no. I haven’t asked you to help me appeal. I just want the written verdict.
CS: What we can help you with now is… You should supply us with a description of your activities and your basic situation.
J: Okay. After I finish writing it up, I will send it over to you immediately.
CS: It will be best if there are other people who can serve as witnesses for you.
J: Other people serving as witnesses? Whom should I look for…? Should I write down the tour groups’ names? I’ve already led over 100 tour groups here.
CS: That works…
J: Where should I look? Which group…?
CS: Your own groups, or your travel agency’s person in charge. All are fine.
J: I will write down all of the tour groups that I’ve led for you. One by one, and you can just contact them. There are groups from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan… All of them. CS: Or they could write you a letter of attestation. That might be better.
J: I can get this. But can you record that I have this request: that Jewlan Shirmemet requests the Chinese government for his mother’s written verdict. I will also state this request in my e-mail.
CS: That works, that works. Just write it all in the e-mail. We’ll get it all.
J: Okay.
CS: Okay. So, that’s it for today.
J: Okay. Bye.
-- April 21, 2020 (call with Ankara embassy) --
Embassy staff: Hello.
J: Hello. My name is Jewlan Shirmemet. I live in Istanbul. I have been requesting that the consulate let me contact my family for 4 or 5 months already, but I still haven’t received a reply.
ES: Oh, I see. The consulate, right? You mean the consulate in Istanbul?
J: Yes, yes.
ES: Oh. We’re the embassy…
J: I know…
ES: You can write down your e-mail, name, passport number, family information, and send it over to me, after which we’ll report it to the mainland. Does that work?
J: Okay, all right. What’s your e-mail address?
ES: I’ll text it to you, okay?
J: Okay.
ES: I’m just afraid you might write it down incorrectly.
J: Okay.
ES: Don’t worry, don't worry. I just need to ask: your family… Is it that you can’t contact them, or - sorry for asking - but did your family members do that…?
J: No, my family members… I…
ES: Was it because of that sort of, that sort of… You know, that kind of stuff… I mean, were they arrested by the local Xinjiang government? J: Yes, my mother was detained by the Xinjiang authorities.
ES: Aiya…
J: My dad and my younger brother were also detained, but later released. Since their release, I haven’t… I didn’t… I haven’t been able to contact them. I told the embassy…
ES: Have you not returned to China for a very long time?
J: I have not gone back to China since 2016.
ES: Okay, got it. We’ll get in touch with the mainland, don’t worry. We’ll get in touch with the mainland. During this time, don’t get too agitated with your online activity, all right? It won’t be good for getting in touch with your family. Okay?
J: Look, I’ve never… I’ll send you the e-mail. It’ll be better if I e-mail you, right?
ES: Okay, I’ll send you the address now. All right.
-- May 5, 2020 (call with Ankara embassy) --
ES: Hello?
J: Hello, this is Jewlan Shirmemet.
ES: Hello?
J: Two weeks ago, I sent you an e-mail, but still haven’t received a reply.
ES: Was it about getting a passport or looking for family members?
J: Looking for family…
ES: Has our colleague contacted you?
J: He wanted me to send an e-mail, so I did…
ES: Yes, yes, this is something that needs time. This needs time…
J: Sir, I just want to ask… From December… In December, I sent an e-mail to the Chinese consulate in Istanbul. I kept waiting, then in February I sent another email. I still have not received any news. The embassy has its phone number posted on Twitter, so I called the number and was told to send an e-mail. I sent one and now it’s been two weeks. How…
ES: Two weeks is not… Two weeks is not too… Two weeks is not a long time…
J: How can it not be a long time? Here, I’ve been…
ES: We have a colleague who specifically handles this. I will have them give you a call. Based on my understanding… I’ll give them your phone number soon and tell them that you called. Based on my understanding, my colleague sent a collective report with the relevant information to a number of agencies in mainland China two weeks ago, including the five to six, or four to five… We should have a total of five requests for help contacting family members who are out of contact. Five in total. We reported all these cases together. But we are still waiting for the mainland’s reply, as we cannot decide this.
J: Sure, but this is very… I am a Chinese citizen, I’ve been in Turkey for five years, working in the tourism sector. Working while studying. When a Chinese citizen loses their passport, they can get it in two days, and any problem that comes up can be resolved in a day. My request is simple: let me contact my family, and release my mom. My illegally imprisoned mom. It’s that simple.
ES: It’s like this… It’s like this… Let me put it as…
J: I’m just requesting what I’m entitled to as a citizen. I don’t have any other requests.
ES: So… I know what you mean, but there are a lot of things I need to check. First, we are a country of law, and it’s not like the family members of anyone who says their family members have been arrested… have been arrested illegally…
J: Before, I requested the written court verdict. You didn’t give it.
ES: That’s…
J: I requested a lawyer…
ES: There are a lot of things that can be requested. We could also request a lot of things, but speaking within the legal framework… How to put it: I’m not in charge of this. I’m in charge of making ID-related documents. I will get my colleague to contact you, okay?
J: Okay, fine.
ES: Okay. Don’t be too worried about your situation. Also, I…
J: Put yourself in my position and ask yourself if you’d be worried. I haven’t talked to my family in over two years.
ES: I understand, I understand. If members of my family… If members of my family were arrested, I would be very angry too. I understand you… I understand you very well. But whether or not this situation is against the law is not something I can determine. Because this needs China’s…
J: We’re in the 21st century…
ES: This is up to China’s judicial system to determine…
J: China is a technologically advanced country. 21st century… It’s the 21st century and I have not been able to contact my family for over two years. Two and a half years. Surely, this is insane. I…
ES: I will have my colleague call you, okay?
J: Okay. Sure. ES: Okay, then. Bye.
-- May 6, 2020 (call with Ankara embassy) --
ES: Hello?
J: Hello?
ES: Hello, how are you?
J: Hello. I’m Jewlan Shirmemet. I called you yesterday as well. I’m calling regarding my family.
ES: Yes…
J: Two weeks ago…
ES: You’re Jewlan, right?
J: Yes.
ES: Jewlan, it’s like this… We have already reported your situation to the mainland. Please wait a little. We are also waiting so as to be able to get back to you. Your situation, the letters you’ve written… The letters you wrote were quite long… Because we’ve also taken a look… From our perspective, we’re also quite sympathetic, you know? We’re all Chinese citizens, including the members of your family who are in this situation. First, we need to verify the situation. Additionally, see if there’s other ways. What I mean is: just wait some more. All right? Does that work?
J: But I’ve already waited for over five months, always contacting you guys…
ES: I know, I know. I know what you mean. I can only tell you that… We… It’s really an important matter. Once the pandemic is under control, you can come to the consulate general too… With everyone… You can also talk to everyone face to face. How about this: if we receive any news, we’ll call you? Does that work?
J: Can you be certain? Because I am extremely worried, this is… And you don’t…
ES: I understand, I understand. How about this… Because the pandemic in Turkey is really quite serious, you should take good care of yourself first. Which school are you at? I think you’re a student, is that right?
J: Yes, I’m in Istanbul. I’m in Istanbul…
ES: Right, right. Because in Istanbul, the pandemic is… There’s a lot of tourists…
J: This… Right now, I can take care of myself. It’s my family that I’m worried about. About my mother, because right now she is in jail…
ES: Because right now… It’s like this: I can tell you that right now in the mainland, when it comes to Xinjiang, there isn’t a single case right now. Before, there were 76 cases, right? 73 have recovered, which means that 3 people passed away, but 73 people have now left the hospital. And there hasn’t been a single infected case, you know? J: Sir… Maybe there really isn't any illness there, but right now she is in prison. Think about it. Can you think of me for a second? Put yourself in my position…
ES: Yes, yes, yes. I know, I understand. I can understand your feelings. Really.
J: My mom is currently in prison, and right now, you see, the simplest… the simplest thing… I cannot even contact my family. It’s the 21st century. A Chinese citizen, in the world’s most scientifically advanced country… A citizen…
ES: Yes, yes. Yes.
J: I am unable to contact my family. Isn’t that absolutely crazy? This is really damaging to the country’s reputation too, no?
ES: Hmm, it’s like this… I mean, we actually have to do our jobs as well. Also, if you have any friends in Xinjiang, then you will understand that it’s not actually all like this. These are individual cases.
J: Yes, individual cases.
ES: What I meant… I hope you’ll understand, but our country, because of some not-so-good things that happened in Xinjiang in the past… It has to…
J: Those not-so-good things…
ES: It has to… I mean… Wrong things have happened in Xinjiang. I mean, these past few years, things have returned to normal. Listen, we can talk about this properly and slowly… Getting documents done, contacting your family, going back there to visit them. I mean, [unintelligible]… There is a process.
J: This…
ES: I do understand your feelings, but if you could have turned to the Chinese mission from the very start, your problem would have been resolved that much faster.
J: Mister, let me just tell you. The first thing I did was to turn to the consulate. That was the first thing I did. I called them every day. Called them every day. Sent e-mails every day. I can send you those e-mails. I even contacted the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Didn't get a reply there either. Beijing, Shanghai… I contacted… Including the Xinjiang…
ES: Look, the other places you got in touch with I don’t really care about. Since you’ve now addressed the embassy, we - I’ve told you this already - we are working hard to get in touch with the mainland, to see what the best way to resolve this is. All right?
J: These words… Because I am extremely, extremely worried. This… in China…
ES: I understand your feelings. I understand your feelings.
J: …not being able to contact your family is extremely crazy.
ES: You should… Look, if we get any news then we’ll contact you. All right? J: Try to be faster. I am extremely, extremely worried.
ES: Okay, okay. Also, masks, protective clothing, and such… You have all that?
J: No [likely misspoken]. I do, I do.
ES: Right. If you do need anything, the Chinese mission can help out. We can send the things over to you, okay?
J: I’m all set. This…
ES: You have the embassy’s e-mail. Just like for our other overseas Chinese, if you need anything, you can just tell us what you need via e-mail: with your address, the quantity needed… It’s all doable.
J: This… Stuff like this… I have no problems when it comes to myself, it’s just… The only thing I’m worried about right now is my family…
ES: Look…
J: For me… Apart from…
ES: Listen, it’s not that I’m forcing you, but I hope that you’ll understand - we will certainly deal with this to our fullest ability.
J: Aren’t I extremely understanding…?
ES: Because we are all overseas Chinese in Turkey. You are also a Chinese citizen, right? I mean, we were always meant to… Overseas Chinese need to stick together. Second, the Chinese mission definitely wants to help overseas Chinese…
J: With the Chinese mission, I… I worry… Right now, I’m just thinking about how two months ago… with the Chinese mission… about how I have already sent all my documents to the one in Beijing…
ES: The Beijing one is… Beijing is not…
J: No, I mean the Ankara one. The embassy in Ankara. Two months ago, I sent them all of my information…
ES: In that case, look… You should…
J: I still haven’t received any news…
ES: If we get any news, we’ll contact you, all right?
J: I hope so… Can you also…
ES: Because, you know, two days ago the mainland was celebrating a holiday, right? Today’s the first day back at work. Right?
J: Sure. Then just please try to be a little faster. ES: Can do. Okay. That’s it, then. Take care of yourself, all right?
J: Hmm.
ES: Okay, bye.
-- May 7, 2020 (call with Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs) --
Ministry staff: Hello, this is the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. How may I help you?
J: Hello, this is Jewlan Shirmemet. I’m now living in Istanbul, Turkey. I’m originally from Xinjiang, and my ID number puts me in Qorgas County of Xinjiang’s Ili Prefecture. I have not been able to contact my family for over two years - two and a half years - and I have learned that my mother was arrested by the Xinjiang government. My mother is a civil servant. A civil servant who had served the country for thirty years. The last time I contacted them was on January 11, 2018, on WeChat. After that, I lost all contact. At that time, my mother told me that she was going to retire in two months. A mother who was just about to retire… Why would she be arrested by the Xinjiang authorities and illegally imprisoned? I am now requesting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contact Xinjiang, and allow me to establish normal contact with my family, as well as release my mother. That’s why I’m calling you now. I have already been communicating with the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey for over five months, but they have never given me a proper reply. Why does the consulate treat its own citizens like this?
MS: Can you provide us with your name and your ID number?
J: All right. My name is Jewlan Shirmemet [Mandarin: Jiawulan Xi’ermaimaiti]. “jia” as in “jiafa”…
MS: How do you write that?
J: [Explains characters used to spell his first name.]
MS: Jiawulan, right?
J: Yes, yes. [Explains the spelling of his last name.] Xi’ermaimaiti.
MS: Okay.
J: My ID number is…
MS: Jiawulan Xi’ermaimaiti, is that right?
J: That’s right. My ID number is 654123…
MS: 654123…
J: …1991…
MS: …1991…
J: …0506… MS: …0506…
J: …0014.
MS: …0014.
J: Yes. For my mother, her work unit is…
MS: Do you have an ID num…? Do you have a passport number?
J: Yes, I do. One second… Let me get you my passport number.
MS: Hmm.
J: One moment… Passport number is… G… Please wait a moment. Passport number is: G… G…
MS: J? Is it that…
J: Not that one. G as in “Ge”. Yes.
MS: And then?
J: 5739…
MS: 5739…
J: …7606.
MS: …7606.
J: Correct.
MS: G57397606?
J: Correct. G57397606.
MS: This is your own passport number, right?
J: Yes.
MS: Please wait a moment. Umm, you just said that right now you’ve lost all contact with your family, is that right? That is…
J: Correct. My family…
MS: Apart from your mother, are there other members of your family that you can’t contact?
J: Correct. In my family, you have my dad and my mom, who are both civil servants, and my younger brother, who is also a college graduate. My dad and my mom both worked for the country for thirty years. My dad is a civil servant in the environmental protection bureau, the Xinjiang Ili Qorgas County Environmental Bureau. My mother was a bank teller at the Xinjiang Ili Qorgas County’s Bureau for Industry and Commerce - a national civil servant for thirty years. My younger brother is also a college graduate. In January 2018, I…
MS: And right now you can’t contact any of them, right?
J: Correct. My dad… The last time I contacted the embassy in Istanbul, they told me that my dad and my younger brother were taken to Xinjiang’s so-called “training centers”, but… I don’t understand… My dad and my mom were both civil servants for thirty years, and my younger brother is also a college graduate, so why take them to training centers? I don’t get this, sorry. It’s something I still cannot understand.
MS: Sir, please start by getting a hold of yourself and answering my questions.
J: All right…
MS: When you say so much, I don’t really understand what you’re saying.
J: All right, all right.
MS: Trust me.
J: Right, I…
MS: Your situation… What exactly is the reason for why you can’t contact them right now? Is it all of them, or just one or two that you are unable to contact? From what time have you been unable to contact them? Please explain these things to me.
J: All right. January 11, 2018 was the last time I contacted my family, on WeChat. On January 13, I’d discover that they had all deleted me on WeChat.
MS: On which date, again?
J: On January 13, I discovered…
MS: January 11, 2018, you said?
J: Yes.
MS: You mean that you lost contact with them then, is that right?
J: Yes, they deleted me on WeChat at that time.
MS: Sir, it’s like this… Even though our purpose here is to provide overseas Chinese citizens with consular [unclear] services [unclear], what you’re asking is not within the scope of our work, so unfortunately we are not able to assist you. You can try such agencies as the local police department. If people have gone missing, you can report it to the police. These are the methods that you can try to find your relatives.
J: Right now, I… No, right now, there’s something I just want to ask: what is it that the Foreign Ministry is supposed to protect? What aspect of the citizens’ lives? Just now, I found your number online and called you. This is one of the rights of an overseas Chinese citizen, right?
MS: Yea… J: Right now, my rights are being infringed on by the Xinjiang authorities…
MS: The Xinjiang authorities are in the mainland, Sir. This is not, this is not our [unclear]… I mean, for example, when you are in Turkey and you experience some other kind of emergency situation in Turkey, this is where we come in. But if something happened to your relatives in Xinjiang, then you need to contact the local… For example, the police department or other departments. Do you understand what I mean?
J: Yea, I understand. But then why did I just spend all that time giving you all my ID numbers…? Okay. Heh. All right. I get it.
MS: These conversations are all recorded, but if you like we can also not record this.
J: No, no problem. If you can, when you have the time… If the foreign ministry has any news regarding this, and if they want to understand the situation, to go look, then you can call…
MS: This situation is not within our purview. There’s really nothing we can do.
J: Okay. All right.
MS: You can contact departments… I mean, the local police departments or others. All are okay.
J: All right.
MS: Okay, then. I’ll end the call here.
J: Hmm.
-- May 13, 2020 (call with Ankara embassy) --
ES: Hello, how are you?
J: Hello, how are you? This is Jewlan Shirmemet…
ES: I know, I know. I know you.
J: I… Has there been any news of my family?
ES: Uh… We’ve already… Our colleague has already sent all the information regarding looking for relatives to the mainland, and the mainland has not yet gotten back to us.
J: When will they get back to you? It’s already been over two weeks… three weeks…
ES: We’re also waiting… We’re also waiting… Waiting for the mainland… this is Xinjiang, right?
J: Yes.
ES: We’re also waiting for the Xinjiang government to get back to us. J: You… This… I think about it over and over, and I just don’t get it. Three to four weeks. How is it that such a simple thing…? Contacting my family members, releasing my mother… It’s just such a simple thing.
ES: Aiya… I guess I’m not being clear. We’ve sent the information over. I mean, in the cases where Chinese citizens can’t contact their family, sometimes the mainland gets back to us and sometimes they don’t. Yours they haven’t gotten back to us about. Some they’ve gotten back to us on.
J: Some they got back to you about, some they still haven’t. In my case, they haven’t.
ES: Yes, that’s right. Sometimes they’ve gotten back to us. Some… There are one or two cases where the family members are in prison that they’ve got back to us on. For others, they haven’t. They still haven’t replied. I don’t know where your family members are, I promise. Aiya… I don’t know either. I’m waiting.
J: Oh…
ES: If we learn anything, we’ll contact you. We have a colleague who specifically takes care of this stuff.
J: All right. I’ll wait some more… Otherwise, I’ll find other ways.
ES: Okay, okay. That’s it, then.
Victims among relatives
Shirmemet Hudayar (7240), Irfan Shirmemet (7241)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/CevlanJevlan/status/1245899058490806273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/KampMagdurlar/status/1346737759474614277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo with son: https://shahit.biz/supp/7239_1.jpeg official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_7239.png
Entry created: 2020-01-20 Last updated: 2021-04-11 Latest status update: 2021-04-01 7244. Liu Aihua (刘爱花)
Chinese ID: ??????19700920??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Aihua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Registration address: Korgas County.
Victim's location
Xinjiang Women's Prison.
When victim was detained
She was first detained while handing out Church of Almighty God leaflets on Unity Road, Shuiding Municipality, Korgas County on December 11, 2012. She was released after 24 days.
Liu was then detained again by the Ghulja City public security bureau on the night of September 12-13, 2014. She was held at a police office on North Ring Road in Ghulja City (伊宁市环城北路伊犁州交警支队招待所) for 3 days, and was transferred for criminal detention to the Ghulja City Detention Center on September 18. The official arrest was made on October 24, with the indictment against her filed on April 30, 2015.
On May 20, 2015, she was sentenced to 5 years, to later be transferred to the Xinjiang Women's Prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the Ghulja City Procuratorate, Liu joined the Church of Almighty God organization in 2007 and held a position in the group's "general affairs unit", attending gatherings, disseminating the movement's ideology, and bringing in new recruits. The court document stated that Liu's mind was "stubborn and unrepentant". In court, Liu said that she did not believe the Church of Almighty God to be a "heterodox group" (邪教组织).
Victim's status
In prison.
[It is likely that she's been subjected to forced labor while at the women's prison, as the Xinjiang Qixin Clothing LLC (新疆启新服装有限责任公司) has its factory there.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
HRWF most likely learned of the case through contacts in the region and the official court document. The latter comes directly from the Xinjiang judicial system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0b71096725bcdac7c7/
Original court verdict: https://archive.ph/yTmup
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-01-02 7248. Xia Tao (夏涛)
Chinese ID: 65900119640519??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xia Tao was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Registered address: Shihezi City.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on April 18, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, with the official arrest taking place on May 17. The indictment against her was filed on January 4, 2019. On March 29, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a "key member" of the No. 7 Church based at the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps, which she reportedly joined in 2014. She acted as the church’s gospel preacher since 2016, and the group’s co-manager with Sun Juanjuan since 2017. She said that she began attending the gatherings after an elderly woman let her listen to a gospel while picking cotton at the No. 147 Corps's No. 6 Company.
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)".
Victim's status Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacc1e/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7248_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-03-29 7249. Xiao Guorong (肖国荣)
Chinese ID: ??????19630313??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2|3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xiao Guorong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: No. 148 Bingtuan Corps.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was detained on February 6, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, and was formally arrested on March 13. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against her. She was held at the Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所) during her investigation and trial.
On April 1, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months, and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. The court stated that Xiao joined the organization in 2013, using the alias "Tian Yuan" (田园) and being responsible for transferring religious materials between different SD cards. She would also edit "experience reports" written by Church attendees into an article format, which would then be sent to the overseeing church in Shihezi.
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)".
Victim's status
Sentenced [and presumably in prison].
On November 10, 2020, the Mosuowan People's Court temporarily absolved her from the 8000RMB fine on the grounds that she did not possess the assets to pay it.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdicts are official documents from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on one of these verdicts, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacbe8/
Enforcement verdict: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/xiaoguorong.pdf
Alongside Xiao, eight other members of the faith were arrested. They all received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
She was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. Xiao refused to admit guilt and said that she had not been responsible for transferring materials via SD cards, and that the transfer had been supervised by a 70-year-old lady named "Fangfang".
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7249_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-06-13 Latest status update: 2020-11-10 7252. Xu Xiaoyong (许小用)
Chinese ID: 412827195702024061 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 63 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: --- When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2|3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xu Xiaoyong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
One of her rented addresses: Yihe Jiayuan (怡和家园), No. 148 Bingtuan Corps.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Shihezi.]
When victim was detained
She was detained on January 26, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, and was formally arrested on March 1. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against her. She was held at the Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
On April 1, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and fined 4000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. The court stated that she had joined the organization in 2012, and would go by the alias of "Xiaozhen" (小珍). In autumn 2017, Xu allegedly used the properties she was renting as religious gathering places: one in the Chicken Farm Single-Story Estate (鸡场平房) and one in Yihe Jiayuan (怡和家园).
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
In principle, she should have finished serving her sentence.
On November 4, 2020, the Mosuowan People's Court temporarily absolved her from the 4000RMB fine on the grounds that she did not possess the assets to pay it.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdicts are official documents from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on one of these verdicts, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0c71096725bcdac8b1/
Enforcement verdict: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/xuxiaoyong.pdf
Alongside Xu, eight other members of the faith were arrested. They all received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
She was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. Xu admitted to being guilty, cooperated with the prosecution, and said she was no longer part of the Church.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7252_1.pdf judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7252_2.png limit-consumption order: https://shahit.biz/supp/7252_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-06-13 Latest status update: 2020-11-04 7253. Xu Guixiang (徐桂香)
Chinese ID: ??????19540912??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 66 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2|3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xu Guixiang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: No. 148 Bingtuan Corps.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was detained on March 12, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, a day after a thorough search of her apartment, and was formally arrested on April 16. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against her. She was held at the Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所) during her investigation and trial.
On April 1, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months, and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. The court stated that Xu joined the organization in 2015 and used the alias "Zhang Fang" (张芳). She was allegedly assigned to be a logistics manager by Mi Caiqin, and was responsible for collecting and delivering religious material from the transfer point in the home of Yu Lanxiang. At the end of 2017, she was also delivering articles compiled by Xiao Guorong to the transfer point, where they would be picked up by the overseeing church authorities from Shihezi. The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)".
Victim's status
Sentenced [and presumably in prison].
On November 4, 2020, the Mosuowan People's Court temporarily absolved her from the 8000RMB fine on the grounds that she did not possess the assets to pay it.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdicts are official documents from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on one of these verdicts, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacbea/
Enforcement verdict: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/xuguixiang.pdf
Alongside Xu, eight other members of the faith were arrested. They all received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
She was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. Xu refused to admit guilt, saying that she had not been a logistics manager and stressing her right of religious freedom. She said that she had downloaded the religious material herself, and that the SD cards were provided to her by an elderly preacher.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7253_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-06-13 Latest status update: 2020-11-04 7255. Yu Lanxiang (于兰香)
Chinese ID: 659001196106295429 (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yu Lanxiang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: No. 17 Company, No. 148 Bingtuan Corps.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on March 10, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, and was formally arrested on April 16. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against her.
On April 1, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months, and fined 3000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. The court stated that she joined the organization in 2015 and went by the alias "Wang Fei" (王飞). Since November 2011, her home at Xiaokang Village (小康村) of the No. 17 Company of the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps was allegedly used as a transfer point for religious materials and SD cards, which would be taken from the overseeing church in Shihezi Community (石河子小区) to the smaller Church branches in the No. 148, No. 149, and No. 150 corps.
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0b71096725bcdac7cb/
Alongside Yu, eight other members of the faith were arrested. They all received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
She was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. Yu admitted to being guilty, cooperated with the prosecution, and said she was no longer part of the Church. She identified Xu Guixiang as the person responsible for transferring religious materials for the No. 148 Corps church. She also identified Zhang Fengying as having the same responsibilities in the No. 149 Corps. She said that Xiaokang Village (小康村) at the No. 17 Company acted as the transfer point for the No. 148 Corps.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7255_1.pdf judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7255_2.png
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-14 Latest status update: 2019-04-01 7262. Fu Guirong (付桂荣)
Chinese ID: ??????19850307??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 29 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Turpan Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Fu Guirong was a member of the Church of Almighty God. She reportedly introduced the Gospel of the Church to a couple of people.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Turpan, as the trial was held there.]
When victim was detained
Arrested by the Toksun County public security bureau on the night of June 9, 2014, while watching a Church of Almighty God video at one family’s home. The official arrest was made on July 18, and the indictment was filed on September 12.
On October 10, 2014, she was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Fu was drawn to the Church of Almighty God movement after being "propagated to" by an elderly man while undergoing "sand-burying" physiotherapy. From 2012 to May 2015, Fu attended Church gatherings and spread religious material in Urumqi. She was arrested and fined multiple times by the police in the Saybagh and Tianshan districts. From March to June 2014, while working in Pichan County, Fu joined another convert who was nicknamed "Shao Lei", and they would disseminate Church of Almighty God materials in Turpan together. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0a71096725bcdac725/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/1Xo0c
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2014-10-10 7266. Li Famei (李发梅)
Chinese ID: 34122119740929??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Altay Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Famei was a member of the Church of Almighty God, where she allegedly served as the leader of the Koktogay County branch from late 2013 to July 2014, and again for most of 2015. Her court verdict states that she had been helping with the group's organization and propaganda duties from January 2014 on.
She is originally from Linquan County of Anhui's Fuyang City (安徽省阜阳市临泉县), but was residing in Xinjiang's Koktogay County.
Victim's location
At the Koktogay Detention Center (富蕴县看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Koktogay County Public Security Bureau on March 25, 2017, and would be formally arrested on April 28, 2017, on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement.
On June 27, 2018, she was sentenced to 6 years in prison and fined 40000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 6-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1171096725bcdacbd2/
Her official court verdict: http://archive.ph/Bja3f
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2018-06-27 7269. Li Gang (李刚)
Chinese ID: 65232419690401??O? (Manas)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Wujiaqu Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: corporate work
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Gang was a member of the Church of Almighty God, and was employed at a company.
Address: Changji City.
Victim's location
Sixth Division Pre-Trial Detention Center (第六师看守所) in Wujiaqu City.
When victim was detained
He was detained on August 28, 2017 and assigned to a re-education class at the Sixth Division Pre-Trial Detention Center (第六师看守所). The class was specifically intended for people detained for being members of the Church of Almighty God.
He was then criminally detained on October 2, 2017, with the formal arrest made on November 7.
On June 11, 2018, he was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison, and given a fine of 5000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Participating in four Church of Almighty God gatherings in August 2017. He is described as being a member of the No. 16 Changji Believers Community (教会昌吉小区16号).
The official charge against him was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1171096725bcdacbd4/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7269_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2018-06-11 7271. Guo YuE (郭玉娥)
Chinese ID: ??????19620314??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Guo Yu'e was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Likely address (estimated as place of arrest): Shihezi.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on January 13, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, and was formally arrested on February 15. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against her.
On April 1, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. The court stated that she used the alias "Fangfang" (芳芳). Before 2014, she acted as the leader and preacher of the No. 148 Corps branch.
She was also accused of propagating religious literature to a person named Liang twice in 2017. One testifier claimed that Guo had once acted as the leader of the organization back in 2002.
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacc0a/
Together with Guo, eight other members were arrested, with all receiving prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
She was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. Guo refused to admit guilt and said that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not illegal.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7271_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-04-01 7277. Sun Juanjuan (孙娟娟)
Chinese ID: 62082519840605??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Sun Juanjuan was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Registered address: Zhuanglang County, Gansu Province.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on April 12, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, with the official arrest taking place on May 17. The indictment against her was filed on January 4, 2019. On March 29, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a "key member" of the No. 7 Church based at No. 147 Bingtuan Corps, which she reportedly joined in 2016. She was accused of acting, since 2017, as the co-manager of the church together with Xia Tao, distributing leaflets in Shihezi. In court, she admitted to having started attending Church of Almighty God gatherings in 2002, but did not admit to having acted as the manager of the No. 7 Church, and stressed her freedom of religious belief. She said that there had been some meetings at her home.
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacc18/
Sentenced alongside seven other members of the faith, who have all received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
Victims among relatives
Meng Lingli (7283)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7277_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-03-29 7278. Qin Xiaojuan (秦晓娟)
Chinese ID: 65900119690814??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Qin Xiaojuan was a leading preacher and member of the Church of Almighty God.
Registered address: Shihezi City.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on April 12, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, with the official arrest taking place on May 17. The indictment against her was filed on January 4, 2019. On March 29, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a "key member" of the No. 7 Church based at the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps, which she reportedly joined in 2012, hosting gospel gatherings at her home. She also served as a preacher and the leader of the Shihezi Community (石河子小区) Church. (In court, she refused to accept her religious faith as a criminal act, and stressed that "several people talking to each other is not a 'gathering'".)
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacc1a/
Sentenced alongside seven other members of the faith, who have all received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7278_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-03-29 7280. Pang Qing (庞青)
Chinese ID: ??????19680821??E? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Pang Qing was a leading preacher and member of the Church of Almighty God.
Likely address (estimated as place of arrest): Shihezi.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on January 10, 2018, after the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau found religious materials at her home. She was formally arrested on February 15. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against her.
On April 1, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. The court stated that she joined the organization in 2008, using the aliases "Xiao Liang" (小亮) and "Good" (美好) over the years. She acted as the leader of the No. 8 Church multiple times between 2009 and 2014, until she was transferred to briefly act as leader for the entire Shihezi branch.
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacc08/
She was sentenced alongside eight other members of the faith, who have all received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
She was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. Pang refused to admit guilt and stressed her right to religious freedom, saying that she had downloaded the religious content herself. She said that she had started believing in the Church after an elderly woman brought two books to Pang's ward while she was being treated at the Shihezi People's Gynecology Hospital. She would also meet the lady later at her home several times.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7280_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-04-01 7283. Meng Lingli (蒙玲利)
Chinese ID: 65900119550709??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 63 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Meng Lingli was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Residential address: No. 10 Company, No. 147 Bingtuan Corps (一四七团10连).
Registered address: Shihezi City.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on April 12, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, with the official arrest taking place on May 17. The indictment against her was filed on January 4, 2019. On March 29, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months, and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a "key member" of the No. 7 Church based at the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps. (She said that she joined the group in 2012, after receiving a leaflet from an elderly woman; however, Lu Hongxia, a former member who pleaded guilty during the trial, claimed that she had been "lured" into the organization by Meng way back in 2003. In court, Meng refused to accept her religious faith as a criminal act.)
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacbf0/
Alongside Meng, seven other members of the faith were also arrested. They have all received prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
Victims among relatives
Sun Juanjuan (7277)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7283_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-03-29 7285. Mi Caiqin (米彩勤)
Chinese ID: ??????19671002??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2|3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Mi Caiqin was a leading preacher and member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: No. 148 Bingtuan Corps.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was detained on January 26, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, and was formally arrested on March 2. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against her. She was held at the Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所) during her investigation and trial.
On April 1, 2019, she was sentenced to 4 years and fined 6000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. The court stated that she joined the organization in 2009, using the aliases "Li Yang" and "Yangyang" (李洋, 洋洋), and would be assigned to be the church’s co-leader in March 2017, together with a person surnamed Li (currently on the run). She would also allegedly transfer religious materials to the SD cards of other Church attendees.
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)".
Victim's status
Sentenced [and presumably in prison].
On November 4, 2020, the Mosuowan People's Court temporarily absolved her from the 6000RMB fine on the grounds that she did not possess the assets to pay it.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdicts are official documents from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on one of these verdicts, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1171096725bcdacb5c/
Enforcement verdict: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/micaiqin.pdf
Alongside Mi, eight other members of the faith were given sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years in prison.
She was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. She initially denied having anything to do with the Church, but later admitted to being guilty and said she was no longer part of the organization.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7285_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-06-14 Latest status update: 2020-11-04 7292. Mao Shunyuan (毛顺远)
Chinese ID: ??????19510201??O? ()
Basic info
Age: 68 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Mao Shunyuan was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Likely address (estimated as place of arrest): Shihezi.
Victim's location
Mosuowan Reclamation Area Pre-Trial Detention Center (莫索湾垦区看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained on January 13, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, and was formally arrested on February 15. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against him.
On April 1, 2019, he was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months, and fined 3000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. He reportedly joined the organization in 2012 and went by the alias "Gao Yuan" (高原), serving as a preacher during two periods: between 2012 and 2013, and from April to September 2014. In March 2017, Mi Caiqin assigned him to the preacher’s post again, and he would be responsible for attracting new members to the group. Mao also hosted gatherings in his home, where believers would study religious literature.
The official charge against him was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0a71096725bcdac757/
Alongside Mao, eight other members of the faith were given sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
He was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. Mao admitted to being guilty, cooperated with the prosecution, and said he was no longer part of the Church. He also cooperated with the prosecution in providing key clues.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7292_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-14 Latest status update: 2019-04-01 7293. Wang Jinrui (王金瑞)
Chinese ID: 65232719570810??E? (Jimisar)
Basic info
Age: 60 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Wujiaqu Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Jinrui was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: Changji City.
Victim's location
Sixth Division Pre-Trial Detention Center (第六师看守所) in Wujiaqu City.
When victim was detained
She was initially arrested on May 12, 2016 and held in detention for 15 days. On August 19, 2017, she was arrested again, with the police raiding her home and seizing religious books, leaflets, and electronic content. After arrest, Wang was assigned to a re-education class at the Sixth Division Pre-Trial Detention Center (第六师看守所). The class was specifically intended for people detained for being members of the Church of Almighty God.
She was then criminally detained on October 15, 2017, with the formal arrest made on November 7. On February 9, 2018, the case was transferred to the Qitai County Bingtuan People’s Court. A hearing was held two days later.
On June 11, 2018, she was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison, and given a fine of 5000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Participating in four Church of Almighty God gatherings in August 2017. She is described as being a member of the No. 16 Changji Believers Community (教会昌吉小区16号). The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1171096725bcdacbd6/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/qNgw1
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2018-06-11 7295. Wang Rongrong (王荣荣)
Chinese ID: 65900119701213??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Rongrong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Residential address: Hehua Residential Area, No. 147 Bingtuan Corps (一四七团荷花小区). (Until 2016, she resided at Sunlight Green Garden (阳光绿苑) in the same corps.)
Registered address: Shihezi City.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was initially arrested on April 1, 2017 and subjected to 15 days of administrative detention.
On April 26, 2018, she was detained again and formally arrested on May 17. The indictment against her was filed on January 4, 2019.
On March 29, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a "key member" of the No. 7 Church based at the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps. She reportedly joined the church in 2012 and acted as its leader between 2014 and 2016. (In court, she did not admit to hosting gatherings in her home and stressed her freedom of religious belief.) The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacc20/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/tVfy6
On the day of her second arrest, seven other members of the faith were also detained and later sentenced to prison with terms ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years.
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2019-03-29 7306. Zhang Qingyun (张清云)
Chinese ID: 6101??19630724??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Qingyun was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
She was born in Xi'an, but was residing in Urumqi. She is illiterate.
Victim's location
Urumqi Juvenile Offender Detachment (JOD).
When victim was detained
She is reported as being detained at 9:40 in the morning on March 10, 2017, while she was checking in at an airport terminal in Urumqi. During the check-in, security personnel found content (on SD cards and an MP4 player) related to the Church of Almighty God, prompting her detention.
On March 19, 2018, she was sentenced to 3 years and fined 5000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 3-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0d71096725bcdac901/
Official verdict: http://archive.ph/PtekY
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2018-03-19 7307. Zhang Shengliang (张胜良)
Chinese ID: ??????19631128??O? ()
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Shengliang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Likely address (estimated as place of arrest): Shihezi.
Victim's location
Mosuowan Reclamation Area Pre-Trial Detention Center (莫索湾垦区看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained on January 26, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, and was formally arrested on March 1. On January 14, 2019, the procuratorate filed an indictment against him.
On April 1, 2019, he was sentenced to 2 years and fined 4000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was accused of being a member of the Church of Almighty God's "No. 8 Church", which operated at the No. 148 Bingtuan Corps. The court stated that he joined the organization in 2017, after having become a believer in 2007. He used the aliases "Li Bing" (李冰) and "Dust" (尘土), and would host religious gatherings at his home, including a meeting between Church No. 8 attendees and an overseeing preacher surnamed Zhang, from Shihezi, in September 2017.
The official charge against him was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0c71096725bcdac8af/
He was defended in court by lawyer Tan Zhonghui. Zhang admitted to being guilty, cooperated with the prosecution, and said he was no longer part of the Church. In court, he described the structure of the Church: there would always be one leader (带领), one general manager (事务执事), one preacher (福音执事), and a confession priest (浇灌执事).
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7307_1.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-14 Latest status update: 2019-04-01 7313. Chen Caihua (陈彩华)
Chinese ID: 65232319680522??E? (Kutubi)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Wujiaqu Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Chen Caihua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Fangcaohu Bingtuan Farm, Qutubi County.
Victim's location
Sixth Division Pre-Trial Detention Center (第六师看守所) in Wujiaqu City.
When victim was detained
She was initially arrested on August 19, 2017 as she was on the way to the home of another Church member, being sent to the Sixth Division Transformation-Through-Education Center.
On September 30, 2017, she was taken to a police station for interrogation, before being criminally detained on October 1, 2017 and formally arrested on November 7. The indictment against her was filed on July 2018.
On September 29, 2018, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of using various aliases to participate in Church of Almighty God gatherings since 2007. She also is reported to have acted as a religious advisor and manager for Changji’s No. 12 Church (昌吉市12号教会) since the beginning of 2016. Later, she was assigned as manager of the No. 10 Church.
The official charge against her was "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1171096725bcdacba2/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/rPVxI
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2018-09-29 7316. Tang Xiaorong (唐晓蓉)
Chinese ID: ??????19681114??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Tang Xiaorong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in the 43rd regiment (Zarat Municipality) of the Third Division's Kashgar Reclamation Area (第三师喀什垦区扎拉特镇43团).
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 3, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 7, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 9 years and fined 40000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 9-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804ddfc2fd90d4b008385/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7317. Tian Yiqin (田贻琴)
Chinese ID: 650300197203045444 (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Tian Yiqin was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Residential/registration address: No. 150 Bingtuan Corps, Xigucheng Municipality, Shihezi City (石河子市西古城镇一五〇团).
Victim's location
[Presumably around the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps, as that's where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She was initially detained on April 3, 2018 and formally arrested on April 27. The indictment against her was filed on April 10, 2019.
On June 25, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years in prison and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the procuratorate, Tian was part of the Church of Almighty God organization named "Church No. 10", or the "Huashan Church" (华山教会), which operated in the No. 150 Corps. Tian used the alias "Xiao Yun" (小云) and, together with Bian Chunhong, served as the group's leader from February 2014 to 2015, and was responsible for organizing Church gatherings.
In court, Tian refused to admit guilt. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804ddfc2fd90d4b00838f/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/cuJrF
Supplementary materials judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7317_1.png
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-06-25 7318. Lu Guozhi (路国芝)
Chinese ID: ??????19681011??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2019 - Mar. 2019 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Lu Guozhi was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
Detained on January 5, 2019, with the official arrest made on February 1, 2019. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, the Kuytun branch of the Church created a work group in April 2018 for gathering "sensitive information on Xinjiang, including information relating to the policy of 'maintaining social stability' (维稳)". Lu was responsible for compiling the information, which would then be sent to Bitter Winter for publication. In her testimony, Lu said that she had joined the Church in 2012, being introduced to it by her mother, and used the aliases "Lu Ming" (陆明) and "Xiao Qiang" (晓强). Lu admitted to having been assigned to the post of Gospel Deacon in May 2018.
She also admitted to being a correspondent for Bitter Winter since June 2018. Lu would mostly write content on the policy of "cadres visiting local households" (干部结亲入户). A person would then ring the door, and Lu would take the material downstairs to the garbage container, where it would be picked up. If the content "did not follow the guidelines", it would be brought back to Lu. She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d9fc2fd90d4b008237/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-23 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7319. Lu Yuxiu (吕玉秀)
Chinese ID: ??????19520530??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 67 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Lu Yuxiu was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, she was part of a work group responsible for communication and delivery work between the Kuytun Church and the lower and higher authorities within the entire religious movement. In her testimony, Lu said that she had joined the Church of Almighty God in 2009. She said that she led a group of believers in "Church L1" for 4-5 months after joining. She gave out Doomsday pamphlets in Beitun City in 2012. In July 2014, she led the Beitun branch of the Church, returning to Kuytun at the end of that year.
Lu was assigned responsibilities of sending orders in paper form to the Karamay and Dushanzi branches, with her work group responsible for both delivering orders between the different branches and promotion of the Church through pamphlets. She said that the Church completely migrated to an online format of information exchange and promotion in 2015. Multiple testimonies by other defendants have identified Lu as the person responsible for delivering paper slips.
Lu has cooperated with the prosecution, providing them with information that helped solve other cases and identify 7 suspects. The court document states that this influenced the decision to give her a comparatively short prison sentence. She did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from the Church of Almighty God activities.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d9fc2fd90d4b00823b/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-23 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7320. Lu Lixia (吕立霞)
Chinese ID: ??????19651119??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Lu Lixia was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Lu acted as leader of the Church's Kuytun L3 branch between March 2017 and October 2018. In her testimony, she admitted to hosting Church gatherings at her property since her joining the movement in 2009, as well as to leading the L3 branch in 2017 and 2018. According to a testifier named Wei, he/she and Lu gathered a total of 60000RMB in church donations in 2018. She did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from the Church of Almighty God activities.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d9fc2fd90d4b00823d/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7321. Luan Xiuying (栾秀英)
Chinese ID: ??????19671106??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Luan Xiuying was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 26, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (with her sentence to theoretically end 2-3 months later, as she had already spent 9-10 months in detention).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d9fc2fd90d4b008241/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7322. Luo Yingqing (罗应清)
Chinese ID: ??????19710301??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Luo Yingqing was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Bortala City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 3, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 7, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 25000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 5-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dafc2fd90d4b008255/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7323. Ma Zaojian (马早见)
Chinese ID: 372922196901132597 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2|3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Ma Zaojian was a member of the Church of Almighty God, and is originally from Shandong's Cao County.
Residential/registration address: No. 150 Bingtuan Corps, Xigucheng Municipality, Shihezi City (石河子市西古城镇一五〇团).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was initially detained on March 21, 2018 and formally arrested on April 27. The indictment against him was filed on April 10, 2019.
On June 25, 2019, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the procuratorate, Ma was part of the Church of Almighty God organization named "Church No. 10", or "Huashan Church" (华山教会), which operated in the No. 150 Bingtuan Corps. He used the aliases "Jiang Jianzhong" (蒋建忠) and "Wang Zhong" (王忠) and since 2015 had acted as the group's general and communications manager, being responsible for the daily routine of the church.
In court, Ma admitted guilt, but did not answer when asked whether he still believed in the Church of Almighty God. The document states that when asked, Ma either responded with "I don't know" or did not respond at all.
Victim's status
Sentenced [and presumably in prison].
On November 5, 2020, the Mosuowan People's Court temporarily absolved him from the 8000RMB fine on the grounds that he did not possess the assets to pay it.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdicts are official documents from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that one of these verdicts was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dafc2fd90d4b008269/
Enforcement verdict: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/mazaojian.pdf
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/cuJrF
Supplementary materials judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7323_1.jpg limit-consumption order: https://shahit.biz/supp/7323_2.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-06-14 Latest status update: 2020-11-05 7324. Meng Lizhi (孟利芝)
Chinese ID: ??????19820829??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Meng Lizhi was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Tekes County.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 11, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 17, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 6-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dafc2fd90d4b008281/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-27 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7325. Mu Jianguo (牟建国)
Chinese ID: ??????19670930??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Mu Jianguo was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 23, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 27, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released 1-2 months later, as she had already spent 10-11 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dafc2fd90d4b008293/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7326. Ou Wenqing (欧文清)
Chinese ID: ??????19671004??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Ou Wenqing was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 23, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released 2-3 months later, seeing as she had already spent 9-10 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dafc2fd90d4b008299/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7327. Ouyang Qiuping (欧阳秋萍)
Chinese ID: ??????19891108??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 29 Gender: F Ethnicity: --- Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Ouyang Qiuping was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
She was living in Sichuan prior to her arrest.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She had been previously sentenced to 3 years and 6 months on September 13, 2013 (for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"), before being released on June 19, 2016.
On November 8, 2018, she was detained again, by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau, once more on the suspicion of "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". She was formally arrested on December 7.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 12 years and fined 50000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施).
Victim's status Serving a 12-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dafc2fd90d4b00829b/
Her official verdict: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7328. Peng Xianyu (彭先玉)
Chinese ID: ??????19540426??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 65 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Peng Xianyu was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, she was part of a work group responsible for communication and delivery work between the Kuytun Church and the lower and higher authorities within the entire religious movement. According to the defendant Wang Junhua's testimony, Peng was promoted from the Church to the work group in 2016 and was given responsibilities of delivering paper orders to the Beitun branch. In her own testimony, Peng said that she had joined the movement in February 2007, and started bringing in new members four months later. In August 2008, she hosted the first Church gathering at her home. She got her first "official" position in the Church in 2010. Between October 2012 and August 2013, she was head of the Progress Church branch (前进教会). In October 2013, the defendant Bai Yurong assigned her to Karamay. In August 2014, she was transferred to a maintenance position. In August 2016, she was once again transferred to the Karamay and Beitun branch. In February 2017, she assumed the position as the library manager, only for the books to be "taken away" 4 months later. In April 2018, she was assigned to Wusu, before being transferred to Karamay again 5 months later.
She did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from Church of Almighty God activities and identified Bai Yurong for the prosecution. Her lawyer attempted to argue for Lu only being an accomplice and not a chief member of the organization, but the court dismissed the claim, saying it viewed the defendants to have committed a crime "as a group".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dbfc2fd90d4b0082ab/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7329. Rao Jiyu (饶吉玉)
Chinese ID: ??????19661206??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Rao Jiyu was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Rao used the alias "Ma Jing" (马静) while participating in Church activities. In September 2018, after many of the Kuytun Church key members had been arrested, the community underwent a restructuring process, which saw Rao become a member of the "answers group" (答题组) in the Kuytun Church, which made her responsible for editing questionnaire forms that would then presumably be sent to higher Church authorities. In her testimony, Rao said that she was introduced to the Church in 2012 and would go on to attend many gatherings.
She did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from Church of Almighty God activities. She also helped the prosecution identify defendants Wang Yulin and Wen Guofang.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dbfc2fd90d4b0082d5/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7330. Shao Xingfu (邵幸福)
Chinese ID: 650300196203305918 (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 58 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2|3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Shao Xingfu was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Residential/registration address: No. 150 Bingtuan Corps, Xigucheng Municipality, Shihezi City (石河子市西古城镇一五〇团).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was initially detained on March 16, 2018 and formally arrested on April 27. The indictment against him was filed on April 10, 2019.
On June 25, 2019, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the procuratorate, Shao was part of the Church of Almighty God organization named "Church No. 10", or "Huashan Church" (华山教会), which operated in the No. 150 Bingtuan Corps. He used the alias "Zhao Qiang" (赵强) and served as the group's Gospel deacon and communications manager, as well as the person responsible for SD cards. In 2017, he helped establish a "transfer point" for the No. 148 Corps's Church, where Church materials and "intelligence" would be shared between different churches. Material received at this location (the home of a person named Yu) would be signed by Hu Chunhong before being transferred to a safekeeping place - the home of Zhang Xuehe.
In court, Shao refused to admit guilt.
Victim's status
Sentenced [and presumably in prison].
On November 4, 2020, the Mosuowan People's Court temporarily absolved him from the 8000RMB fine on the grounds that he did not possess the assets to pay it.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdicts are official documents from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that one of these verdicts was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dbfc2fd90d4b0082e9/
Enforcement verdict: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/shaoxingfu.pdf
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/cuJrF
Supplementary materials judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7330_1.jpg limit-consumption order: https://shahit.biz/supp/7330_2.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-06-14 Latest status update: 2020-11-04 7331. Shen Lihua (申丽华)
Chinese ID: ??????19780923??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Shen Lihua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She was living in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 3, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 7, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years and fined 20000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 3-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dcfc2fd90d4b0082ff/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-27 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7332. Zhang Tao
Chinese ID: ??????19690306??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
About the victim
Zhang Tao. Member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Likely address (estimated as place of arrest): Ili.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as the victim has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Reported date of the most recent arrest: October 1, 2018.
Sentenced on December 26, 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Belonging to the Church of Almighty God, which has been designated by the CCP as an "evil cult". As a result, charged with breaching Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code.
Victim's status
Presumably serving a 5-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? [Most likely through contacts in the region, or through official court documents.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dcfc2fd90d4b00831f/
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-02-21 Latest status update: 2019-01-02 7333. Song Chunfang (宋春芳)
Chinese ID: 654222196409041520 (Wusu)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Song Chunfang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Karamay City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
According to her own testimony, she was detained on October 15, 2018. The official arrest was made on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Song used the alias "Li Jing" (李静) and was a key member of the "answers group" (答题组) in the Kuytun Church, which was responsible for editing questionnaire forms that would then presumably be sent to higher Church authorities. Song was mainly responsible for distributing and collecting the forms. After many members of the branch were arrested in July 2018, Song was transferred to the "writing group" (文字组), which was responsible for editing personal-experience sheets. In her own testimony, Song said that she had joined the Church of Almighty God in 2013. She hosted a gathering at her Karamay home at the end of 2015. She sold the property in the March of next year, and would go on to host meetings at her younger brother's apartment afterwards. After the family found out about the meetings, Song moved the meeting place to her friend's apartment.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization". She identified the defendants Wang Yuling, Liu Xuemei, Wen Guofang, and Chen Yanhong.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dcfc2fd90d4b008321/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Supplementary materials judgment enforcement record (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/7333_1.png judgment enforcement record (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/7333_2.png judgment enforcement record (3): https://shahit.biz/supp/7333_3.png consumption-limit order: https://shahit.biz/supp/7333_4.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7334. Sun Sujuan (孙苏娟)
Chinese ID: 65402619680419??E? (Mongghulkure)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Sun Sujuan was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: Mongolkure County.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She had been previously detained in 2013 and released a year later.
On December 14, 2018, she was detained again, with the public security bureau applying for the official arrest warrant on January 8, 2019, and the procuratorate approving it on January 14. The indictment was filed on July 24, 2019.
On September 15, 2019, she was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The procuratorate accused Sun of joining the Church of Almighty God's Mongolkure branch in the beginning of 2005 and of leading the organization from October 2005 to November 2013, organizing gatherings, collecting donations, and propagating the movement. She used the alias "Xiao Mei" (小梅), and reportedly handed out pamphlets in Aqyaz Livestock Farm (阿合牙孜牧场) in December 2012, which prompted the local authorities to organize a "criticism education session" for her (批评教育).
In her testimony, Sun said that she was introduced to the Church when a lady that had been living in her home presented to her a book titled "Lamb's Unfolding Scroll" (羔羊展开的书卷). Sun then attended meetings in Ghulja, together with her husband and sister-in-law, Li Huizhen. She also invited Jiang Jinfeng to join, as she was from the same village. Sun then started organizing small sessions in Mongolkure in the summer of 2008. She said that the group did not have a name at the time, and it was not until 2011 that she was "officially" appointed as the leader for the Mongolkure branch. Sun gave up the role in December 2012, following a "great rumble" (大帮轰) incident [in reference to Church members handing out leaflets en masse in the open].
Sun would continue to attend the gatherings as a regular believer until her detention in 2013. After her release, she returned home and then rejoined the activities in 2015, frequently bringing secret notes to the Tekes and Tokkuztara counties. Sun said that religious materials were mostly kept at her home, especially after the "great rumble" incident. Another such incident occurred in November 2013, after which Sun and others burned some of the material and hid everything else.
In court, she admitted to being guilty.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804ddfc2fd90d4b00835f/
Official court verdict: http://archive.ph/1nIkA
Victims among relatives
Li Jingjing (7432), Li Huizhen (7430)
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-15 7335. Xu Yujin (徐玉金)
Chinese ID: ??????19660829??O? ()
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xu Yujin was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
He lived in the No. 4 Bingtuan Division.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on December 4, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, he was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, he was sentenced to 3 years and fined 20000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 3-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e3fc2fd90d4b0085ac/
Official verdict for his case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-27 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7336. Yan Hua (严花)
Chinese ID: ??????19880707??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yan Hua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ili's Nilqa County.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 20, 2018, on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement, and then formally arrested on November 27.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 25000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 5-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e4fc2fd90d4b0085d4/
The official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7337. Yan Xiaohong (闫晓红)
Chinese ID: ??????19830917??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yan Xiaohong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 8, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 17, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 2.5-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e4fc2fd90d4b0085d6/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7338. Wen Guofang (文国芳)
Chinese ID: ??????19651115??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wen Guofang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wen used the alias "Guo Jin" (郭进) and was part of the L8 Church in Kuytun. In June 2018, Wen became a member of the "answers group" (答题组), which was responsible for editing questionnaire forms that would then presumably be sent to higher Church authorities. Wen was specifically responsible for cooking meals for group members and would only occasionally assist with the questionnaires. In her testimony, Wen said that she started hosting meetings of Church of Almighty God members in 2012. She said she tried reading the gospel back in 2012, but "failed", only successfully becoming a member in May 2015.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e1fc2fd90d4b0084dc/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7339. Wang Xiuyun (王秀云)
Chinese ID: ??????19510125??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 68 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Xiuyun was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: 179-9 Liberation Street, Mongolkure Municipality.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She was placed under strict monitoring by the public security bureau on December 17, 2018. The indictment was filed on July 24, 2019.
On September 15, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The procuratorate accused Wang of joining the organization in 2012, organizing gatherings, collecting donations, and propagating the movement. She used the alias "Great River" (大河). She was also accused providing Yang Cai with information about a Hui imam being sent to a re-education camp, as well as providing information about how over 300 villagers were arrested in the "Second Commune" (二公社). Yang then reportedly wrote the article in June 2018 and gave it to Zhao Xiuhui, who then passed it over to be published by Bitter Winter. In her testimony, Wang said that she was initially rejected from the organization because she suffered from vitiligo, but would be accepted later. She also said that she hosted some gatherings at her place in the Second Commune of the Mongolkure Sheep Farm.
In court, she expressed confusion over the accusations.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b008462/
Official court verdict: http://archive.ph/1nIkA
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2019-09-16 7340. Wang Xiupin (王秀品)
Chinese ID: ??????19560221??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 63 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Xiupin was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Shihezi City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was initially detained on July 4, 2018, but was released a month later. Later, she was detained again, and officially arrested on December 26, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
She was identified by the court as being one of 9 Kuytun community members with "especially grave criminal circumstances". According to the prosecution, Wang was among the leading members of the Kuytun branch, which was founded in 2006. The investigation states that Wang was a delegate from the Xinjiang branch, and was responsible for inspecting and guiding the Kuytun community, as directed by the Church of Almighty God Xinjiang chief (a person named Gu). She would routinely be assigned to assess the suitability of community leaders, deacons, and other high-ranking community members in Xinjiang, including once in August 2017, when she inspected Cui Jing and Xiang Caihua. On April 22, 2018, Wang and other high-ranking members of the community decided to set up a "cleaning" process to weed out those community members who "did not meet the requirements". According to Xiang Caihua's testimony, Wang used the alias "Niu Li" (牛莉) and was the leader of the Wusu community in 2012.
Wang cooperated with the prosecution, providing them with information that helped them to identify two more suspects in the Korla community, as well as identifying the defendants Cui Jing and Xiang Caihua for the court. The court document states that this influenced the decision to give her a comparatively short prison sentence despite the prosecution assessing Wang's involvement in the movement as "an especially serious criminal offense". In her testimony, Wang recounted the assignments that she was given while fulfilling her duties in the Church, which mostly included traveling around Xinjiang and appointing community leaders and gospel deacons, inspecting the various communities, gathering information about detained members, and reporting the information back to a person with an alias "Xiao Fang" (小方) in Shihezi. She did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from Church of Almighty God activities.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b00847c/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7341. Wang Jian (王健)
Chinese ID: ??????19910920??O? ()
Basic info
Age: 27 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Jian was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
He was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, he was sentenced to 7 years and fined 40000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wang was the responsible person for the work group tasked with providing "sensitive information regarding Xinjiang's social stability policy" to Bitter Winter. In his testimony, Wang said that he began attending the Church of Almighty God meetings in 2014. In July 2017, he rented a house in the Dongxuanyuan Neighborhood (东轩苑社区) in Kuytun and hosted meetings there. Since April 2018, he wrote five articles about the wave of detentions in Xinjiang, with material provided by Xiang Caihua and Cui Jing. The articles covered the detention of a Muslim named Ehmet [possibly: https://bitterwinter.org/imams-in-xinjiang-captured-as-part-of-concerted-efforts-against-islam/], the seizing of the Bible from two elderly Christians, and a detention of a Church of Almighty God follower.
He did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b00847e/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7342. Wang Yuling (王玉玲)
Chinese ID: ??????19740522??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Yuling was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Karamay City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 26, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 7 years and fined 40000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wang used the alias "Xiao Jie" (小洁). In her testimony, Wang admitted to being a co-leader of the Heyi Church (合意教会) from 2013 to May 2014, before assuming the position in the Kuytun Church "writing group" (文字组), which was responsible for editing personal-experience sheets. From August 2016 to 2017, Wang was counselor of the L1 Church of Kuytun, where she was responsible for writing articles. In March 2018, Wang was assigned by Xiang Caihua to be the head of the "answers group“ (答题组) in the Kuytun Church, which was responsible for editing questionnaire forms that would then presumably be sent to higher Church authorities.
She did not object to the accusations in court and identified Xiang Caihua and Li Ping to the court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b008480/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7343. Wang Juhua (王菊花)
Chinese ID: ??????19731212??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Juhua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 26, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wang used the alias "Silence" (寂静) and was part of the Kuytun Church "general-affairs group" (事务组), which was responsible for delivering and issuing instructions, maintaining communication lines, and overseeing the development of the organization. According to Li Ping's testimony, Wang's home was used as the community's library. In her testimony, Wang said that she joined the Church of Almighty God in 2004 and was responsible for receiving visiting high-ranking priests in 2007-2008. Between July 2006 and September 2008, she received Li Ping and Liu Mei from the Kuytun Church. Between 2009 and 2010, Wang would print pamphlets for dissemination. In 2013, she served as co-leader of the L3 Church in Kuytun, before being assigned to the general-affairs group in August 2015. In February 2017, Cui Jing tasked Wang with safekeeping several hundred religious books. Since June 2016, Li Ping would meet with Wang regularly. In July 2018, following the arrests of some members of the group, Li took the books away to an unknown location.
Wang did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from Church of Almighty God activities.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b008482/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7344. Wang Junli (王俊丽)
Chinese ID: ??????19820406??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Junli was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wang was part of the "general-affairs group" (事务组) in the Kuytun Church, which was responsible for delivering and issuing instructions, maintaining communication lines, and overseeing the development of the organization. In her testimony, Wang said that she had joined the Church of Almighty God in 2012 and was part of the L3 Church in the Kuytun community. Wang said that the gatherings became more frequent from 2015. In May 2015, she was given the responsibilities of delivering instructions to the L1, L7, and L8 churches as there was insufficient manpower.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b008484/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7345. Wang Yulan (王裕兰)
Chinese ID: ??????19740203??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Yulan was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 21, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released 2-3 months later, as she had already spent 9-10 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b008486/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-30 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7346. Wang Xiaoling (王小玲)
Chinese ID: ??????19741201??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Xiaoling was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was previously detained for a month in September 2013 [reason unclear].
Her official recent arrest is dated December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wang belonged to the "general-affairs group" of the L4 Church in Kuytun community. In her testimony, Wang said that she had joined the organization in August 2012 and has since hosted many gatherings at her property. She was then arrested for a month in 2013, but started attending the gatherings again in April 2016. Wang said that she had been responsible for copying religious materials provided by higher authorities, including footage of the Church of Almighty God members being oppressed by the government.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b008488/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7347. Wang Guanghui (王光辉)
Chinese ID: ??????19660323??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Guanghui was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 26, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 27, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 25000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 5-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b00848a/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7348. Wu Ronglu (吴荣录)
Chinese ID: ??????19640304??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wu Ronglu was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Altay City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wu was the leader of the L3 Church in the Kuytun community and used the alias "Li Ying" (李英). After some group members were arrested in the summer of 2018, Wu was promoted to Kuytun community leader's assistant. In her testimony, Wu said that she had been a member of the Altay branch of the Church of Almighty God since December 2009, and was there until 2014. In September 2014, she was appointed as leader of the L3 Church in Kuytun. She was also responsible for copying religious and Church-related materials. According to multiple testifiers, Wu also collected donations for the Church.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e2fc2fd90d4b00851a/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7349. Xiang Caihua (向彩花)
Chinese ID: ??????19730708??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xiang Caihua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Wusu City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on June 22, 2018, with the official arrest dated December 26, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 12 years and fined 50000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
She was identified by the court as being one of 9 Kuytun community members with "especially grave criminal circumstances". According to the investigation, Xiang was among the founding members of the Kuytun branch (founded in 2006) of the Church, where she went by the alias "Xiao Li" (肖丽). Xiang Caihua and Cui Jing were the two highest ranking members in the community up until their arrest in June 2018, and were responsible for managing the overall development of the community, collecting donations, and establishing work groups, among other things. According to the defendant Wang Juhua's testimony, Xiang and Cui assumed leadership positions in 2015. In April 2018, Xiang and Cui Jing agreed on establishing a work group that would write articles for Bitter Winter. Before the arrest, they agreed to launch a "clean out" campaign to expel "unsuitable" members from the community. In her testimony, Xiang admitted to having been the joint-manager of the main church and the 13 church branches in Kuytun. She and Xiang were directly accountable to the Xinjiang branch of the movement.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e2fc2fd90d4b00853e/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7350. Wang Jinlan (王金兰)
Chinese ID: ??????19650307??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Jinlan. Member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Nilqa County.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 20, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 27, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 2.5-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804dffc2fd90d4b00848c/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7351. Wang Yulan (王玉兰)
Chinese ID: ??????19560407??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 63 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Yulan was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Karamay City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wang used the alias "Qi Lan" (齐兰) and was part of the "writing group" (文字组) in the Kuytun Church, which was responsible for editing personal-experience sheets. According to Chen Hongfang's testimony, she rented her property to Wang in April 2018 to be used as a venue for Church meetings. In her testimony, Wang confirmed being part of the "writing group" and said that she had joined the Church of Almighty God in the summer of 2017 and was part of the L10 Church of Kuytun, hosting many meetings at her apartment. In May 2018, she moved from Karamay to Kuytun and rented an apartment there [presumably from Chen Hongfang], hosting and preparing meals for other Church members.
Wang did not object to the accusations in court. Her lawyer attempted to argue for a lighter sentence, saying that Wang's role in the organization was minimal. However, the court did not accept this argument because Wang maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e0fc2fd90d4b00848e/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-24 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7356. He Chun (贺春)
Chinese ID: ??????19700612??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
He Chun was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 11 years and fined 50000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
She was identified by the court as being one of 9 Kuytun community members with "especially grave criminal circumstances". According to the investigation, He was among the founding members of the Kuytun branch (founded in 2006) of the Church, where she went by the alias "Lin Chen" (林晨). After the arrest of Xiang Caihua and Cui Jing in the summer of 2018, He and Song Jun assumed leadership positions for the entire Kuytun community. She was also the head of the L7 Church. In July, He and Song collected a total of 650000RMB in donations from Church members and handed most of it over to the Xinjiang branch of the Church, leaving 40000RMB for use within the community. In her testimony, He confirmed to have been assigned a leadership position in the Church in July 2018.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d2fc2fd90d4b007f86/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7357. Hu Chunhong (胡春红)
Chinese ID: 650300197004215922 (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2|3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Hu Chunhong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Residential/registration address: No. 150 Bingtuan Corps, Xigucheng Municipality, Shihezi City (石河子市西古城镇一五〇团).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was initially detained on March 31, 2018 and formally arrested on April 27. The indictment against her was filed on April 10, 2019.
On June 25, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years in prison and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the procuratorate, Hu was part of the Church of Almighty God organization named "Church No. 10", or "Huashan Church" (华山教会), which operated in the No. 150 Bingtuan Corps. She used the alias "Liu Zi" (刘絮) and served as the leader of the group for two terms: once between 2013 and 2016, and again between 2016 and the start of the criminal investigation. Hu took care of the group's books, manuals, and audio materials. In court, Hu refused to admit guilt.
Victim's status
Sentenced [and presumably in prison].
On November 4, 2020, the Mosuowan People's Court temporarily absolved her from the 8000RMB fine on the grounds that she did not possess the assets to pay it.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdicts are official documents from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that one of these verdicts was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d2fc2fd90d4b007f92/
Enforcement verdict: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/huchunhong.pdf
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/cuJrF
Supplementary materials judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7357_1.jpg limit-consumption order: https://shahit.biz/supp/7357_2.pdf
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-06-14 Latest status update: 2020-11-04 7358. Hu Wenlan (胡文兰)
Chinese ID: ??????19660111??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Hu Wenlan was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Shule County, Kashgar.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 3, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 7, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 9 years and fined 40000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 9-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d2fc2fd90d4b007f96/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7359. Hu Yanling (胡艳玲)
Chinese ID: ??????19660202??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Hu Yanling was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 11, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 17, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 6-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d2fc2fd90d4b007f98/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7360. Huang Yongqiong (黄永琼)
Chinese ID: ??????19550815??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 64 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Huang Yongqiong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Karamay City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Huang was responsible for assisting the community's leaders in their day-to-day lives, while also helping them distribute information across the community. In her testimony, Huang said that she had joined the organization in 2011 and was part of the L9 Church in Kuytun. Throughout her time in the organization, she would receive, assist, and provide with food the community leaders Xiang Caihua, Chen Yuting, and Cui Jing, among others. After the arrest of Xiang Caihua and Cui Jing, she collected a 17000RMB donation for the community.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d3fc2fd90d4b007fb4/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7361. Huang Qiuxiang (黄秋香)
Chinese ID: ??????19650205??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Huang Qiuxiang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 29, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 7 years and fined 40000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 7-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d3fc2fd90d4b007fb6/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-27 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7362. Jia Sanmei (贾三妹)
Chinese ID: ??????19520229??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 67 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Jia Sanmei was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 26, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 27, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released 1-2 months later, as she had already spent 10-11 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d3fc2fd90d4b007fca/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7363. Jiang Wenhua (蒋文化)
Chinese ID: 62052319671126??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|assisting "criminals" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Jiang Wenhua was a member of the Church of Almighty God, and is originally from Gansu's Gangu County.
Address: Residential/registration address: No. 150 Bingtuan Corps, Xigucheng Municipality, Shihezi City (石河子市西古城镇一五〇团).
Victim's location
[Presumably around the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps, as that's where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
He was initially detained at his home on March 29, 2018 and formally arrested on April 27. The indictment against him was filed on April 10, 2019.
On June 25, 2019, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Sheltering criminals".
According to the procuratorate, Jiang was part of the Church of Almighty God organization named "Church No. 10", or "Huashan Church" (华山教会), which operated in the No. 150 Bingtuan Corps. Jiang started believing in the Church of Almighty God in 2008 and was a regular attendee of the No. 10 Church, though he was briefly expelled from the group between 2013 and 2014. He was accused by the prosecution of "hiding facts" about Li Yuzhen when asked about her (Jiang told the police that he had not seen her for a few days and could not contact her, prompting the police to leave), warning Li Yuzhen about the investigation, and driving her to a friend's place to hide her from the public security bureau.
Jiang admitted guilt in court.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d3fc2fd90d4b007fdd/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/cuJrF
Victims among relatives
Li Yuzhen (7431)
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-06-25 7364. Jiang Jinfeng (蒋金凤)
Chinese ID: ??????19700204??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Jiang Jinfeng was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: 35 Liushugou Road, Qarasu Township, Mongolkure County (昭苏县喀拉苏乡柳树沟路35号).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She was detained on December 14, 2018. The public security bureau applied for the official arrest warrant on January 8, 2019, with the procuratorate approving it on January 14. The indictment was filed on July 24, 2019.
On September 15, 2019, she was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The procuratorate accused Jiang of leading the Mongolkure branch of the Church of Almighty God between November 2013 and November 2016, as well as of organizing gatherings, collecting donations, and propagating the movement. She went by the alias "Xiao Fang" (小芳). She was also accused of storing the religious materials used by the branch (a total of 392 books, 222 compact discs, 4 memory cards, and 3 plastic buckets). The investigation stated that Jiang was brought into the organization by Sun Sujuan in November 2005. In her testimony, Jiang confirmed this fact, saying that she started regularly attending the meetings in 2006, when she, Li Huizhen, and Sun Sujuan all lived at the Aqyaz Farm (阿合牙孜牧场) in the Qarasu Township. Jiang said that in the beginning, the meetings were infrequent, happening only several times per year in 2006-2007. In 2011, a person came from Ghulja and designated Sun as the group's chief. Jiang said that she then succeeded Sun in July 2011. Jiang also said that she did not know what "Bitter Winter" was (the group was accused of writing Xinjiang-related reports to Bitter Winter).
In court, she admitted to being guilty.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d3fc2fd90d4b007fdf/
Official court verdict: http://archive.ph/1nIkA
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-15 7365. Jiang Yijun (姜义军)
Chinese ID: ??????19640320??O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Jiang Yijun was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
He lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 23, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, he was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, he was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released 2-3 months later, as he had already spent 9-10 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d3fc2fd90d4b007fe1/
Official verdict for his case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7366. Du MingE (杜明娥)
Chinese ID: ??????19650522??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Du Ming'e. Member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Du briefly served as the leader of the L4 Church in the Kuytun community, from September 2018 to her arrest in October 2018. In her testimony, Du said that she started attending Church of Almighty God meetings in 2012 and admitted to having been the leader of the Wuxi Church in Wusu (乌西教会) between June 2012 and May 2015. From September 2016 on, she was responsible for receiving community members, and moved to Kuytun in November 2017. There, she lived together with Wu Ronglu until May 2018.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d0fc2fd90d4b007eb8/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7367. Geng Jianbin (耿建彬)
Chinese ID: ??????19731105??O? ()
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Geng Jianbin was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained on November 27, 2018 and officially arrested on December 27 of the same year. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Geng was responsible for promoting Church of Almighty God's teachings to the wider society between 2009 and 2011. In October 2016, he drove some community members to Shihezi for a gathering. In his testimony, Geng said that he had been introduced to the Church by his late mother in December 2007 and would become a believer by 2008. He said that he was expelled from the community in 2014.
He did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d1fc2fd90d4b007f16/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7368. Gong Donghua (龚冬华)
Chinese ID: ??????19731106??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Gong Donghua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 23, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 27, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 6-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d1fc2fd90d4b007f26/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7369. Gui Chengxia (桂承霞)
Chinese ID: ??????19620803??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Gui Chengxia was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 26, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 11 years and fined 50000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
She was identified by the court as one of 9 Kuytun community members with "especially grave criminal circumstances". According to the investigation, Gui was among the leading members of the Kuytun branch, which was founded in 2006. In April 2017, she collected a total of 900000RMB in donations from various Church branches and handed it over to the central Xinjiang church. In spring 2018, she was assigned as the person responsible for a "cleaning" process designed to weed out those community members who "did not meet the requirements". In her testimony, Gui said that she had distributed Church of Almighty God leaflets in Wusu in 2012, later leading a gospel ceremony with Xiang Caihua. In December 2012, she moved from Wusu to the "gospel unit" of the Kuytun branch, writing gospels and articles until August 2015. One month later, she was assigned to be the manager of the L4 Church, and was responsible for editing articles. In November 2015, she received a passport and prepared to go abroad for a gospel gathering, but her visa application was refused. She would then be assigned to the role of supervisor and would go on to be responsible for collecting donations. In May 2018, she rented her sister's apartment to Xiang Caihua, who then assigned her to the "cleaning" process group one month later.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d1fc2fd90d4b007f34/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7370. Gui Lanying (桂兰英)
Chinese ID: ??????19680104??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Gui Lanying was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on December 23, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On January 26, 2019, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released 3-4 months later, as she had already spent 8-9 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d1fc2fd90d4b007f36/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7371. Zhang Xuehe (张学合)
Chinese ID: 650300195301175921 (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 66 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Xuehe was a member of the Church of Almighty God, and is originally from Gansu's Gangu County.
Residential/registration address: No. 150 Bingtuan Corps, Xigucheng Municipality, Shihezi City (石河子市西古城镇一五〇团).
Victim's location
[Presumably around the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps, as that's where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She was initially detained on March 29, 2018 and formally arrested on April 27. The indictment against her was filed on April 10, 2019.
On June 25, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined 4000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the procuratorate, Zhang was part of the Church of Almighty God organization named "Church No. 10", or "Huashan Church" (华山教会), which operated in the No. 150 Bingtuan Corps. Zhang used the alias "Xin Zhi" (心志) and had served as the group's baptist since 2016, responsible for the passage rites of new members. Starting in 2015, her house was used as a storage place for the group's books and audio files. In court, Zhang admitted guilt and said that she would no longer attend the Church of Almighty God gatherings.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e8fc2fd90d4b008737/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/cuJrF
Supplementary materials judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7371_1.png
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-06-25 7372. Zhang Shurong (张蜀荣)
Chinese ID: ??????19790425??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Shurong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Zhang used the alias "You Fu" (有福) and was the leader of the L3 Church in Kuytun between July and October 2018. In her testimony, Zhang said that she joined the movement in 2011. In 2014, she met a person in her clothing store, who would later visit Zhang at her home for a gathering in the fall of 2017, together with Wu Ronglu. In June 2018, she was assigned as manager (辅导员) of the L3 Church, before being promoted to leader (带领) two months later. She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e8fc2fd90d4b008743/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7373. Zhang Xue (张雪)
Chinese ID: ??????19900904??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 28 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Xue was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 3, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 7, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 9 years and fined 40000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 9-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e8fc2fd90d4b008745/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7374. Zhang Suhua (张素华)
Chinese ID: ??????19521216??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 66 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Suhua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in the No. 4 (Bingtuan) Division of Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 3, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 7, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 2-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e8fc2fd90d4b008747/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7375. Zhao Xiuhui (赵秀惠)
Chinese ID: ??????19510301??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 68 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhao Xiuhui was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: 157 No. 2 Area, Honuqai Township, Mongolkure County (昭苏县洪纳海乡二区157号).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She was placed under strict monitoring by the public security bureau on December 17, 2018. The indictment was filed on July 24, 2019.
On September 15, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The procuratorate accused Zhao of participating in, collecting donations for, and organizing meetings in the Mongolkure branch of the Church of Almighty God, having joined the group in 2009. She used the alias "Liang Yan" (梁艳). She was also accused of being the person responsible for sending articles to Bitter Winter for publication, including those about an Uyghur worker being detained for wearing a veil, children being left without care, and other content that "distorted Xinjiang's stability policy and smeared the government". She reportedly rented an apartment from Yang Cai in 2013 and used it for Church gatherings. In her testimony, Zhao said that she started believing in the Church's teachings in late 2008. In March 2013, she started working in the "general affairs" group of the branch, but stopped participating in 2015 after having misused the donations. She returned to live at her son's house in Ghulja, but came back to the organization in 2017, attending the gatherings in Wang Xiuyun's home. In around May-June 2018, she was informed not to mingle with "cleared-out" people [the Xinjiang churches seemed to have been undergoing an excommunication wave at the time].
She said that she wrote the first article about an Uyghur woman being detained for wearing a veil in June 2018, but did not end up sending it. She ended up sending an article about an elderly man being forced to set his watch to Beijing time (as opposed to Xinjiang time). Wang Xiuyun said that she was guided in the religion by Zhao in 2015, not long after the killing of a customer by a Church of Almighty God member at a KFC restaurant in Beijing [not clear how this is related].
In court, she admitted to being guilty of the charges.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804eafc2fd90d4b0087bb/
Official court verdict: http://archive.ph/1nIkA
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2019-09-15 7376. Zhou Jihong (周继红)
Chinese ID: ??????19661225??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhou Jihong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 31, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 7, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 25000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 5-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804ebfc2fd90d4b00882b/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7377. Zhou Dingrong (周定荣)
Chinese ID: ??????19530720??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 66 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhou Dingrong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 14, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 17, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released a month later, as she had already spent 11 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804ebfc2fd90d4b00882d/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7378. Zhou Zunhua (周遵华)
Chinese ID: 65900119710610??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhou Zunhua (previously Zhou Huixiang, 周惠祥) was a member of the Church of Almighty God. She went by the alias of "Withered Flower" (谢花).
Likely address (place of birth): Shihezi.
Victim's location
Shihezi City No. 1 Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on July 15, 2014 and officially arrested on August 21, 2014. The indictment against her was filed on October 13, 2014.
On December 10, 2014, she was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Zhou started believing in the Church of Almighty God in 2010 and brought Gao Jiagui and Wang Jiang into the movement. She organized religious gatherings in Gao Jiagui's home and asked Wang Jiang to update the media players of other Church attendees.
Victim's status Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0671096725bcdac4b7/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/Rd3OU
Arrested alongside Gao Jiagui and Wang Jiang, with many religious materials confiscated by the police.
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2014-12-10 7379. Gao Jiagui (高家桂)
Chinese ID: 41168119440825??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 70 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: manual work
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Gao Jiagui was a member of the Church of Almighty God. He is originally from Xiangcheng County in Henan's Zhoukou Prefecture, but resided in Shihezi, where he worked at the Shihezi Nanshan Coal Plant prior to retirement.
Address: Apt. 461, Building No. 22, No. 7 Residential Area, Shihezi City (石河子市7小区22栋461号).
Victim's location
Shihezi City No. 1 Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained (at home) on July 21, 2014 and officially arrested on August 21, 2014. The indictment against him was filed on October 13, 2014.
On December 10, 2014, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Gao was recruited into the Church of Almighty God movement by Zhou Zunhua. Gao hosted religious gatherings at his home in Shihezi.
Victim's status Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0671096725bcdac4b7/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/Rd3OU
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2014-12-10 7380. Wang Jiang (王江)
Chinese ID: 65900119850821??O? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 29 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Jiang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Likely address (place of birth): Shihezi.
Victim's location
Shihezi City No. 1 Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained on July 15, 2014 and officially arrested on August 21, 2014. The indictment against him was filed on October 13, 2014.
On December 10, 2014, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Wang was recruited into the movement by Zhou Zunhua. In April 2014, he was asked by Zhou to update the media players of the other Church of Almighty God members.
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb0671096725bcdac4b7/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/Rd3OU
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2014-12-10 7384. Zou Shunmei (邹淑梅)
Chinese ID: 650300196912035228 (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zou Shunmei was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Registered address: Wujiaqu City.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on April 13, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, with the official arrest taking place on May 17. The indictment against her was filed on January 4, 2019. On March 29, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months, and fined 8000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was accused of being a "key member" of the No. 7 Church based at the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps. Zou was specifically accused of copying materials from the church’s memory card and distributing them to the believers, under the direction of Sun Juanjuan. Zou reportedly became a believer in 2006 and joined the group in 2009, sometimes hosting gatherings at her home. In court, she refused to admit to hosting gatherings at her home and stressed her right of religious freedom.
The official charge against her was "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施)". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
[It is very likely that the testimony of the human rights group is also based on this verdict, and as such cannot be viewed as independent.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5db6bb1271096725bcdacbf2/
Seven other believers of the faith were sentenced alongside her. All were given sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 6 years in prison.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/7384_1.pdf judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7384_2.png
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-03-29 7399. Yang Cai (杨彩)
Chinese ID: ??????19660820??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yang Cai was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Address: No. 147, Sheep Farm, Mongolkure Municipality (昭苏县城镇羊场147号).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She was officially detained on December 14, 2018, though the police had already conducted a raid of her home on November 11, a month earlier. The public security bureau applied for the official arrest warrant on January 8, 2019, with the procuratorate approving it on January 14. The indictment was filed on July 24, 2019.
On September 15, 2019, she was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The procuratorate accused Yang of joining the Mongolkure branch of the Church in 2013 and of keeping religious materials used by the branch in her home (a total of 123 books and 37 compact discs, as well as an MP4 player and some memory cards). She used the aliases "Xiaohe" and "Jiejing" (小河、洁静).
Yang was also accused of writing reports to Bitter Winter that "twisted Xinjiang's stability policy and smeared the government". In one instance in 2018, the defendant Wang Xiuyun provided Yang with information about a Hui imam being sent to a re-education camp, as well as over 300 villagers being arrested at the "Second Commune" (二公社). Yang then reportedly wrote the article and gave it to Zhao Xiuhui, who sent it to higher Church authorities.
Yang served as the leader of the Mongolkure branch since the end of 2017, organizing gatherings and collecting donations. In her testimony, Yang said that she used her property at the No. 3 Alley, Happiness Street (幸福街三巷) in Mongolkure for Church gatherings in 2013-2014. She said that one of her neighbors was a relative of the Hui imam (Ma Yusu), and that she had heard from Wang Xiuyun that he had been sentenced to 7 years in prison, presumably for praying at a mosque. Yang also said that an ethnic-minority (non-Han) person had once come to her house to buy tobacco and alcohol, and told her that he had been sent to a re-education camp in 2017 for "playing around on WeChat" and that over 300 people from his village were also detained.
In court, she admitted to being guilty.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e5fc2fd90d4b00862a/
Official court verdict: http://archive.ph/1nIkA
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-15 7400. Yang Guifang (杨贵芳)
Chinese ID: ??????19521123??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 66 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yang Guifang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 7, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 17, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (with the term to theoretically end a month after the sentence, as she had already spent 11 months in detention).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e5fc2fd90d4b008636/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7401. Yang Jie (杨婕)
Chinese ID: ??????19640619??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yang Jie was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 23, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released 2-3 months later, as she had already spent 9-10 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e5fc2fd90d4b008638/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7402. Yuan Airong (远爱荣)
Chinese ID: ??????19630812??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 56 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yuan Airong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Karamay City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on November 27, 2018 and officially arrested on December 27, one month later. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Yuan was part of a "cleaning" group created in the summer of 2018 and designed to weed out those community members who "did not meet the requirements". In her testimony, Yuan said that she started believing in the Church of Almighty God in August 2014. She said the "cleaning" group was tasked with expelling the following five types of undesirables: "Antichrists", "villains", "demons", "evil spirits", and "non-believers" (敌基督、恶人、邪灵、污鬼、不信派). She said the group would meet regularly for incantations, prayers, and discussions.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804e6fc2fd90d4b00867c/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7406. Bai Yurong (白玉荣)
Chinese ID: ??????19671105??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Bai Yurong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Bai used the alias "Liu Qing" (柳青) and was part of the "general affairs group" (事务组) in the Kuytun Church, which was responsible for delivering and issuing instructions, maintaining communication lines, and overseeing the development of the organization. In her testimony, Wang said that she joined the organization in 2015 and was initially responsible for delivering orders between Beitun, Karamay, and Shihezi, until July 2015. She did not like the position and was ordered to "cultivate spiritually" at home. Due to the Kuytun Church lacking people, she was assigned to the general affairs group at the beginning of 2016, and was once again tasked with delivering orders to a transfer point in Shihezi. Since July 2017, she had been tasked with delivering orders to a point in Kuytun City.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804cefc2fd90d4b007dca/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7407. Bian Chunhong (卞春洪)
Chinese ID: 65030019650808591X (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Bian Chunhong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Residential/registration address: No. 150 Bingtuan Corps, Xigucheng Municipality, Shihezi City (石河子市西古城镇一五〇团).
Victim's location
[Presumably around the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps, as that's where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
He was initially detained on March 28, 2018 and formally arrested on April 27. The indictment against him was filed on April 10, 2019.
On June 25, 2019, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined 4000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the procuratorate, Bian was part of the Church of Almighty God organization named "Church No. 10", or "Huashan Church" (华山教会), which operated in the No. 150 Bingtuan Corps. Bian used the alias "Dawn" (黎明) and, together with Tian Yiqin, served as the group's leader from February 2014 to 2015, responsible for organizing Church gatherings. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804cefc2fd90d4b007dd0/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/cuJrF
Supplementary materials judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/7407_1.png
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-06-25 7408. Chen Fang (陈芳)
Chinese ID: ??????19690502??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Chen Fang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ili's Nilqa County.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 20, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 27, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 25000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 5-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804cffc2fd90d4b007e38/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7409. Chen Tao (陈瑫)
Chinese ID: ??????19661226??O? ()
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Chen Tao was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
He lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on December 4, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, he was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, he was sentenced to 1 year and fined 5000RMB (to theoretically be released 2-3 months later, as he had already spent 9-10 months in detention by then).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a 1-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804cffc2fd90d4b007e3a/
Official verdict for his case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7411. Cui Jing (崔敬)
Chinese ID: ??????19790913??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Cui Jing was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on June 22, 2018 and was officially arrested on December 26 of the same year. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 12 years and fined 50000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
She was identified by the court as one of 9 Kuytun community members with "especially grave criminal circumstances". According to the investigation, Сui used the alias "Xiao Su" (小苏) and was among the leading members of the Kuytun branch, which was founded in 2006. Xiang Caihua and Cui Jing were the two highest ranking members in the community, up until their arrest in June 2018, and were responsible for managing the overall development of the community, collecting donations, and establishing work groups, among other things. According to the defendant Wang Juhua's testimony, Xiang and Cui assumed leadership positions in 2015. In April 2018, Xiang and Cui agreed to establish a work group that would write articles for Bitter Winter. Before the arrest, they had agreed on launching a "clean out" campaign to expel "unsuitable" members from the community. In her testimony, Cui said that she had been responsible for organizing the gatherings, reporting attendee statistics to the central Xinjiang branch, overseeing the distribution of materials to the lower churches, and the appointment of members to various work groups within the Church.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804cffc2fd90d4b007e6e/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7412. Dong Chunhua (董春华)
Chinese ID: ??????19630401??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 56 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Dong Chunhua was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Karamay City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on November 27, 2018 and officially arrested on December 27, a month later. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 10 years and fined 50000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
She was identified by the court as one of 9 Kuytun community members with "especially grave criminal circumstances". The investigation further singled Dong out because of her "influence on the entire Church of Almighty God community". According to the investigation, Dong was the gospel reader (讲道员) in the Kuytun Church between July and October 2012. She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d0fc2fd90d4b007ea6/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7417. Chen Yanhong (陈艳红)
Chinese ID: ??????19821106??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 36 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Chen Yanhong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
It is suggested that she was arrested prior to July 2, 2018, as another defendant - Liu Xuemei - succeeded Chen in her position then. HRWF reports the arrest date as June 1, 2018 [though this may be an error].
She was then officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years and fined 20000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Chen used the alias "Silently Awake" (静醒) and was the chief of the "writing group" (文字组) in the Kuytun branch. The group was responsible for editing personal-experience sheets. In her testimony, Chen said that she joined the Church in 2009. Prior to being assigned to the "writing group" in May 2018, she was responsible for delivering paper orders.
She did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from Church of Almighty God activities.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804cffc2fd90d4b007e34/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7419. Dong Ping (董萍)
Chinese ID: ??????19570817??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 62 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Dong Ping was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on December 22, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On January 26, 2019, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 2-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d0fc2fd90d4b007ea8/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7420. Chen Hongfang (陈红芳)
Chinese ID: ??????19660925??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Chen Hongfang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 27, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, and fined 10000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Chen used the alias "Wang Huili" (王慧丽) and was a member of the "writing group" (文字组) in the Kuytun branch. The group was responsible for editing personal-experience sheets. Wang Junli stated in her testimony that Chen would help her download religious material. In her testimony, Chen said that she joined the Church in September 2012. In November 2013, she was elected as leader of the "Newcomers' Church" (新人教会), but was removed from the position a year later. She briefly served as community leader for two months in the spring of 2015. In September 2015, she was transferred to the "general affairs" group, which was responsible for printing religious materials. In April 2018, she rented property to fellow member Wang Yulan, who used it for Church gatherings.
She did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from Church of Almighty God activities.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804cffc2fd90d4b007e36/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7421. Li Juqin (李菊琴)
Chinese ID: ??????19700808??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Juqin was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Chapchal County.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 22, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 6-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d6fc2fd90d4b0080fd/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-27 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7422. Li Zhenfang (李珍芳)
Chinese ID: ??????19601010??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 58 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Zhenfang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on November 22, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 6-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d6fc2fd90d4b0080ff/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7423. Li Xiao (李晓)
Chinese ID: ??????19830220??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 36 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Xiao was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on December 2, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On December 28, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 6-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d6fc2fd90d4b008101/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7424. Liu Hong (刘红)
Chinese ID: ??????19681212??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Hong was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
The date of her initial arrest is unclear, but it is stated that she was released on bail on August 10, 2018.
She was then officially arrested on September 9, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 20000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The investigation singled Liu out because of her "influence on the entire Church of Almighty God community". Liu's lawyer attempted to argue that Liu was more of an assistant within the organization, but the court dismissed the claim. According to the investigation, Liu served as chief of the "general affairs" group (事务组) in the Kuytun Church, which was responsible for delivering and issuing instructions, maintaining communication lines, and overseeing the development of the organization. In her testimony, Liu confirmed having hosted Church meetings and written articles. She said that she was responsible for delivering paper notes between February and July 2017, after which she was appointed as chief of the "general affairs" group, starting from July 2017. According to the defendant Huang Yongqiong, Liu collected a 17000RMB donation from Huang in June 2018, following the arrests of high-ranking members of the Kuytun branch.
Liu did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from Church of Almighty God activities.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d8fc2fd90d4b0081fb/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7425. Li Ping (李萍)
Chinese ID: ??????19571111??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 61 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Ping was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Karamay City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 26, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 11 years and fined 50000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
She was identified by the court as being one of 9 Kuytun community members with "especially grave criminal circumstances". According to the investigation, Li used the alias "Xiao Miao" (小苗) and was among the leading members of the Kuytun branch, which was founded in 2006. After some high-ranking members of the group were arrested in June 2018, Li assumed the position of chief in the "general affairs" group in the Kuytun Church, which was responsible for delivering and issuing instructions, maintaining communication lines, and overseeing the development of the organization. She also collected donations from members in the movement.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d8fc2fd90d4b0081fd/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7426. Liu Xuemei (刘雪梅)
Chinese ID: ??????19740627??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Xuemei was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was officially arrested on December 26, 2018. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 7 years and fined 40000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Liu used the alias "Dedication" (尽心). In her testimony, Liu told the court that she succeeded Chen Yanhong as the leader of the "writing group" on July 2, 2018, some time after Chen's arrest. The group was responsible for editing questionnaire forms that would then presumably be sent to higher Church authorities. She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d8fc2fd90d4b0081ff/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7427. Liu Yang (柳杨)
Chinese ID: ??????19771008??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Yang was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: No. 129 Bingtuan Corps.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on June 22, 2018 and was officially arrested on December 27 of the same year. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Liu used the alias "Little Road" (小路). In the spring of 2018, she was assigned as a person responsible for a "cleaning" process designed to weed out those community members who "did not meet the requirements". In her testimony, Liu said that she had hosted gatherings herself and had been a baptist (浇灌执事) at the L14 Church (also known as Church 129) in Kuytun since May 2015. She said the work of a baptist included explaining the gospel to the members and making sure that they understood it. Liu said that she was assigned to the "writing group" (文字组) in April 2016, but was removed from the group in 2017. The said group was responsible for editing personal-experience sheets. She was later tasked with safekeeping a religious artifact worth 5000RMB. Liu noted that after her appointment to the "cleaning" group on June 20, 2018, she had yet to begin the work when she was arrested on June 22.
She helped the court in identifying several other members of the L14 Church. She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d8fc2fd90d4b008201/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7428. Liu Li (刘丽)
Chinese ID: ??????19900115??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 29 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Li was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
Address: Ghulja City.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on November 26, 2018, but released on bail on December 24, a month later. She was then detained again on January 5, 2019, and officially arrested on February 1, 2019. The indictment was filed on June 25, 2019.
On September 10, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the investigation, Liu had served as a gospel preacher in the Kuytun Church since November 2014. In her testimony, Liu said that she had started her activities in the Church by distributing leaflets and reading the gospel in Korgas in 2012. Between April and November 2011, she served as a typer (打字员) in the Church, and then became a gospel preacher. In May 2015, she served as the leader of the Chaoyang Church (朝阳教会). One year later, she would host gatherings at the H3 Church. In August 2016, she was assigned to the "writing group" (文字组), which was responsible for editing personal-experience sheets, before being assigned to the position of "screenwriter" (编剧本分) three months later. According to info from the Public Security Bureau, Liu would often commute between Kuytun, Shihezi, Korgas, and Ghulja over the next two years. In June 2018, she was assigned to the "general affairs" group.
She did not object to the accusations in court, but maintained that believing in the Church of Almighty God was not a criminal offense, and did not express the wish to leave the "organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d8fc2fd90d4b008203/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 7429. Liu Jianhui (刘建辉)
Chinese ID: ??????19670813??E? ()
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Jianhui was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
[Though not confirmed, the victim is assumed to be ethnically Han Chinese, as this is statistically very likely.]
She lived in Ghulja City.
Victim's location
At the Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained by the Ghulja City Public Security Bureau on October 2, 2018 on the suspicion of using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement. On November 17, she was formally arrested.
On September 4, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years and fined 30000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status
Serving a 6-year prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry: https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d9fc2fd90d4b008205/
Official verdict for her case: http://archive.ph/59Ov4
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2020-05-28 Latest status update: 2019-09-04 7431. Li Yuzhen (李玉珍)
Chinese ID: 65900119680414??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Yuzhen was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Residential/registration address: No. 150 Bingtuan Corps, Xigucheng Municipality, Shihezi City (石河子市西古城镇一五〇团).
Victim's location
[Presumably around the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps, as that's where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She was initially detained on April 13, 2018 and formally arrested on April 27. The indictment against her was filed on April 10, 2019.
On June 25, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined 4000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
According to the procuratorate, Li was part of the Church of Almighty God organization named "Church No. 10", or "Huashan Church" (华山教会), which operated in the No. 150 Bingtuan Corps. She joined the organization in 2013. She used the alias "Jiang Min" (江敏) and served as co-leader of the group from 2016 up until the start of the criminal investigation. Li was responsible for editing the texts written by Church attendees, copying religious materials to the believers' SD cards, and assisting them in studying the Gospel. In court, Li admitted guilt, said that she would no longer attend the Church of Almighty God gatherings, and asked for mercy.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d6fc2fd90d4b0080db/
Official court verdict: https://archive.ph/cuJrF
Victims among relatives
Jiang Wenhua (7363)
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-06-25 7432. Li Jingjing (李静静)
Chinese ID: 65402619800810??E? (Mongghulkure)
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Human Rights Without Frontiers, a human rights NGO based in Belgium.
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Jingjing was a member of the Church of Almighty God.
Residential address: 42 Honuqai Street, Mongolkure County (昭苏县洪纳海街42号).
Registered address: 4-1 Hospital Road, Qashazhar Township, Mongolkure County (昭苏县喀夏加尔乡医院路4-1号).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She was detained on December 14, 2018. The public security bureau applied for the official arrest warrant on January 8, 2019, with the procuratorate approving it on January 14. The indictment was filed on July 24, 2019.
On September 15, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The procuratorate accused Li of joining the group on her mother's invitation in 2012, where she would go by the alias "Xiao Juan" (小娟). Later, she got married to a person from Fangcaohu Farm in Qutubi, Changji, and would continue to attend the gatherings there. In 2014, she returned to Mongolkure. In 2017, she bought media players and other gadgets from Taobao to be used by group members.
In her testimony, Li said that she joined the movement in 2012. When her mother started organizing gatherings at their home, she would often listen if she had nothing else to do. After moving to Changji, Li attended only two meetings there, and only with two other people. She said the meetings stopped because the host family's "children were angry and drove us out". Li said that the meetings in Mongolkure would happen twice a month.
She admitted to buying the gadgets from Alibaba, but said that she did not know what "Bitter Winter" was (the group was accused of writing Xinjiang-related reports to Bitter Winter). In court, she admitted to being guilty.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system. [It is also very likely that this verdict was the basis for the HRWF database entry, and as such the two cannot be seen as independent sources.]
Additional information
Link to HRWF database entry (outdated): https://hrwf.eu/hrwf-prisoners-database-china/#hrwf-prisoners-database/china-database-original-upload -221019-sheet1-details/5df804d6fc2fd90d4b0080df/
Official court verdict: http://archive.ph/1nIkA
Victims among relatives
Sun Sujuan (7334), Li Huizhen (7430)
Entry created: 2020-02-21 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2019-09-15 7598. Su Wenzhi
Chinese ID: 65420119????????O? (Chochek)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Hui Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Tolqyn Qali, born in 1970, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Su Wenzhi (Hui name is Musa) is from Tacheng city.
Victim's location
[unclear as imprisoned]
When victim was detained
2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status he was given lifetime imprisonment in 2019
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jh6TWG4Fmk
Entry created: 2020-02-10 Last updated: 2020-02-25 Latest status update: 2019-12-26 7599. Rustem Azamat
Chinese ID: 6542011981??????O? (Chochek)
Basic info
Age: 37-38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uzbek Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Tolqyn Qali, born in 1970, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Rustem Azamat was born in 1981. He is from Tacheng city.
Victim's location
[unclear as he is in prison]
When victim was detained
2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status given lifetime imprisonment in 2019
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jh6TWG4Fmk
Entry created: 2020-02-10 Last updated: 2020-02-25 Latest status update: 2019-12-26 7663. Ghalip Rozi (尕力普·肉孜)
Chinese ID: 653125199510023817 (Yarkand)
Basic info
Age: 23 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Xinjiang government records, as reported by Adrian Zenz.
About the victim
Ghalip Rozi has a middle-school education.
Address: House No. 3, Group No. 1, Qumbolume Village, Azatbagh Municipality, Yeken County, Kashgar Prefecture (莎车县阿扎提巴格镇库木博勒买村1组3号).
Victim's location
No. 3 Vocational Skills Training Center (第三职业技能培训学校) [presumably in Kashgar].
When victim was detained
The date his case was dealt with (处理时间) is reported as September 29, 2017, suggesting that he was detained before then.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Not integrated" or "not IJOP" (非一体化) [meaning unclear].
Victim's status
Sentenced (判刑). [However, it is very likely that he hasn't been transferred to the prison facility yet, as he is still marked as being at the vocational training center.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The data was obtained from internal sources in Xinjiang. Additional information
---
Entry created: 2020-03-01 Last updated: 2020-03-17 Latest status update: 2018-10-24 7743. Tolegen Baqytqan (托列根·巴合提汗)
Chinese ID: 654101198004150536 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Turdybek Zaqan, born in 1977, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin)
About the victim
Tolegen Baqytqan (托列根·巴合提汗) worked in a small copy shop. His ID address: 199 Ulken Qulynshar village, Ulken Qulynshar township, Barkol Kazakh Autonomous county. 新疆巴里坤哈萨克自治县大红柳峡乡大红柳峡村199号
Victim's location
[unclear as he is in prison]
When victim was detained
March 16, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention for photocopying and printing some religious books about Namaz, Islamic prayers.
Victim's status was given 10 years of prison term on 21 November, 2018
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? one of his relatives sent the testifier a message through WeChat
Additional information ---
Victims among relatives
Ulanbek Silampi (7744)
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ-EM2sd-JI Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/7743_2.png
Entry created: 2020-02-24 Last updated: 2021-04-06 Latest status update: 2020-01-08 7744. Ulanbek Silampi (乌拉木拜克·斯兰皮)
Chinese ID: 652222198808293116 (Barkol)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Wujiaqu Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): nationalism, patriotism|"extremism" Health status: --- Profession: other
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Turdybek Zaqan, born in 1977, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (cousin-in-law)
Testimony 2: Muhamet Qani, born in 1984, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (nephew)
Testimony 3: Official incarceration notice, as reported by Serikzhan Bilash.
About the victim
Ulanbek Silampi (乌拉木拜克·斯兰皮) worked as a shop assistant in a small shop. He has a three-year-old child named Ulpan and his wife's name is Nurzhanai.
Residential address: No. 799, Ulkenqulinsheri Village, Ulkenqulinsheri Township, Barkol County, Hami Prefecture, Xinjiang (新疆巴里坤哈萨克自治县大红柳峡乡大红柳峡村799号).
Victim's location
Testimony 3: Fangcaohu Prison.
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: detained on November 22, 2018. He was imprisoned on October 20, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: for having shared a few lines from a patriotic poem called "Қайран қазақ" (My poor people) on his WeChat platform in 2015
Testimony 3: He was given a 15-year prison term for propagating extremism (宣扬极端主义).
Victim's status was given 15 years prison term [as the prison has links to a factory, there is a good chance that the victim is subjected to forced labor; the Xinjiang Jungar Cotton & Hemp LTD (新疆准噶尔棉麻有限公司) appears to operate a cotton-ginning mill there]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: from relatives
Testimony 3: this is an official incarceration notice.
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Tolegen Baqytqan (7743)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ-EM2sd-JI Testimony 2-3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyIgiQnAj4s Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/7744_2.png
Entry created: 2020-02-24 Last updated: 2021-05-16 Latest status update: 2020-01-08 7937. Zheksenbek Ermek
Chinese ID: 65412219????????O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1|5: Adilhan Izbasar, born in 1976, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2: Serikbai Shaimardan, born in 1985, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3: Alia Beksultan, now a Kazakhstan citizen. She moved to Kazakhstan in 2015. (relative of friend)
Testimony 4*: Alia Beksultan, as reported by Mehmet Volkan Kaşıkçı. (relative of friend)
About the victim
Zheksenbek Ermek.
Address: No. 7 Company, No. 67 Bingtuan Corps, Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州察布查尔锡伯自治县兵团六十七团七连连队).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was among those who attended the birthday party organized by imam Nauryzbai Izbasar for his daughter on January 31, 2018. Many/most of the attendees were arrested about a week later and held in detention for a few months, before being publicly sentenced. The victim was sentenced to 15 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[As many/most of the people who attended the party were arrested and, in many cases, sentenced, it's possible that this was interpreted as an "illegal religious gathering".] Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Alia Beksultan [and presumably the others impacted by this] heard about it through contacts in the region.
Additional information
Nauryzbai Izbasar's entry (for more details about the incident): https://shahit.biz/eng/viewentry.php?entryno=379
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1-2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wx_u8S1TFs Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECwKpbmejRE Testimony 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeDPB1R7nrE
Entry created: 2020-03-09 Last updated: 2021-04-18 Latest status update: 2021-01-07 7938. Tohti Islam
Chinese ID: 653121197010163210 (Shufu)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Altay Status: sentenced (11 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Sholpan Amirken, born in 1984, is a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative of friend)
Testimony 2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Tohti Islam is originally from Kashgar but resides in Zhemenei county, Altay region.
Victim's location
Testimony 1: "Buyrshyn prison"
Testimony 2: Qaba County Pre-Trial Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: summer 2018 [likely in reference to when he was sentenced]
Testimony 2: detained by local PSB on June 10, 2017, then formally arrested on July 17, 2017 and kept at a Qaba County pre-trial detention center. He was given an 11-year sentence on August 31, 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention teaching Nurlan Pioner and his family members religion
Victim's status sentenced to 11 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Testimony 1: The testifier attended the court hearing.
Testimony 2: this is an official court document.
Additional information
Four people attended the court hearing from the victim's family including his 14 -15 years old son.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXN3BKVQ5_c Testimony 2 (court verdict): https://shahit.biz/supp/7938_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-03-09 Last updated: 2021-04-07 Latest status update: 2020-01-21 8076. Quatbek Berdigali
Chinese ID: 654128198507280674 (Nilka)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Quatzhan Mahmut, born in 1976, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (relative)
About the victim
Quatbek Berdigali was born on July 28, 1985. He has two kids who are 5 and 7 years old. His wife died in 2015 and he remarried in March 2018. However, around ten days after his wedding, he was detained. He has been taking care of two families as his father Berdigali Morahan who was an official in the village and his uncle Sandygali Omarhan passed away. Now his 65-year-old mother is taking care of these two families. His address [presumably registration]: 25 Group 6, Taulastai village, Zhagalastai township, Nylqy county. (新疆尼勒克县加哈拉斯台乡套乌拉斯台村六组25号)
Victim's location prison in Wusu
When victim was detained
March 16, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention praying and attending Friday prayers
Victim's status sentenced to 7 years in prison on April 13, 2019
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not stated Additional information
His mother's ID number is 652428195404170625.
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pjVWvNUfbM driver's license: https://shahit.biz/supp/8076_2.png
Entry created: 2020-03-13 Last updated: 2021-04-08 Latest status update: 2020-02-03 8085. Adilbek Oralbek (阿德力别克·乌拉尔别克)
Chinese ID: 652623196911120730 (Koktokay)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Changji Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: manual work
Testifying party
Bagnur Adenbek, born in 1978, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (niece-in-law)
About the victim
Adilbek Oralbek (阿德力别克 乌拉尔别克) worked as a miner. His ID address: 201 3 Entrance, 11 Building, Shuixiehuadu residential area, Fukang city (新疆阜康市水榭花都小区11栋3单元201号)
Victim's location
Fukang city, Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture
When victim was detained
December 23, 2018
Likely (or given) reason for detention
His acquaintances visit him when he is ill and they start to pray in his house as the praying time comes. He was accused of not stopping them to pray
Victim's status
In a re-education camp in Fukang city and was given a 2-year prison term in the camp on October 2, 2019. It was done orally and his family members did not receive any formal notice about it.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? from the acquaintances who have been travelling to Kazakhstan
Additional information More than 20 Kazakh guys were sentenced in the same court trial and some of them were sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbMpZ9eDWD0 Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/8085_2.png
Entry created: 2020-03-21 Last updated: 2021-04-08 Latest status update: 2020-02-11 8199. Memet Abdulla (买买提·阿不都拉)
Chinese ID: 65280119????????O? (Korla)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" association|"two-faced", "separatism", "taking bribes" Health status: has problems Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Iskender Memet, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (son)
Testimony 2: Subhi Memet, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (daughter)
Testimony 3|4|5|6: Subhi Memet, a resident of the United States. (daughter)
Testimony 7|8|9: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 10: Subhi Memet, as reported by France 24. (daughter)
Testimony 11: Xinjiang People's Procuratorate, the official prosecuting government body for Xinjiang.
Testimony 12: Subhi Memet, as reported by William Yang. (daughter)
Testimony 13: Elijan Anayit, a spokesperson for the XUAR People's Government Information Office.
About the victim
Memet Abdulla was previously the mayor of Korla City, and had also served as the head of the Xinjiang State Forestry and Grassland Administration from 1992 until his retirement in 2008. He is a father of three.
Victim's location
Xinjiang No. 3 Prison (Cell No. 11).
When victim was detained
In 2017, while living in Urumqi, Memet received permission from the Chinese government to travel to the US in April of 2017 because his son had had a child. He had previously traveled to the US several times before to visit his son and youngest daughter, Iskender and Subhi Memet. He had an airline ticket booked for April 30.
On April 29, Memet and his wife had been at home packing for their flight when Memet told his wife that he was stepping out to buy last-minute gifts for their grandchildren in the US. When he did not return home, his wife phoned him but he did not answer.
Later that day, two Chinese officials came to their house and confirmed to his wife that he had been detained. They then confiscated their passports.
That same day, Memet's son Iskender in the US received a call from his older sister in Urumqi, who instructed him to cancel the flight tickets, without providing much detail. He reportedly noticed from his older sister's voice over the phone that something was wrong, but that she was not able to speak about the situation freely. He then went to his sister Subhi's house and told her that they needed to cancel their father's flight, and that their father was not going to come.
A few hours later, Subhi was able to contact her mother, who told her that two Chinese police officers had arrested Memet.
He was charged in May 2017. However, his family in Urumqi were not given access to him or told of his whereabouts following his arrest. They wouldn't see him until two years later, at his first court hearing in September 2019, during which he was convicted in court proceedings that were closed to all family members except his eldest daughter, who was let in after "kicking up a fuss". His wife reportedly sat outside on a bench and witnessed him being escorted into court in chains along with other detainees - it was apparent to her that her husband had lost weight and could not properly balance himself.
An appeal in December 2019 was rejected, with only his lawyer present to alert the family of the verdict, with Memet handed a life sentence and forced to hand over all assets to the state. His family was fined 4 million RMB.
As of February 2020, his son Iskender had not been able to secure official documentation confirming his father’s life sentence.
In October 2020, prison officials hinted that they might release Memet, prompting his daughter Subhi to stop her campaign to secure his release. However, she now believes that this was a trick and worries for her father's health.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was accused of "bribery", being “two-faced”, and "separatism". Elijan Anayit, a spokesperson for the XUAR People's Government Information Office, confirmed that the Xinjiang Discipline Inspection Commission opened a case against Memet for "bribery" (allegedly taking advantage of his position).
(According to his youngest daughter Subhi, the separatism charge was a result of the fact that she and her brother both live in Virginia, where there is a large Uyghur community with protests relatively concentrated in their area.)
Victim's status
Serving a life sentence in prison. [There is a high likelihood of the victim being subjected to forced labor, as the Xinjiang No. 3 Lathe Factory is based inside the prison and is reported to employ the majority of inmates.]
He has health issues: he suffers from high blood sugar and high blood pressure, and previously had kidney cancer. In October 2020, he contacted his oldest daughter and told her that he was "well". Two days later his wife and daughter attempted to visit him in prison but were denied.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Memet's oldest daughter attended his trial in September 2019, with most of the information obtained by relatives abroad coming from her.
The worker at the Korla Forestry Department where Memet Abdulla had previously been employed presumably had relatively direct knowledge of the case.
The local officials whom Radio Free Asia spoke to were informed of the arrest at a meeting.
The XUAR People's Procuratorate is the public prosecuting body responsible for the prosecution of the victim.
In October 2020, Memet allegedly called his wife and daughter in Urumqi.
Additional information
His case is mentioned in the XUAR People's Procuratorate 2018 work report as one of the examples of cracking down on "two-faced people": https://archive.ph/U3qAm
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/life-03102020141909.html https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/siyaset/ikki-yuzlimichi-12062018144919.html
France 24 coverage: https://www.france24.com/en/20200701-breaking-the-silence-on-china-s-two-faced-campaign-against-uig hurs
Change.org petition: https://www.change.org/p/donald-j-trump-help-me-rescue-my-71-year-old-father-mamat-abdullah-from-c hina-s-prison
Story by William Yang: https://williamyang-35700.medium.com/former-uyghur-official-called-his-family-after-being-sentenced-to -life-imprisonment-1d5fec7b6074
Memet's wife and oldest daughter were both subjected to months of questioning by the Chinese authorities, with the focus appearing to have been on their family in the US. For the first two months, they were "taken for questioning almost every single day for eight straight hours".
The victim reportedly wrote a letter from an unknown detention camp, a photograph of which was sent to Subhi Memet. Subhi Memet's uncle has also been arrested and detained.
An interview with Memet Abdulla: https://archive.is/wduzS
Book written by him: https://archive.is/twIpM
Articles and reports about his work: https://archive.is/oKCei https://archive.is/SolpH
Original transcript of the press conference where Elijan Anayit commented on his case: https://archive.is/rVMEI
Official communication(s)
Source: XUAR People's Government Information Office
------
[This is an excerpt from an official press conference held on June 1, 2020 by the XUAR People's Government Information Office.]
China Global Television Network: It is reported that some foreign media claim that “Xinjiang government framed former director general of Xinjiang Forestry Department Memet Abdula as a two-faced man and sentenced him to a prison term.” It is true? And could you brief us about it?
Xu Guixiang: This question goes to Elijan Anayit.
Elijan Anayit: Recently, former director general of Xinjiang Forestry Department Memet Abdula’s daughter complained to the Voice of America that her father was mischarged as a “two-faced person” and put in prison. Her accusation was completely fabricated, which was to mislead international opinion, solicit support for her criminal father and attack China’s policies on Xinjiang by misleading public opinion.
In April 2017, the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC (Communist Party of China) Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee filed a case against Memet Abdula on suspicion of taking bribes. The investigation found that, during his tenure as chief of the department, he violated organizational discipline to trade power for money in personnel selection and appointment; broke the Party’s rules on clean governance for illegal acceptance of money and gifts and engaging in profitable activities; was suspected of crimes involving bribery and abuse of power to seek profits for others. According to the CPC Regulation on Disciplinary Punishment and the Regulation on the Disciplinary Actions against Civil Servants of Administrative Organs and other relevant regulations, his case was transferred to the judicial authorities for further investigation.
The court's investigation, through the first and second trials, found that Memet Abudla used his position to seek benefits for others and by raising logging quotas, and solicited and accepted money and properties many times from others that are of enormous value. His behaviors had constituted crime of bribery. The people's court imposed a criminal sentence on him based on clear facts and solid evidence in accordance with the provisions of Chinese laws and regulations. His daughter's so-called "he was framed" allegation was just confusing truth and falsehood. (Please take a look at the video for your reference)
Corruption is a tumor to social development and is detested by people. Anyonewho violates, regardless of his or her ethnicity, the law and discipline will surely be brought to justice. Xu Guixiang: Today's press conference concludes now. Thanks all the invitees and reporters.
Supplementary materials instrument video: https://twitter.com/SubiMamat/status/1299365362627219456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/SubiMamat/status/1318185542710972417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/SubiMamat/status/1318974522326962178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/SubiMamat/status/1341388862707421185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 6: https://twitter.com/Irfan_Tursun1/status/1258631236303622146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo with son: https://shahit.biz/supp/8199_1.jpeg photo with wife: https://shahit.biz/supp/8199_2.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/8199_3.jpg propaganda video about victim: https://shahit.biz/supp/8199_9.mp4 courtroom still: https://shahit.biz/supp/8199_10.png photos before and after detention: https://shahit.biz/supp/beforeafter_8199.png official communication(s): https://shahit.biz/supp/comm_8199.png
Entry created: 2020-03-26 Last updated: 2021-05-01 Latest status update: 2021-06-11 8211. Anarqan Qanatbek
Chinese ID: 65412119520110??E? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 69 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"disturbing public order" Health status: has problems Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (acquaintance)
Testimony 2: Anonymous, as reported by Amnesty International. (relative)
About the victim
Hanarhan Anatbekqyzy (Testimony 2: Qanatbek, possibly spelling: 阿那尔汗·卡那提白克), an animal herder from Dong Mazar Village, Dong Mazar township (墩麻扎镇) in Yining County. DOB: 1952.
Testimony 2: born on January 10, 1952.
Victim's location
Women's Prison of Yining City
When victim was detained
Initially in September 2014, released after one month in a detention center. Later, arrested in November 2017.
Testimony 2: She was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in August 2018, and did not have access to a lawyer during her trial. She had previously spent 8 months detained in an internment camp [possibly detention center].
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: Attending a religious meeting
Testimony 2: Officially, Anarqan was convicted of "disturbing the social order". The suspected reason for her detention is that she prayed five times a day. Victim's status
Sentenced to 15 years in prison with a 5-year deprivation of political rights in summer of 2018
Testimony 2: She has hypertension, cerebral infarction, and coronary heart disease. As a result, she is often hospitalised.
[There is a high likelihood that she is subjected to forced labor at the Ili Women's Prison, as this practice has been documented there.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql-10172019064718.html
Amnesty International case info (Testimony 2): https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR071
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/8211_1.jpeg
Entry created: 2020-03-28 Last updated: 2021-09-28 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 8440. Hajire Rozi
Chinese ID: 652925197001230029 (Toksu)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Aksu Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: has problems Profession: banking, accounting
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Qedriye Ghopur, originally from Aksu but now residing in Norway. (daughter)
Testimony 3: Qedriye Ghopur, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (daughter)
Testimony 4: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (colleague)
Testimony 5: Qedriye Ghopur, as reported by Amnesty International. (daughter)
About the victim
Her name is Hajire Rozi. She was born on the 23rd of January in 1970 in Toqsu County, Aksu Prefecture. She has worked as an accountant in Bureau of Cultural Sports in Toqsu, Aksu more than 20 years. Her ID number is 652925197001230029; Passport number is E09201405.
Testimony 5: Possible name spelling: 阿吉热木·肉孜
Victim's location
Testimony 3: in "Toqsu Prison" [unclear if actual prison or detention center]
When victim was detained
Detained in June 2017.
Testimony 5: Later in 2017 (after Hajire was taken away), police called Hajire's daughter in Hajire's presence and asked for details about the daughter's study in Turkey. Qedriye would later learn about her mother's 10-year prison sentence from a source in February 2020. The sentencing occurred in 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the testifier, having sent the testifier abroad to study and having visited the testifier in Istanbul in May 2015. Victim's status
The victim has been sentenced for 10 years in prison after having been kept in the camp nearly two years.
Testimony 4: confirmed as detained.
Testimony 5: Hajire had undergone surgery before she was arrested.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated. However, the testifier says, in April 2019, she learnt that the victim was sentenced without having informed any family members of the victim.
Testimony 4: this is a local source with presumably more direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/lager-guwahliq-03092020145128.html https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/qedriye-ghopur-03122020142548.html (Testimony 3-4)
Amnesty International case file (Testimony 5): https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR036
A clothing business in Aksu belonging to someone with this name: https://archive.md/e8xHk
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OoWck2KpZ8 Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEQO7QHyeX4
Entry created: 2020-04-04 Last updated: 2021-09-20 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 8442. Huang Yunmin (黄云敏)
Chinese ID: ??????19590701??O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 59 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Tumshuq Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "inciting ethnic hatred"|"terrorism", "extremism" Health status: has problems Profession: law
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Ran Tong, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (lawyer)
Testimony 2: Huang Xiaoqin, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (sister)
Testimony 3: Anonymous, as reported by Rights Protection Network (维权网). (wife)
Testimony 4: Official court document, as reported by Chinese Human Rights Defenders.
Testimony 5: China Aid, a non-governmental Christian nonprofit which focuses on raising awareness of human rights abuses.
About the victim
Huang Yunmin (黄云敏), born July 1, 1959, a former judge at Third Division Tumshuq City (图木舒克). He made a name by spearheading the legal efforts of disadvantaged groups within the area to lodge complaints against unjust state court rulings and corrupt officials. His breakthrough in legal activism happened in 2008, when he helped provide the medical treatment to ex-soldiers who had formerly protected nuclear test sites in Qinghai province. He was then briefly detained in 2009 in Kashgar on a charge of "possessing firearms", but shortly after was released without charge.
He is a former Party member.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: A Xinjiang Production and Construction Bingtuan prison [but unclear which].
Testimony 5: Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Division 3, Brigade 51 Prison (新疆生产建设兵团农三师51团监狱) [this is the address of the Tumshuq Prison]
When victim was detained
March 12, 2017 - detained. His case was reviewed by the Tumxuk Investigative Court on April 17, later transferred to Kashi Kenqu District People's Court on June 16. His court took place on September 19 and his sentence was confirmed by his wife in November 2018.
Testimony 4: he was held at the Kashgar Kenqu Public Security Bureau Pre-trial Detention Center (喀什垦区公安局看守所) at the time of his trial.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimonies 1-3 have reported that he was detained on suspicion of "inciting ethnic hatred".
Testimony 4: the official document accuses him of possession of materials that "propagate extremism and terrorism". According to the document, Huang reportedly had been downloading large quantities of material regarding the July 2009 riots in Urumqi. He also "repeatedly logged in foreign Anti-China websites using a VPN" and had "sent a video with extremist content to a friend using the VIVO phone application". An overview of the material on his devices found 980 MB of "extremist material regarding the July 5 incident" in his USB drive, 30.6 MB broadcasted 244 MB hard drive "Anti-China" material on his PC and a 5.57 MB-sized video on his phone.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 10 years in prison. His health status is poor, he complains of stomach issues and a respiratory disease. Huang's wife also reported (Testimony 3) that court and prison officials had kept mistreating him and using excessive force despite Huang's lenient presence in hearings.
[It is likely that the victim has been subjected to forced labor at the Tumshuq Prison, as the existence of "labor-skills workshops" has been documented at the facility.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: the victim's defense attorney.
Testimony 2: present at the trial.
Testimony 3: visited the victim in prison.
Testimony 4: this is an official court document.
Testimony 5: not stated.
Additional information
Leaked court document detailing Huang's case (Testimony 4): https://www.nchrd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Huang-Yunmin-indictment-Chinese.pdf
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-2): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/judge-09192017122839.html
Rights Protection Network blog (Testimony 3): https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2018/11/10-10.html
China Aid list of prisoners and prisons (Testimony 5): https://www.chinaaid.net/2019/01/129.html A Weibo user has accused Zhuang Jianwu (庄建武) as being the official responsible for the victim's situation: https://archive.is/g0tiW
Court cases in which the victim has acted as a legal representative: https://shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/huangyunmin1.pdf https://shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/huangyunmin2.pdf https://shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/huangyunmin3.pdf
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_1.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_1.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=1
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/8442_2.jpg
Entry created: 2020-04-05 Last updated: 2021-05-21 Latest status update: 2018-11-16 8485. Mehrigul Abla (米合热古力·阿布拉)
Chinese ID: 65280119????????E? (Korla)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (16 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"terrorism", "extremism" Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Ablet Mehsut, as reported by Christian Science Monitor. (uncle)
Testimony 2: Official notice of enforcement, issued by a local court to the relatives of a sentenced individual to inform them of the sentence having gone into effect.
Testimony 3|4|6: @abilenemasood, an unverified Twitter account. (relative)
Testimony 5: Ablet Mehsut, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (uncle)
About the victim
Mihirigul Abla is a high school teacher from Korla.
Testimony 4: she is a graduate of 华东师大.
Victim's location
In prison in Korla [unclear if she may have been transferred elsewhere for the new 16-year sentence, however]
When victim was detained
Mihirigul was arrested for the second time and sentenced to two years of imprisonment and a 10,000 yuan fine in 2017. Her sentence was due to end in June 2019, but she was never released. In December 2019, she spent four days in a hospital for a surgery related to her uterus, believed by the testifier to be a forced sterilization. She was returned to the prison after that, and is believed to still be detained.
Testimony 5: her first arrest was on October 16, 2016 (she was released after a month).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Possession of “Materials propagating terrorism or extremism” According to testifier, she had a digital copy of the Quran.
Victim's status
Sentenced to two years, not released after sentence end date.
Testimony 6: she was later sentenced to an additional 16 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: Testifier's brother (Qurbanjan, another uncle of victim) was in Xinjiang and texted testifier a photo of victim's sentencing notice. In June 2019 after the sentence was set to end testifier called district police and courts in Korla, and learns from officials that victim “didn’t perform well” in prison, as well of learning of her surgery.
Testimony 2: this is a primary source.
Additional information https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2020/0401/One-American-Uyghur-s-vow-I-should-ve-gone-publi c-a-long-time-ago
Testifier spoke to Christian Science Monitor in 2019 and again in April 2020 about his family members.
RFA coverage (Testimony 5): https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/ablet-mexmut-04062020150446.html https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/ablet-mexmut-04072020141811.html
Testimony 4: her father passed away in January 2020.
Listed among Huadong University job-search subsidy applicants: https://archive.is/okwi2
Victims among relatives
Qurbanjan Mehsut (13921)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/abilenemasood/status/1283853096385490944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/abilenemasood/status/1289892549667303424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 6: https://twitter.com/abilenemasood/status/1392356925128339457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 2 (punishment notice): https://shahit.biz/supp/8485_1.jpg photo with uncle: https://shahit.biz/supp/8485_2.jpg
Entry created: 2020-04-13 Last updated: 2021-06-05 Latest status update: 2021-05-12 8519. Rustemjan Abduweli
Chinese ID: 652701198906020432 (Bortala)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"inciting ethnic hatred", "disturbing public order", "terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, but with a verified identity. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
His name is Rustemjan Abduweli (Rousidanjiang Abuduwaili in Chinese Pinyin). He graduated from the Department of Finance of Lanzhou Business School. Upon graduation in 2012, he was accepted by the University of Medina in Saudi Arabia. So, he went to Saudi Arabia in September in 2012 and used to go back home once a year. He went back home in Bortala in June 2015 fo the last time and he was detained since then.
Victim's location
In Urumchi as he serving in the prison there.
When victim was detained
In June 2015.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the testifier, he was first detained on the charge of incitement to ethnic hatred. Later he was charged with disturbing public order. However, in August 2017, he and other seven people were sentenced on the charge of establishing a terrorist organization and participating in it.
Victim's status
In prison. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. He is serving in No.10 prison area of No.1 prison in Urumchi. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information
The victim came back home from his university in Saudi Arabia on the 2nd of June 2015 and on the 26th of June, he was taken from his home with the excuse of checking his passport. One week later, he was transferred to Kelpin in Aksu Prefecture. On the 4th of August 2017, he was charged with establishing a terrorist organization and participating in it by the Aksu Prefecture Intermediate Court and sentenced to life imprisonment. The reason why he was charged with this crime, according to the testifier, was that in 2008 when he was at university, the victim took part in an Arabic Course that was opened by Majun-Chairman of Office of Religious Affairs in Lanzhou Province and all of its programs were legally registered. Later the victim appealed to higher courts in Urumchi, but the court upheld the original verdict.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/8519_1.jpg
Entry created: 2020-04-23 Last updated: 2020-04-23 Latest status update: 2020-04-23 8520. Ilyas Tursun
Chinese ID: 65410119????????O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (19 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Ehmetjan Ablimit, a resident of Turkey. (brother-in-law)
About the victim
His name is Ilyas Tursun. He is 31 years old.
Testimony 2: Address is No.14, Bayandai town (巴彦岱镇), Ghulja municipality.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: a prison in Wusu City
When victim was detained
Detained in 2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown.
Victim's status
In a prison as the testifier says that he was sentenced for 19 years in prison in 2019 after having been kept in the camp for two years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not Stated.
Additional information ---
Victims among relatives
Hejergul Nur (5604), Ablimit Imin (8521), Ablehet Ablimit (8522)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShrjbcRxURs Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHtCXYsRvTw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/8520_3.jpg
Entry created: 2020-04-24 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2021-05-15 8523. Shireli Memeteli
Chinese ID: 65410119????????O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|related to religion, "separatism" Health status: --- Profession: driver
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relative)
Testimony 2: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Shiri Memtili is a 28-year-old Uyghur from Hanbing, Ghulja. He is a taxi driver and has two children. His mother is Aigul Turahan and his father is Memeteli Abdureshit.
Victim's location
At a prison in Wusu, Tacheng
When victim was detained
He was detained in November 2018 and sentenced to 200 months in jail in May 2019 He is serving his sentence in a prison in Shiko (Wusu) city, in Tabaghtay (Tacheng) province.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Driving a religious figure and “receiving illegal religious education” from him, according to his family. The Uyghur archivist source stated his charge was that he “received illegal [religious] education and incited ethnic separatism.”
Victim's status
In prison How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: Victim’s family members learned of his sentencing from speaking to officials at the local community administrative center — there was no chance for them to attend a publicly held trial for the victim.
Testimony 3: A Uyghur police officer in Hanbing neighborhood, Ghulja, confirmed to RFA that victim had been sentenced.
Additional information
His mother is currently serving a prison sentence and his father was previously detained.
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/driver-04172020172200.html (Uyghur version: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/shireli-memtili-04092020152610.html)
Victims among relatives
Memeteli Abdureshit (8525), Aygul Turahan (8524), Munire Memtili (15167)
Entry created: 2020-04-24 Last updated: 2021-01-12 Latest status update: 2021-04-07 8524. Aygul Turahan (阿依古丽·吐拉洪)
Chinese ID: 654101197104202626 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "registration issues"|"endangering state security", "extremism", "illegal gathering" Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 3: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Aygul Turahan is a 49-year-old Uyghur housewife from Ghulja, but originally from Tekes. She is married to Memeteli Abdureshit and has one son, Shiri Memtili.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: In prison in Baykol, Ghulja. [This is almost certainly the Ili Women's Prison.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 3: She was detained along with her husband on June 15, 2017 and was sentenced in early 2019 to 10 years in prison. She is serving a sentence in Baykol, Ghulja.
[Her permanent residence registration card (attached) is particular as it appears to have been issued after her initial detention, and also lists the Ghulja City Pre-Trial Detention Center as her "workplace".]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: Moving her hukou from Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake)’s Tekes (Tekesi) county to Ghulja’s Hanbing neighborhood in 2010.
Testimony 3: Also, “incited ethnic extremism, gathered [illegally], and endangered the country.” While in detention, she was accused of distributing materials containing religious content to others. Victim's status
In prison.
[There is a high likelihood that she is subjected to forced labor at the Ili Women's Prison, as this practice has been documented there.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 3: Official learned through documents
Additional information
Her son is currently serving a prison sentence and her husband was previously detained
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-3): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/driver-04172020172200.html (Uyghur version: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/shireli-memtili-04092020152610.html, https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/aile-ayali-04132020175131.html)
Victims among relatives
Memeteli Abdureshit (8525), Shireli Memeteli (8523), Munire Memtili (15167)
Supplementary materials registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/8524_1.jpeg photo with grandchildren: https://shahit.biz/supp/8524_2.jpeg
Entry created: 2020-04-24 Last updated: 2021-06-07 Latest status update: 2021-04-07 8555. Yang Wanjun (杨万军)
Chinese ID: 65420219760505??O? (Wusu)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yang Wanjun (杨万军) was born on May 5, 1976. He is a farmer with a junior high school education.
He is from Wusu city, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区乌苏市).
Residential address: Huanggong Municipality, Wusu City, Xinjiang (新疆乌苏市皇宫镇).
Victim's location
XUAR No. 5 Prison (in Urumqi).
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: He had previously been detained on May 31, 2002 by the Tacheng Region Labor Rehabilitation Management Committee, who decided to re-educate him through labor for one year as he refused to receive help education and continued to conduct heterodox activities after the Falun Gong cult organizations were banned in the country. On May 30, 2003, the reeducation through labor period finished.
Testimony 2: On October 10, 2013, he was detained by the Wusu City Public Security Bureau on suspicion of using a cult organization to break the law and commit crimes. On December 6 of the same year, he was formally arrested with the approval of the Wusu City People's Procuratorate (detained at the Wusu City Detention Center (乌苏市看守所)).
Testimony 2: on December 25, 2014, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but this was successfully appealed on February 26, 2015, with the initial decision cancelled and sent for reconsideration.
Testimony 1: On August 25, 2015, however, the decision to sentence him to 5 years was upheld. Testimony 1: On January 26, 2018, he was given a 7-month sentence reduction.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"organizing/using heterodox organizations to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This information comes directly from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
The decision of reducing the sentence (Testimony 1): http://archive.ph/7a3Bw
The verdict for his appeal (Testimony 2): http://archive.ph/o5XZh
[It is likely that he was subjected to forced labor at the No. 5 prison, seeing as his verdict mentions his "completing production tasks on time".]
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_6.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_6.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=6
Entry created: 2020-04-26 Last updated: 2020-05-30 Latest status update: 2018-01-26 8556. Zhong Renquan (钟仁权)
Chinese ID: 65270119650427??O? (Bortala)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhong Renquan is from Bortala City, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区博乐市).
Testimony 2: In 2006, he became a believer of the "Three Redemptions of Christ" group. In 2013, he accepted the appointment of Song, the superior of the "disciple society" (Mentuhui) organization, to become the deacon of a small branch of the Bortala Prefecture "disciple society", to be in charge of Jinghe area. He actively participated in the organization of various "heterodox" groups and accepted the work arrangements of higher-level organizations.
Victim's location
XUAR No. 5 prison (in Urumqi).
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: He was detained by the Bortala PSB on June 30, 2014 on suspicion of organizing and using superstitious sects, secret societies, cult organizations, and superstition to undermine law enforcement. On July 25 of the same year, he was formally arrested with the approval of the Bortala People's Procuratorate. He was held at the Bortala City Detention Center (博乐市看守所).
Testimony 1: On June 3, 2015, the Bortala Intermediate People's Court sentenced him to 4 years in prison.
Testimony 1: On January 26, 2018, he was granted a 5-month sentence reduction.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"organizing/using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This information comes directly from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
The document rejecting his appeal (Testimony 2): http://archive.ph/7YaWc
The decision of reducing the sentence (Testimony 1): http://archive.ph/k2nOT
[It is likely that he was subjected to forced labor while in prison, as his court verdict mentions his "completing production tasks on time".]
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_7.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_7.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=7
Entry created: 2020-04-26 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2018-01-26 8557. Ji Siliang (纪思亮)
Chinese ID: 65270119660616??O? (Bortala)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Ji Siliang (纪思亮) was born on June 16, 1966. He is from Bortala city, Xinjiang (新疆博乐市).
Testimony 2: He joined the Mentuhui Christian movement in 2008 (classified as a "heterodox group" (邪教) and banned on Chinese territory by the Ministry of Public Security since November 1995), and gradually became a key member. Around May 2013, he was appointed as the head of the Bortala Prefecture Mentuhui society.
Victim's location
Xinjiang No. 5 Prison (in Urumqi).
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: On July 1, 2014, he was detained by the Bortala Public Security Bureau for a suspected organization and use of superstitious sects, secret societies, cult organizations, and superstition to undermine the law. On July 25, the same year, he was formally arrested with the approval of the Bortala People's Procuratorate. He was held at the Bortala City Detention Center (博乐市看守所).
Testimony 1: On June 3, 2015, he was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison by the Bortala Intermediate People's Court.
Testimony 2: the victim and the other defendants in the case appealed the decision but had the appeal rejected, with the original sentence upheld.
Testimony 1: On April 13, 2018, he was given a 6-month, 15-day sentence reduction.
Likely (or given) reason for detention "organizing/using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is information directly from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Court document rejecting his appeal (Testimony 2): http://archive.ph/7YaWc
The decision of reducing the sentence (Testimony 1): http://archive.ph/pc1RF
[It is very likely that he was subjected to forced labor while at the No. 5 prison, seeing as how his verdict mentions his "completing production tasks on time".]
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_9.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_9.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=9
Entry created: 2020-04-26 Last updated: 2020-05-24 Latest status update: 2018-04-13 8558. Sun Zhongming (孙忠明)
Chinese ID: ??????19740306??O? (place of origin unclear)
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Sun Zhongming (孙忠明) was born on March 6, 1974. He is from Kuitun City, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区奎屯市).
Testimony 2: He changed the names of his whole family and they became residents of Kuitun, Xinjiang (新疆奎屯市) in 2006, when the public security organs were investigating him for believing in 三赎基督 ("Three Redemption Christ", more commonly known as Mentuhui (门徒会), a Christian movement) "heterodox" group.
He joined Mentuhui in 2006 (this organization has been clasified as a heterodox group (邪教), and banned in China by the Ministry of Public Security since November 1995. Sun Zhongming is said to have gradually become a key member of the group.
He was in charge of the Xinjiang division of the group with other two members in 2013, administering activities in Kumul, Turpan, Kuitun, Urumqi, Tarbagatay, Altay and Beitun.
Victim's location
XUAR No. 5 Prison (in Urumqi).
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: On August 5, 2014, he was criminally detained by the Bortala Public Security Bureau for a suspected organization and use of superstitious sects, secret societies, cult organizations, and superstition to undermine the law. On September 2, the same year, he was arrested according to law with the approval of the Bortala People's Procuratorate. He was held at the Bortala City Detention Center (博乐市看守所).
Testimony 1: On February 27, 2015, he was sentenced by the Bortala City People's Court to five and half years in prison.
Testimony 2: Sun Zhongming and the other defendants (Xu Jiwen, Ji Siliang, Xiao Yuzhi, and Zhong Renquan) in the case appealed the verdict, but had the appeal rejected, with the original sentence upheld.
Testimony 1: On April 13, 2018, he was granted a sentence reduction of 7 months.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"organizing/using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
The 2015 appeal of his sentence (Testimony 2): http://archive.ph/7YaWc
The decision of reducing the sentence (Testimony 1): http://archive.ph/1E1tH
[It is very likely that he was subjected to forced labor while at No. 5 prison, as his verdict mentions "completing production tasks on time".]
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_10.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_10.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=10
Entry created: 2020-04-26 Last updated: 2020-05-24 Latest status update: 2018-04-13 8562. Murtiza Memet
Chinese ID: 65292719????????O? (Uchturpan)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (16 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|phone/computer Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Zeytune Memet, originally from Aksu's Uchturpan County, is now residing in Turkey. (sister)
Testimony 3: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Murtiza Memet is a 29-year-old barber. He has three children. He lives in No.2 Neighborhood, Bazar Village, Aqyar Town, Uchturpan County, Aksu Prefecture.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: in camp in Uchturpan. [previously]
Testimony 4: [Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1/2: Taken to camp sometime around April-May 2018.
Testimony 4: sentenced to 16 years (time unclear).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 3: for sending "illegal" content via his phone.
Testimony 4: Testimony 5: According to the official, they were both very active in sports and they were religous people and he thinks these were the reasons, plus praying with others, of their detention. Victim's status
Testimony 3: in camp.
Testimony 4: sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-2: Not Stated.
Testimony 3: this is a representative of the local police, who would be responsible for the victim's detention.
Testimony 4: this is a local government worker, and presumably has relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/ghayib-aka-uka-03162020191812.html (Testimony 3) https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/zeytune-memet-09152021145735.html (Testimony 4)
Victims among relatives
Ayturem Huresh (8561), Mehmutjan Memet (8563), Memet Mollayusup (8975)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RIt0JYQJ9U Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/ZeytuneD/status/1263855681590964229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/8562_3.jpg
Entry created: 2020-04-26 Last updated: 2021-09-30 Latest status update: 2021-09-15 8563. Mehmutjan Memet
Chinese ID: 6529271996??????O? (Uchturpan)
Basic info
Age: 24-25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (16 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|phone/computer Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Zeytune Memet, originally from Aksu's Uchturpan County, is now residing in Turkey. (sister)
Testimony 3: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Zeytune Memet, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (sister)
Testimony 5: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
His name is Mehmutjan Memet. He was born in 1996. He is married and has a child. He lives in No.2 Neighborhood, Bazar Village, Aqyar Town, Uchturpan County, Aksu Prefecture.
Testimony 4: he is a barber.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: in camp in Uchturpan. [previously]
Testimony 5: [Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 5: sentenced to 16 years (time unclear).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 3: for sending "illegal" content via his phone.
Testimony 5: According to the official, they were both very active in sports and they were religous people and he thinks these were the reasons, plus praying with others, of their detention.
Victim's status
Testimony 3: in camp.
Testimony 5: sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+2+4: Not Stated.
Testimony 3: this is a representative of the local police, who would be responsible for the victim's detention.
Testimony 5: this is a local government worker, and presumably has relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/ghayib-aka-uka-03162020191812.html (Testimony 3-4) https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/zeytune-memet-09152021145735.html (Testimony 5)
Victims among relatives
Ayturem Huresh (8561), Murtiza Memet (8562), Memet Mollayusup (8975)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RIt0JYQJ9U Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/ZeytuneD/status/1263855681590964229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/8563_3.jpg
Entry created: 2020-04-26 Last updated: 2021-09-30 Latest status update: 2021-09-15 8767. Xiao Yuzhi (肖玉芝)
Chinese ID: 65272319650108??E? (Arishang)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xiao Yuzhi is from Arasan County, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区温泉县).
Testimony 2: In 2006, she became a believer of the "Three Redemption Christ (三赎基督)" group. In April 2013, she accepted the appointment of the "disciple society" (门徒会) organization, becoming a deacon of the society's branch in Bortala City.
Victim's location
Xinjiang Women's Prison.
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: She was detained by the Bortala PSB on July 1, 2014 on suspicion of organizing and using superstitious sects, secret societies, cult organizations, and superstition to undermine law enforcement. On July 25 of the same year, she was formally arrested with the approval of the Bortala People's Procuratorate. She was held at the Bortala City Detention Center (博乐市看守所).
Testimony 1: On June 3, 2015, she was sentenced by the Bortala Intermediate People's Court to 4 years in prison.
Testimony 1: On July 27, 2017, she was granted a 5-month sentence reduction.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"organizing/using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
The document rejecting her appeal (Testimomy 2): http://archive.ph/7YaWc
The decision of reducing the sentence (Testimony 1): http://archive.ph/e3nlZ
[There is a high likelihood that she was subjected to forced labor while at the women's prison, as this practice is documented there and as her own verdict refers to her "completing production tasks on time".]
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_13.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_13.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=13
Entry created: 2020-04-27 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2017-07-27 8954. Xu Jiwen (许继文)
Chinese ID: 652325196812????O? (Qitai)
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bortala Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xu Jiwen resided in Qitai County, Xinjiang.
In 2008, he joined the Mentuhui (门徒会) religious group (classified as a "heterodox group" and banned on Chinese territory since November 1995), of which he would gradually become a key member. As of 2013, he was in charge of the Xinjiang division of the group, together with two other members, administering activities in Kashgar, Atush, Aksu, Kuchar, and Hotan.
Victim's location
Held at the Bortala City Detention Center (博乐市看守所).
When victim was detained
On July 23, 2014, he was detained by the Bortala Public Security Bureau on suspicion of organizing and using superstitious sects, secret societies, cult organizations, and superstition to undermine law enforcement. On August 15 of the same year, he was formally arrested with the approval of the Bortala People's Procuratorate.
On February 27, 2015, he and Sun Zhongming, Ji Siliang, Xiao Yuzhi, and Zhong Renquan were all given prison terms by the Bortala Intermediate People's Court (Xu Jiwen was given 5 years). They appealed, but this appeal was rejected on June 3, 2015, with the original judgment upheld.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"organizing/using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪). Victim's status
Sentenced to 5 years [presumably awaiting transfer from the Bortala City Detention Center].
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
The rejection of his appeal: http://archive.ph/7YaWc
Entry created: 2020-04-28 Last updated: 2020-05-25 Latest status update: 2015-06-03 8961. Wang Yanling (王彦伶)
Chinese ID: 110???19650425??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: unclear (soft) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Yanling (王彦伶) was born on April 25, 1965. She is from Beijing, China.
Victim's location
In Urumqi, in the process of being released from the Xinjiang Women's Prison.
When victim was detained
Judging by her court verdict, she was first detained on July 22, 2010.
On February 22, 2012, she was sentenced to 5 years in prison, to be served at the XJ Women's Prison.
On March 15, 2015, she was ordered to be freed, with the remainder of her sentence suspended.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"organizing/using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
Victim's status
Released from prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system. Additional information
The decision of suspending her sentence: http://archive.ph/WcaKd
[It is very likely that the victim was subjected to forced labor at the women's prison, as this practice has been documented there and as her own verdict mentions her being awarded twice for "enthusiastic reform-through-labor", in addition to mentioning her "exceeding the set quota in completing production tasks".]
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_31.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_31.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=31
Entry created: 2020-04-29 Last updated: 2020-05-30 Latest status update: 2015-03-15 8962. Hou Yuhui (侯玉辉)
Chinese ID: 65232419830124??O? (Manas)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Hou Yuhui (侯玉辉) was born on January 24, 1983. He is from Manas County, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (新疆维吾尔自治区玛纳斯县).
Victim's location
XUAR No. 5 Prison.
When victim was detained
Judging by his court verdict, he was first detained on December 10, 2012.
On May 31, 2013, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
On March 12, 2015, he had his sentence reduced by 4 months.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"organizing/using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status
Serving a 3-year prison sentence, now reduced by 4 months.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system. Additional information
The decision of reducing the sentence: http://archive.ph/93uXA
[It is very likely that the victim was subjected to forced labor at the No. 5 prison, as his verdict mentions him being awarded for "enthusiastic reform-through-labor", in addition to mentioning him "exceeding the set quota in completing production tasks".]
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_32.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_32.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=32
Entry created: 2020-04-29 Last updated: 2020-05-30 Latest status update: 2015-03-12 8963. Liu Xinping (刘新平)
Chinese ID: 65320119720305??O? (Hotan City)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Xinping (刘新平) was born on March 5, 1972. He is from Hotan City. Xinjiang (新疆维吾尔自治区和田市).
Victim's location
XUAR No. 5 Prison.
When victim was detained
Judging by his court verdict, he was initially detained on July 16, 2009.
On August 3, 2010, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
In 2013, the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court granted him a 10-month sentence reduction.
On March 12, 2015, he was granted another reduction of 9 months.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status
Serving what is now an 7-year, 5-month sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
The decision of reducing the sentence: http://archive.ph/Zj9Mi
[It is very likely that the victim has been subjected to forced labor at the No. 5 prison, as his verdict mentions him being awarded for "enthusiastic reform-through-labor", in addition to mentioning him "exceeding the set quota in completing production tasks".]
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_33.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_33.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=33
Entry created: 2020-04-29 Last updated: 2020-05-30 Latest status update: 2015-03-12 8966. Cui Jiafang (崔佳芳)
Chinese ID: 37078419510523??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 66 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Minghui (明慧), a website that reports on Falun Gong issues.
About the victim
Cui Jiafang (崔佳芳) was born on May 23, 1951. She was born in Anqiu, Shandong Province (山东省安丘县). She now resides in Korla, Xinjiang (新疆库尔勒市). She does not have a permanent job.
Victim's location
At the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: On August 15, 2000, she was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for using cult organizations to undermine the law enforcement. In 2006, she was sentenced to two years of reeducation through labor by the Korla City Labor Rehabilitation Management Committee for spreading "Falungong"; On October 27, 2011, she was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for using the cult organization to destroy the law, and she was released on June 9, 2016. On October 26, 2017, she was criminally detained by the Korla Municipal Public Security Bureau on suspicion of using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement. She was arrested on November 29 of the same year.
Testimony 1: On March 22, 2018, she was sentenced to 6.5 years and fined 20000RMB.
Testimony 2: she was also arrested in June 2010 (presumably in the case that led to her 2011 sentence).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪). Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: not stated.
Additional information
Her verdict (Testimony 1): archive.ph/UGxor
Minghui report (Testimony 2): https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2010/12/24/122092.html
Entry created: 2020-04-29 Last updated: 2020-08-23 Latest status update: 2018-03-22 8971. Song Zhigang (宋志刚)
Chinese ID: 21148119640616??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: M Ethnicity: other Likely current location: Kizilsu Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
About the victim
Song Zhigang (宋志刚) was born on June 16, 1964. He is a Man minority. He finished elementary school. His household registration is in XIngcheng City, Liaoning province (辽宁省兴城市). He now resides in Aktau County, Xinjiang (新疆维吾尔自治区阿克陶县).
Testimony 2: He works in an agricultural machinery repair plant in Xingcheng.
Victim's location
At an/the Akchi County Detention Center (阿合奇县看守所).
When victim was detained
On October 25, 2017, he was criminally detained by the Aktau County Public Security Bureau for allegedly organizing and using cult organizations to undermine law enforcement. On November 3 of the same year, his crime was approved by the Aktau County People's Procuratorate and arrested by the Aktau County Public Security Bureau.
On April 21, 2018, he was sentenced to 14 years and fined 30000RMB. (Testimony 2: Sentenced in June of 2018, but this contradicts the verdict and may be an error.)
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪).
Victim's status Serving a prison term.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
On October 22, 2017, the Aktau County Integrated Operation Platform pushed an information clue about "Falungong" to the Kuslav (库斯拉甫)Township Police Station. On October 24, 2017, the police station of Kuslav Township in Aktau County found that the defendant Song Zhigang ’s residence (in a cave) contained Falun Gong books, promotional materials, "Falungong" text messages, MMS messages, audio, video, e-books, etc. At the same time, it was found that the defendant Song Zhigang used his mobile phone to send more than 3,000 "Falungong" messages and dialed more than 5,000 "Falungong" calls.
His court verdict (Testimony 1): http://archive.ph/WLRpP
He is also mentioned in a long list of victims compiled by the Rights Protection Network (Testimony 2): https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/08/201983147-1040_48.html
Entry created: 2020-04-29 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2018-04-21 9005. Ehmet Metniyaz (艾合麦提·麦提尼亚孜)
Chinese ID: 65290119????????O? (Aksu)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: "Weli", an anonymous testifier. (friend)
Testimony 2: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Ahmet (TunyazAihemaiti Maitiniyaz, 艾合麦提·麦提尼亚孜), male, 50 years old (Fig.1, photo possible taken in 2012), also well known as name of Ahmat Damollam, very popular among the Aksu citizens. He was well supported by governments and one of the most prized patriotic religious scholars, imam of Langer Mosque of Aksu city (阿克苏市栏杆大清真寺) (Fig.2)[1], general secretary of Aksu Islamic religious association. Because of his good behavior and strong loyalty for the governments, each years he get a lot of reward and prize by governments. The government top officials in Aksu city always meet him and discuss with him the government religious policies (Fig.3) [2]. He is very good speaker. Every Fridays pray speech, he always prized governments religious policies and required people to keep discipline and do not participate illegal religious activities. He not only prized by the governments, but also got good reputation among the Uyghur people. In 2015, he got « model of ethnic unity and progress » prize by Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous regions governments (Fig.4) [3]. He is one of the 90 patriotic religious scholars which received by Chenchuan Guo (陈全国) in Urumqi at 1 December 2016(Fig.5 and Fig.6)[4][5]. In this conference, he also give a speech with other eight scholars and Imams. According to the video which someone uploaded on YouTube[5], all religious scholar shake hand with newly arrived Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Chenchuan Guo and other officials (including Shohrat Zakir, 雪克来提·扎克尔, Chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, we can see from group photo in ending of the video). They also claps their hand and express they strong loyalty for the governments. However, in approximately January to April 2017, Ahmet Damollam have been sent to the “reeducation center” and end of 2017, sentenced to 25 years considered as religious extremist. Since then, there is no information about him in government news and media as like before. Ahmet Damollam is father of four children and his daughter graduated from Xinjiang Medical University in 2017. After her father became a prisoner, she also failed to get job in hospitals and forced to participate the governments arranged “poverty elimination program”( 脱贫工作). He is a good father and always want to well educate his children. He visited many times the inner land of china with governments arranged “patriotic education programs” and each two years go to the Beijing for participate “Chinese religious conference” as representative of Muslim people in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. He has strong loyalty to Chinese governments and communist party and never have singe of extremist behavior. However, the government shamelessly prisoned such patriotic Imam and ruined his families. We never believe such a person also became a victim of Chinese governments.
Victim's location
Unknow
When victim was detained
Approximately January to April 2017, Ahmet Damollam have been sent to the “reeducation center” and end of 2017, sentenced to 25 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unkown
Victim's status in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? by family members
Additional information
[various state-media articles mentioning him: https://archive.vn/D4WqM https://archive.vn/dxqOm https://archive.vn/ud0Zs listed as a representative at a conference dedicated to ethnic harmony: https://archive.vn/5ud1y
Ehmet's public appearances are documented by the local media: in July 2015, he spoke at a joint Ramadan dinner between the Islamic associations of Ili and Aksu. The purpose of the event was to "show gratefulness to the party" and "refute the fictitious claims that Xinjiang's Muslims are prevented from fasting during Ramadan": http://www.chinaxinjiang.cn/zixun/xjxw/201507/t20150715_497316.htm; http://archive.ph/D4WqM. On November 2016, Ehmet spoke at a meeting of Xinjiang's Patriotic Religious Persons and the newly-appointed Secretary of Xinjiang Chen Quanguo: https://www.sohu.com/a/120345580_118570; http://archive.ph/598xt.]
Supplementary materials
Chen Quanguo and religious leaders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EHvJEYWikM Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTItJJYHtPs attached testimony: https://shahit.biz/supp/9005_1.pdf at Chen Quanguo meeting (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/9005_3.jpg ID card: https://shahit.biz/supp/9005_4.jpg at Chen Quanguo meeting (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/9005_6.jpeg
Entry created: 2020-05-03 Last updated: 2020-09-03 Latest status update: 2020-05-03 9040. Huang Shike (黄世科)
Chinese ID: 65412219680428??O? (Chapchal)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: M Ethnicity: Hui Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"disturbing public order", related to religion, other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Huang Shike, an ethnic Hui from the Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, often took part in online religious groups.
Address: Chapchal County, Ili Prefecture.
Victim's location
Ghulja County pre-trial detention center (伊宁县看守所).
When victim was detained
Detained on August 24, 2016, then officially arrested on September 6 of the same year. He was sentenced on December 12, 2016, but appealed. The final verdict sentencing him to 2 years was issued on March 10, 2017.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was initially tried and convicted on charges of "gathering a crowd to disturb social order". However, following his appeal, the court found that this was not the appropriate charge, and instead pronounced him guilty of "illegal use of information networks (非法利用信息网络罪)", maintaining the original 2-year sentence.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 2 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
WeChat report with the court verdict: http://archive.is/0fOr4
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_36.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_36.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=36
Entry created: 2020-05-05 Last updated: 2020-06-22 Latest status update: 2017-03-10 9042. Abduweli Muqiyit
Chinese ID: 65410119441108??O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 76 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: inner China Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: art & literature
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2|3: Dilnur Reyhan, an Uyghur scholar, originally from Ghulja but now in France. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Ramile Ablimit, a resident of Canada. (former student)
About the victim
Abduweli Muqiyit, an activist and cultural figure. Born in 1945 in Ghulja.
From Testimony 3:
- He was assigned the task of managing the Ili Halis Foundation (which was started by Ablimit Hoshur Halis Hajim, who is victim #2867). - The victim was also heavily involved in the school for orphans founded by Nurtay Hajim Iskender (victim #412), reportedly "setting up the school’s day-to-day operations, coordination with the state, media promotion, recruiting teachers, budgeting, student selection, and even choosing a location for the school building". - The grandfather of the victim had served in the government of the Republic of East Turkestan (period and role unknown). - The victim served as the head of the education directorate of the city of Ghulja (period unknown). - The victim organized the 100th anniversary of Ghulja School No. 2 in 2002. - The victim founded the Bilal Nazimi bookstore in 2014.
Testimony 4: Abduweli Muqiyit was born on 8 November 1944. He was born to a family of educators in Ghulja City. After he graduated from elementary and high school, he was accepted to the Faculty of Physics at Xinjiang University. After he graduated from Xinjiang University, he went back to Ghulja City and worked in schools, the Department of Education and a radio broadcasting station.
Victim's location Testimony 1: A prison in Heilongjiang province
When victim was detained
Detained in 2019 and sentenced.
Testimony 4: he was arrested on 8 May 2018 and sent to a concentration camp [prior to being sentenced to life in prison]. His whereabouts have been unknown since his arrest.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unclear
Victim's status
Testimony 1: Sentenced to 17 years in prison
Testimony 2-3: Sentenced to life.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-3: Not stated
Additional information
The victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs (Testimony 1), available at: https://shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf
Global Voices coverage (Testimony 3): https://globalvoices.org/2020/06/25/history-repeats-itself-chinese-state-terror-and-the-dismantling-of-uyg hur-neo-jadidism/
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQBKRR_58DI Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/DilReyhan/status/1266355808847216646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Entry created: 2020-05-06 Last updated: 2021-04-16 Latest status update: 2020-12-11 9049. Memet Ablet (麦麦提·阿卜来提)
Chinese ID: 652922198001160652 (Onsu)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: manual work
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|2|3: Abdul'eziz Ablet, originally from Onsu County but now living in France. (brother)
Testimony 4: Abdul'eziz Ablet, as reported by Amnesty International. (brother)
About the victim
Memet Ablet was a self-employed businessman and had his own shop, the "Memet Ablet Universal Store" (麦麦提·阿卜来提综合商店). Owing to the shop's business being slow, he had also been working at the Aksu Huafu Textile LTD (阿克苏华孚色纺有限公司) since 2016, where he was employed as a gardener and was also responsible for cleaning the factory yard. He has an elementary-school education.
He has struggled with psychological problems, and was hospitalized twice in 2008. After a month of in-hospital treatment at the Xinjiang No. 4 Hospital (in Urumqi), he continued to take medications in order to stabilize his health. He has a second-degree “Psychiatric Disability Certificate” from the Onsu County Disabled Persons’ Federation (温宿县残疾人联合会). Long-term medication use has also caused him to gain a lot of weight and to sleep a lot.
From 2015 on, his psychological problems got better. He has a daughter, and would always be looking to provide a better education for her.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He had been previously arrested and held at the Onsu County Detention Center for 30 days in 2015, following a get-together with around 15 people from the local mosque. No formal documentation of his arrest was provided at that time.
In January 2018, he was taken by the authorities and released three days later. However, he was taken again by the police a month later, with his mother having no news of him since. In early 2020, the testifier learned from someone in inner China that Memet had been given a long prison sentence around 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The testifier believes that it may be because Memet had previously served as a (government-sanctioned) assistant to an imam, on a part-time basis at his local mosque starting in 2010, for a few years.
It is also likely that he was detained again because of his previous detention history.
Victim's status
In prison.
He is officially recognized as suffering from a psychiatric disability, with his brother mentioning that he does not like to stay indoors for long or remaining in the same place for more than an hour (which is why he worries about Memet's mental health in prison).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The testifier got the information from "reliable sources", including someone in inner China. He has also spoken to his mother following Memet's arrest, to learn that he had not returned home since being taken.
Additional information
Business listing for his shop: https://archive.vn/OvWSh
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR011
Memet's sister was also detained, being sent to camp and later transferred to a factory.
Victims among relatives
Ekber Hoshur (24375)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/Tayor22968302/status/1259689564878274561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/Tayor22968302/status/1320637665310629889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/9049_1.jpg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/9049_2.jpg photo (3): https://shahit.biz/supp/9049_3.jpg photo (4): https://shahit.biz/supp/9049_5.jpg photo (5): https://shahit.biz/supp/9049_6.jpg photo (6): https://shahit.biz/supp/9049_7.jpg photo (7): https://shahit.biz/supp/9049_8.jpg
Entry created: 2020-05-06 Last updated: 2021-09-18 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 9153. Abdumuluk Ablitip (阿不都布米力克·阿不力提甫)
Chinese ID: 65412119830112??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (22 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Anonymous, but with a verified identity. (former schoolmate)
Testimony 2: @EKoktugh, an unverified Twitter account. (friend)
Testimony 3: Rune Steenberg, an anthropologist from Denmark. (friend of friend)
Testimony 4: Mirzaehmet Ilyas, originally from China but now a citizen of Turkey. (friend)
About the victim
His name is Abdumilik Ablitip (阿不都布米力克·阿不力提甫). He has got three children, a son, and two daughters. His passport number is G50701060.
He was accepted by the Nanjing University in 2001 and graduated from it in 2007. Then he came to Turkey with his wife to study at Gazi University in Ankara. After he finished his study, he worked at several companies in Turkey (Testimony 3: worked as a translator). He went back to Ghulja in 2016 and worked at a private company in Jililyuzi Town in Ghulja County until 2017.
Victim's location
[Unclear as the victim was sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 3: At the end of 2016, the victim's parents pleaded with the victim and his wife to move back to Xinjiang. They agreed, and the victim moved back to Ghulja (specifically Jililyuzi town) with his wife.
Testimony 3: Victim was held in the concentration camp in Jililyuzi town for 6 months (along with his wife).
Testimony 1: He kept in a camp in Jililyuzi Town from June to December in 2017 during which he was taken by the National Security police and tortured and beaten and brought back to the camp (Testimony 3: this happened several times). He was taken by them for the last time in December 2017 and hadn't been brought back to the camp. Instead, he was sentenced for 22 years in prison at the beginning of 2018 on the charge of participating in illegal religious activities
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the testifier, he was detained and sentenced on the charge of participating in illegal religious activities.
Victim's status
The victim was sentenced for 22 years in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 3: The information regarding sentencing came from a friend of the victim, who was with the victim and his wife in the concentration camp at Jililyuzi town in the second half of 2017.
Additional information
Testimony 3: It is unknown what happened to their children, but it is assumed that the children stayed with the parents of Abdumuluk.
Victims among relatives
Seyide Memet (9154)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l99rC9NGZOo Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/EKoktugh/status/1257606372478328832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 1 + passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/9153_1.png photo with wife and son: https://shahit.biz/supp/9153_2.png family photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/9153_5.jpg Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/9153_6.jpg
Entry created: 2020-05-13 Last updated: 2020-08-23 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 9154. Seyide Memet (赛衣旦·买买提)
Chinese ID: 65412119841104??E? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 36 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Anonymous, but with a verified identity. (acquaintance)
Testimony 2: @EKoktugh, an unverified Twitter account. (friend)
Testimony 3: @minever79541058, an unverified Twitter account. (relation unclear)
Testimony 4: Rune Steenberg, an anthropologist from Denmark. (friend of friend)
Testimony 5: Mirzaehmet Ilyas, originally from China but now a citizen of Turkey. (friend)
About the victim
Her name is Se'ide Memet (赛衣旦·买买提). She is married and has got three children, a son and two daughters. Her passport number is G31957615.
She came to Turkey with her husband in 2009, and went back to Ghulja in 2016.
Testimony 4: like her husband, she graduated from Nanjing University and studied at Ankara Gazi University.
Victim's location
[Unknown as the victim was sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: At the end of 2016, the victim's parents in law pleaded with the victim and her husband to move back to Xinjiang. They agreed, and the victim moved to back to Ghulja (specifically Jililyuzi town) with her husband. The victim was arrested in June 2017 along with her husband. Both were taken to a concentration camp in Jililyuzi town. The victim was held in that concentration camp for 6 months (along with her husband). The victim was taken to court and sentenced at the beginning of 2018. Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the testifier, she was detained and sentenced on the charge of participating in illegal religious activities.
Victim's status
The victim was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 4: The information regarding sentencing came from a friend of the victim's husband, who was with the victim and her husband in the concentration camp at Jililyuzi town in the second half of 2017.
Additional information
Testimony 4: It is unknown what happened to their children, but it is assumed that the children stayed with the parents of the victim's husband.
Victims among relatives
Abdumuluk Ablitip (9153)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l99rC9NGZOo Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/EKoktugh/status/1257606372478328832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/minever79541058/status/1258762218054782978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/9154_1.png passport and visa: https://shahit.biz/supp/9154_2.png photo with husband and son: https://shahit.biz/supp/9154_3.png family photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/9154_7.jpg Testimony 5: https://shahit.biz/supp/9154_8.jpg
Entry created: 2020-05-13 Last updated: 2020-08-23 Latest status update: 2021-01-01 9829. Emer Kamal (艾麦尔·佧马力)
Chinese ID: 653222197805130270 (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|past "transgressions" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2|3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Emer Kamal had a private shish kebab business in Wuhan.
Address: House No. 100, Area 2, Shatliq Community (夏特勒克社区二片区100号).
Household registration address: House No. 18, Group No. 3, Towen Qapaqla Village, Qaraqash Municipality (喀拉喀什镇托万卡帕克拉村3组18号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He previously had trouble with the law while living in Wuhan, where he was involved in at least one group fight and was sentenced to 4 years in 2016 (after being detained in 2014) for "being in mafia gangs", "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", and "interfering with public administration". He was presumably released on September 15, 2018.
Less than a week later, on September 17/22, he was sent to the Qaraqash No. 1 or No. 4 camp [records differ]. He was later [presumably in early 2019] approved for release from camp.
However, despite his being marked as approved for release from camp in the Qaraqash List, a December 5, 2019 court document from a court in Wuhan notes that he is temporarily excused from completing a previous court-ordered payment of 5000RMB on the grounds of "currently serving his sentence". [As such, he has presumably been sentenced at some point in 2019, following time spent in camp.] Likely (or given) reason for detention
Taken to camp for having served a full "medium-level" sentence. It is not known what he was sentenced for afterwards.
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The data regarding his camp detention come directly from a local government document. News of his recent sentence comes from an official court document.
Additional information
Court document from Wuhan (2019): https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/emerkamal1.pdf
Verdict for his original sentence in Wuhan: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/emerkamal3.pdf
Another court document from Wuhan that mentions him [presumably it is the same person] taking part in a violent incident in the city in June 2009: https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/emerkamal2.pdf
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Excerpts from the local government administration reports/conclusions regarding the victim:
"Emer Kamal's relatives' performance is average. Emer Kamal took part in a mafia organization in Wuhan. He is currently a threat."
"Relatives' performance is good. Graduate to community supervision."
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_43.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_43.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=43
Victims among relatives
Memettohti Kamal (9784), Hesen Kamal (10215)
Supplementary materials judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/9829_1.png limit-consumption order: https://shahit.biz/supp/9829_2.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-13 Last updated: 2021-06-09 Latest status update: 2019-12-05 10077. Serik Nurdybek (赛日克·努尔地拜克)
Chinese ID: 65232719970105183X (Jimisar)
Basic info
Age: 24 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"extremism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Bodai Satelhan, born in 1961, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (uncle)
Testimony 2: Official arrest notice, provided following the formal arrest of a suspect in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 3: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Serik Nurdybek(赛日克·努尔地拜克) Residential address: 229 Sanchangcaozi village, Beiting township, Zhemsary county. (新疆吉木萨尔县北庭镇三场槽子村229号)
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: formally arrested on August 26, 2017 (held at the Jimsar County Pre-Trial Detention Center).
Testimony 3: according to a payment enforcement verdict from March 22, 2021, he was sentenced in a criminal case in 2019 and given a fine of 280000RMB. The verdict notes that, at the time of writing, the victim has no assets that could be used to fulfill this payment [presumably by virtue of being in prison], and as such the enforcement is temporarily frozen.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: propagating extremism (宣扬极端主义)
Victim's status Testimony 1: sentenced to 10 years in prison and was fined 300 000 RMB.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated
Testimony 2-3: these are official documents from the Xinjiang authorities.
Additional information
Payment enforcement verdict (Testimony 3): https://www.shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/seriknurdybek.pdf [the verdict has a typo and states his year of birth as 1979, instead of 1997]
Official notice(s)
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/notori_24.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/nottran_24.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/notview.php?no=24
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7GseMZ6jXI Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/10077_2.png judgment-enforcement record: https://shahit.biz/supp/10077_4.jpg limit-consumption order: https://shahit.biz/supp/10077_5.pdf
Entry created: 2020-06-25 Last updated: 2021-06-10 Latest status update: 2021-03-22 10128. Memetimin Omer
Chinese ID: 653222193905110279 (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 79 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hotan Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"terrorism", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Memetimin Omer, also referred to as Memetimin Emer (potential Mandarin spellings: 麦麦提敏·吾买尔, 麦麦提伊敏·艾麦尔).
Address: Yushi First Alley, West Yipbazar Road, Yuhua Community (玉华社区依甫巴扎西路玉石一巷).
Victim's location
Sentenced, but being held at the No. 3 "training center".
When victim was detained
1) Taken into custody (December 12, 2017 / May 27, 2017 [discrepancy in reported dates may be due to time spent in detention center between initial detention and formal transfer]). 2) Sentenced to prison (but held at the Qaraqash No. 3 camp) (June 1, 2018).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of reasons are reported:
1) "Inciting terrorism". 2) Participating in an "illegal" Tabligh event. 3) "Wahhabism". 4) "Unsanctioned imam".
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence (6 years / 6 years, 5 months / 12 years [reports differ]). How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The data comes directly from a local government document.
Additional information
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Victims among relatives
Ablikim Memetimin (9902), Emer Memetimin (9926), Ablet Memetimin (10193), Abliz Ablet (10080)
Entry created: 2020-08-16 Last updated: 2020-08-16 Latest status update: 2019-03-08 10132. Abdurahman Eziz
Chinese ID: 653222198306010017 (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (19 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"disturbing public order", "terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Abdurahman Eziz (potential Mandarin spelling: 阿卜杜热合慢·艾则孜).
Address: Apt. 802, Entrance No. 1, Jianshe Neighborhood, Gujanbagh Community, Hotan City (和田市古江巴格社区建设小区1单元802号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as victim has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
1) Sent to camp (September 28, 2017). 2) Sentenced to prison (December 2017).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of reasons are reported:
1) "Disturbing social order". 2) "Participating in a terrorist organization".
The victim was flagged by the IJOP platform.
Victim's status Serving a prison sentence (19 years).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The data comes directly from a local government document.
Additional information
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Victims among relatives
Abdumutellip Eziz (10133), Ehmetjan Eziz (10134), Ehmetjan Eziz (10134), Abdumutellip Eziz (10133), Ehmetjan Eziz (10134), Memeteli Eziz (10012)
Entry created: 2020-08-16 Last updated: 2020-08-16 Latest status update: 2019-03-08 10193. Ablet Memetimin
Chinese ID: 653222197004020290 (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hotan Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion, "untrustworthy person" Health status: --- Profession: other
Testifying party
The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Ablet Memetimin (potential Mandarin spelling: 阿不来提·麦麦提敏). He was a contract worker in the traffic industry.
Address: No. 18 Village, Qaraqash Municipality (墨玉县18村) [not clear which village this refers to].
Victim's location
Hotan Prison (和田监狱).
When victim was detained
1) Sent to the Qaraqash No. 4 camp (April 2017 / May 30, 2017 [discrepancy in reported dates may be due to time spent in detention center between initial detention and formal transfer]). 2) Taken into custody (April 29, 2018). 3) Sentenced to prison in Hotan (time unclear).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of reasons are reported:
1) "Unsanctioned imam". 2) Labeled as an "unreliable person born in the 1970s".
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence (10 years). How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The data comes directly from a local government document.
Additional information
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Victims among relatives
Ablikim Memetimin (9902), Emer Memetimin (9926), Memetimin Omer (10128), Abliz Ablet (10080)
Entry created: 2020-08-17 Last updated: 2020-08-17 Latest status update: 2019-03-08 10255. Ablikim Abdukerim
Chinese ID: 653222197305012091 (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Ablikim Abdukerim (potential Mandarin spellings: 阿卜力克木·阿布杜克热木, 阿布力克木·阿卜杜克热木).
Address: 27 Luyin Alley, West Yipbazar Road (依甫巴扎西路绿荫巷27号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as victim has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
1) Taken into custody (May 2017). 2) Sentenced to prison (March 2018).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of reasons are reported:
1) Bigamy (having a second wife). 2) "Damaging the national legal system" (reason for sentence).
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The data comes directly from a local government document.
Additional information
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Victims among relatives
Nebijan Abdukerim (9809), Abduqeyyum Nebijan (10021), Abduhebir Nebijan (10256)
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2020-08-18 Latest status update: 2019-03-08 10258. Nurmemet Metnuri
Chinese ID: 653222196805280012 (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to going abroad, "violating birth policies" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Nurmemet Metnuri (potential Mandarin spelling: 努尔麦麦提·麦提努尔).
Address: 15 Uzum Bazar Road (玉祖木巴扎路15号).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as victim has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
1) Sent to camp (April 2, 2017). 2) Arrested and taken to the Qaraqash County detention center (May 2017). 3) Sentenced to prison (time unclear).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of reasons are reported:
1) Sending 4 of his children to study in Egypt. 2) Having 3 children more than allowed by the family planning policy.
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence (15 years).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? The data comes directly from a local government document.
Additional information
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Victims among relatives
Abdumilik Tursunjan (10085), Ablet Metnuri (10259), Qelbinur Metnuri (10260)
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2020-08-18 Latest status update: 2019-03-08 10259. Ablet Metnuri
Chinese ID: 653222197505120011 (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to going abroad, "violating birth policies" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Ablet Metnuri (potential Mandarin spelling: 阿卜来提·麦提努日).
Address: Apt. 102, Entrance No. 3, Building 16, Seventeenth Alley, Chinibagh Street (墨玉县其乃巴格街十七巷16幢三单元102室).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as victim has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
1) Sent to camp (April 2, 2017). 2) Taken into custody (May 25, 2017). 3) Sentenced to prison (time unclear).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of reasons are reported:
1) Sending his son to study in Egypt in 2016. 2) Having 2 children more than allowed by the family planning policy.
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence (14 years). How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The data comes directly from a local government document.
Additional information
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Victims among relatives
Abdumilik Tursunjan (10085), Nurmemet Metnuri (10258), Qelbinur Metnuri (10260)
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2020-08-18 Latest status update: 2019-03-08 10260. Qelbinur Metnuri
Chinese ID: 65322219981002026X (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 20 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to going abroad Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party
The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Qelbinur Metnuri (potential Mandarin spelling: 凯利比努尔·麦提努尔).
Address: Konasheher Community (阔纳协海尔社区).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as victim has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
1) Sent to camp (May 7, 2017). 2) Taken into custody (June 2017). 3) Sentenced to prison (time unclear).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of reasons are reported:
1) Studying in Egypt between May and September 2016. 2) Applying for a passport.
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence (18 years).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? The data comes directly from a local government document.
Additional information
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Victims among relatives
Abdumilik Tursunjan (10085), Nurmemet Metnuri (10258), Ablet Metnuri (10259)
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2020-08-18 Latest status update: 2019-03-08 10309. Memeteli Tohtimemet
Chinese ID: 653222??????????O? (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (16 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|past "transgressions", "disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: driver
Testifying party
The "Qaraqash List", a local government document from Qaraqash County, leaked abroad in the middle of 2019. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Memeteli Tohtimemet (potential Mandarin spelling: 麦麦提艾力·托合提麦麦提). He worked as a taxi driver.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as victim has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Sentenced to 2 years in prison in May 2015, but only released from detention on June 7, 2018. Twenty days after his release, he was sent to camp, on June 27, 2018. However, after "new evidence" was presented, he was taken into custody just two days later on June 29, 2018, with authorities deciding that the initial punishment had been too light and later sentencing him to 16 years in October 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
A number of reasons are reported:
1) Serving a 2-year sentence in prison for [reason redacted for privacy reasons]. 2) “Disturbing public order".
(The records don't describe him as religious, saying that he drinks alcohol frequently.)
Victim's status
Serving a prison sentence (16 years). How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The data comes directly from a local government document.
Additional information
The original Qaraqash list document (with minor redactions): shahit.biz/supp/list_008.pdf
Victims among relatives
Turdimemet Memet (9970), Ghojamemet Memet (10368)
Entry created: 2020-08-19 Last updated: 2020-08-19 Latest status update: 2019-03-08 10330. Abdugheni Qadir (阿布都艾尼·卡德尔)
Chinese ID: 653???19660705??O? (---)
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Amnesty International, a human rights organization.
Testimony 2: Munire Abdugheni, as reported by Amnesty International. (daughter)
About the victim
Abdugheni Qadir, an Uyghur businessman from Kashgar. He started an electric vehicle business in 2017.
Victim's location
Ili Municipal Prison [presumably, 伊宁市监狱].
When victim was detained
He went missing four years ago (as of June 8, 2020).
Between April and June 2017, he was kept in a camp. In July 2017, he was sentenced to 7 years, to be transferred to Ili.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Flying to Egypt for a holiday in 2016 as well as paying for the flight tickets of several other people that had travelled with him.
Victim's status
Serving a 7-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated. Additional information
Amnesty International campaign (Testimony 1): https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa17/2489/2020/en/
Amnesty case description (Testimony 2): https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR041
Victims among relatives
Ilyasjan Rahman (1691)
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/10330_1.jpeg
Entry created: 2020-07-05 Last updated: 2021-09-16 Latest status update: 2020-06-08 10385. Nighmat Omer (尼依买提·吾买尔)
Chinese ID: 652401196504212815 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 56 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uzbek Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: July 2019 - Sep. 2019 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Nurhoja Omerhoja, originally from Ghulja but now residing in Australia. (brother)
Testimony 3: Nurhoja Omerhoja, as reported by Amnesty International. (brother)
About the victim
Nighmat Omer (尼依买提·吾买尔), ethnic Uzbek from Ghulja. ID address is Bayandai Road 14, Bayandai town (巴彦岱镇), Ghulja municipality. Has worked for Ghulja's Water Management Bureau for 35 years, is a practising Muslim.
Testimony 3: he's married and is a father of two.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: Nighmat is assumed to be in Boz Prison, Ghulja. [This is the Ghulja City Pre-Trial Detention Center.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Arrested at night on August 29, 2019 (Testimony 3: August 28)
Testimony 2: A few weeks ago (as of early September 2020), Nurhoja Omerhoja heard from an unspecified person that the victim has been sentenced to two years in prison; a local government official reportedly visited Nurhoja's sister-in-law [presumably in Ghulja] and verbally informed her that the victim had been sentenced to two years in prison, but did not provide a reason for the victim's detention or sentencing.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Nurhoja believes Nighmat was detained for practising Islamic rituals. Victim's status
Testimony 2: sentenced to 2 years.
Testimony 1: He suffers from a cardiovascular condition and has had heart surgery in 2012.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Relatives in Ghulja. When Nurhoja tried to reach them for more info, Nurhoja’s brothers refused to talk to him and asked not to call them again. His sister also was reluctant to talk about Nighmat and kept changing the topic.
Additional information
Amnesty International case info (Testimony 3): https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR037
Victims among relatives
Abdulla Ekrem (11505)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUfx0HwdElM Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CcSC4_EYJg Testimony 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUKFrzbBsI0 photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/10385_2.jpg Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/10385_3.jpg
Entry created: 2020-07-11 Last updated: 2021-09-28 Latest status update: 2021-05-01 10669. Muherrem Ablet (木艾热木·阿不来提)
Chinese ID: 653101198902191224 (Kashgar)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|"inciting ethnic hatred" Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|4|7: Mamutjan Abdurehim, a resident of Australia who previously studied in Malaysia, but fled because of fear of deportation. (husband)
Testimony 2: Muyesser Abdul'ehed, a writer now living abroad. (acquaintance)
Testimony 3: Mamutjan Abdurehim, as reported by Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (husband)
Testimony 5: Mamutjan Abdurehim, as reported by CNN. (husband)
Testimony 6: CGTN, an international English-language news channel based in Beijing and owned by China Central Television.
About the victim
Muherrem Ablet, a housewife from Kashgar and a mother of two. She had previously spent 3 years in Malaysia, from early 2013 to late 2015, while her husband was doing his PhD studies there.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as she has been sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim's passport was stolen while in Malaysia, after which the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur issued her a one-off travel document and told her to travel back to Xinjiang to get a new passport. The victim then traveled back to Kashgar with her two children in December 2015 and received her new passport in April 2016. Because of the family's financial situation, the victim was unable to immediately rejoin her husband, who was still in Malaysia. Her passport was confiscated soon after Chen Quanguo came to power, sometime in early 2017.
At some point after returning to Xinjiang and before April 2017, the victim was questioned by local authorities in regard to her wearing a hijab. The testifier reports that the victim began to use facial expressions instead of words when they communicated [presumably over video chat].
In mid-April 2017, the parents of the testifier notified the testifier that the victim had been "taken away". Weekly family visits were originally promised, but were allegedly discontinued after the first week. (This was in addition to the testifier's father also having been detained for some time.)
In May-June 2017 (about two months after her detention), the victim contacted the testifier briefly, stating that she was "home for a day, but would be detained again" - having been allowed to come home for a day as someone had acted as a guarantor for her. She also messaged the testifier, saying "I will be gone, and so if I cannot message you again, just wait until I can contact you". (As of July 2020, this was the last message that the testifier received from the victim before the victim deleted her husband from her contacts and social media accounts.)
In a video posted by the son of the victim to a relative's WeChat account in early May 2019, the son reportedly says "my mom has graduated!" The testifier was reportedly able to hear the victim's voice in the background of the video, which indicated that she may have been released from detention.
An acquaintance of the testifier later confirmed to the testifier that the victim had indeed been released.
As of July 2020, the testifier suspects, based on coded words used in messages that he has seen (e.g., "not at home", "in the hospital"), that the victim was re-arrested in 2019. The testifier asked a close local contact "how old" the victim was, to which he received the response "5 years". Based on this coded message, he believes that his wife may have been sentenced to 5 years. In an August 2021 post, however, Mamutjan said that she had been sentenced to 9 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown, but her husband suspects that it is because of her being religious and having gone abroad.
In a "counter-report" put out by CGTN within days of CNN's visit to the victim's house, the reporter stated that Muherrem had been arrested in 2019 for "inciting ethnic hatred".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
When CNN visited the victim's home in the spring of 2021, her daughter, Muhlise, told the CNN reporters that her mother was "at her other grandmother's house but that she [Muhlise] could not see her very often", saying that she had last seen her a month or two earlier.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Much of the information was obtained through coded messages on WeChat.
At one point, the victim was able to contact the testifier directly on a "day off" from camp. After she was released, there was a video on a relative's WeChat where their son exclaimed "my mom has graduated!", with the victim's voice in the background.
Additional information ABC (Australia) coverage: https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12456432
CNN coverage: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/18/china/xinjiang-uyghur-families-china-amnesty-report-exclusive-dst-in tl-hnk/index.html
Business Insider coverage: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/uighur-china-father-mamutjan-abdurehim-wife-detained-ordeal-202 0-7
State-media report(s)
Source: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-03-23/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDUzMDQy/index.html
Xinjiang Human Rights: Uygur family disturbed by CNN reporters asks son to come home
A Uygur family's cosy and simple life has been disturbed after three foreigners turned up on their doorstep, claiming to be classmates of their son, who currently works overseas. Family members are now calling on the man, who is currently living in Australia, to return home, as they haven't been in contact for five years. Huang Yue reports.
Muhlisa is a top student in her class in Kashgar No.1 Elementary School. The ten-year-old has received many awards for achieving high exam scores. Muhlisa's younger brother, who is six years old, will also start elementary school this September.
HUANG YUE (Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region): "The two children have been living a simple and happy life with their grandparents in an ancient city of Kashgar until several days ago, when some uninvited guests knocked at their door."
Muhlisa recalls that three "uncles" stopped by with photos of her father.
MUHLISA MAMUT (Resident of Kashgar): "They said they were my father's classmates. They told me my father is now in Australia and asked if I want to go there to reunite with him. I said I don't want to go abroad. I want to stay in Kashgar."
The three "uncles" turned out to be reporters from CNN. And later, a photo of the girl crying made headlines. CNN reported that the child is prohibited from leaving the country to reunite with her father.
Muhlisa's father, Mamutjan Abdurehim, got married in Xinjiang in 2009 after completing his master's degree. He then stayed in Kashgar for 45 days, before going to Malaysia with his new wife.
According to Muhlisa's grandfather, from 2009 to 2013, Mamutjan would come back home once a year. And in 2015, his wife brought the two children back to Kashgar. Mamutjan's wife, named Muharram Ablat, was arrested on suspicion of provoking ethnic hatred in 2019. And since then, the two children have been left to stay between their paternal and maternal grandparents.
MUHLISA MAMUT (Resident of Kashgar): "I can video call my mother. Yesterday, we had a video call. I told her I miss her. My brother also said so. My mother said she is doing great and told us not to worry about her. I want to show her the awards I got from school when she comes back. I believe she will be very happy." The last time the family had a phone conversation with Mamutjan was in April 2017.
ABLAT ABDUREYIM (Muhlisa's grandfather): "My wife picked up the phone. I was not at home. My wife asked why he hadn't called home for a long time. He said he went to Australia to apply for a doctoral degree, and would stay there until he received an offer. My wife said she was not feeling well and would go to the hospital the next day. And my son just said 'OK.'"
Ablat said with his monthly retirement pension of 1,900 yuan, he can support the family. He added that he and his wife have medical insurance to cover their hospital bills. And he doesn't need to pay for the children's tuition because they receive fifteen years of compulsory education for free in Xinjiang. So now, his only wish is to see his son back home.
ABLAT ABDUREYIM (Muhlisa's grandfather): "Come back home if you've finished your studies. Your mother and I are getting old. This is your home. And your two children are also here. We don't have any problem with our life, but you should raise your own children."
(Huang Yue, CGTN, Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.)
Victims among relatives
Hikmet Mamut (14005), Muhlise Mamut (14006)
Supplementary materials
Al Aan TV report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ojk8XY9Njg Testimony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpF3tF1hokk Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/Hendan_Hiyal/status/1294678957648949254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 7: https://twitter.com/MamutjanAB/status/1422134376943349763?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw last WeChat post: https://shahit.biz/supp/10669_2.jpg photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/10669_5.jpeg
Entry created: 2020-07-20 Last updated: 2021-08-08 Latest status update: 2021-09-20 10673. Abdusemet Abduhaliq
Chinese ID: 6531231990??????O? (Yengisar)
Basic info
Age: 29-30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: student
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Aynur Muhemmed'eli, now residing outside of China. (former schoolmate)
About the victim
Abdusemet Abduhaliq was in 1990 in Yengisar county, Kashgar. He was accepted to Northeast Normal University in 2010 and was graduated in 2016.
Victim's location
Yengisar county (if not moved since his detention)
When victim was detained
According to the source he was detained in July/August in 2016 and sentenced to ten years in prison at the end of that year.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Unknown
Victim's status
In prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Old classmate
Additional information
He also was detained once in 2011 when he came back to Yengisar to spend summer holiday, the reason was he kept “illegal “ documents on his phone and later released after spending one week in detention. After that event, during his time at the University he was constantly monitored along with his other Uyghur schoolmates (In his own words when we met in 2014
Entry created: 2020-07-20 Last updated: 2020-07-20 Latest status update: 2020-07-20 10674. Ayshem Zeydun
Chinese ID: 65280119????????E? (Korla)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Yusup Helil, originally from Korla's Awat Township, but residing in Turkey since 2016. (uncle)
About the victim
Ayshem Zeydun.
Address: No. 3 Group, Baghjigde Village, Qarayulghun Township, Korla City, Bayingolin Prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Detained in 2017 and kept in a camp, until being sentenced to 15 years in prison at the end of 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Serving a 15-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
--- Victims among relatives
Zeydun Ziyawudun (1831), Patem Helil (1832), Ilham Osman (10675), Abdullah Ilham (10676), Raziye Ilham (10677), Muhemmet Helil (1833)
Supplementary materials original testimony: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php%3Ffbid%3D113 8249456575368%26set%3Dp.1138249456575368%26type%3D3&width=300
Entry created: 2020-09-05 Last updated: 2020-09-05 Latest status update: 2020-07-19 10675. Ilham Osman
Chinese ID: 65280119????????O? (Korla)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Yusup Helil, originally from Korla's Awat Township, but residing in Turkey since 2016. (uncle-in-law)
About the victim
Ilham Osman is an Uyghur man who is married to Aysham Zaydun. He is the son in law of Zeydun Ziyawudun (#1831) and Patem Helil (#1832). He has one underage son, Abdullah Ilham and one underage daughter, Raziye Ilham. The victim's address is: Group #3, Baghjigde Village, Qarayulghun Town, Korla City.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was arrested in 2017 and held in a concentration camp for more than two years. At the end of 2019, the victim was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
The victim was sentenced to 15 years in prison at the end of 2019, but current whereabouts are unknown.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Unclear.
Additional information ---
Victims among relatives
Zeydun Ziyawudun (1831), Patem Helil (1832), Ayshem Zeydun (10674), Abdullah Ilham (10676), Raziye Ilham (10677), Muhemmet Helil (1833)
Supplementary materials original testimony: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php%3Ffbid%3D113 8249456575368%26set%3Dp.1138249456575368%26type%3D3&width=300
Entry created: 2020-07-21 Last updated: 2020-09-05 Latest status update: 2020-07-19 10678. Wang Xi
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "heterodox groups"|--- Health status: has problems Profession: education
Testifying party
Anonymous, as reported by Minghui (明慧). (relation unclear)
About the victim
Wang Xi is a Han woman who was 42 years old as of 14 December 2004. She is a practitioner of Falun Dafa and used to work as a teacher at Shihezi City Commercial College in Xinjiang.
Victim's location
Xinjiang Women's Prison.
When victim was detained
Wang Xi was taken to a labor camp at some time before June 2004. After she was released from the labor camp, she was sentenced to 7 years in prison by the Shihezi City Court and subsequently imprisoned in June 2004 at the Xinjiang Province Women's Prison (the Ninth District Prison). She was allegedly locked up in a dark prison room by the warden and given only very small meals. She was not allowed to see people or "hear anything from outside". She was allegedly tortured both physically and psychologically. Her imprisonment in this dark room lasted for more than three months, despite prison regulations restricting the amount of time that one can be imprisoned in the dark room to five to seven days. When the victim was taken back to the normal prison, she was allegedly tortured by other inmates who were reportedly acting on behalf of the warden.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was reportedly placed in the concentration camp "for being a practitioner of Falun Dafa". The official reason provided for her prison sentence is unclear.
Victim's status
Serving a 7-year sentence. [It is likely that she is not in good health, given the reports of torture. There is also a high likelihood of her being subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at the women's prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Minghui report: https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2004/12/27/55989.html
Entry created: 2020-07-21 Last updated: 2020-09-05 Latest status update: 2004-12-27 10679. Chen Meng
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "heterodox groups"|--- Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Minghui (明慧), a website that reports on Falun Gong issues.
About the victim
Chen Meng (birthdate unknown) is a Falun Dafa practitioner who worked as a teacher in Bayingolin No. 2 Middle School in Korla.
Victim's location
Xinjiang No. 2 Prison.
When victim was detained
The victim was arrested in August 2009 by the Korla City Domestic Security Division for printing Falun Gong materials. She has reportedly been held in a labor camp before, although it is unclear when that was. She was sentenced to 8 years in prison without trial in November 2010.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was arrested for printing Falun Gong materials.
Victim's status
Serving an 8-year prison sentence.
[It is very likely that the victim is subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at the women's prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not clear, but the Minghui correspondent is said to be in the region. Additional information
Minghui report: https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2010/12/24/122092.html
Entry created: 2020-07-21 Last updated: 2020-09-05 Latest status update: 2010-12-24 10680. Fan Baoming
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (8 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "heterodox groups"|--- Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Minghui (明慧), a website that reports on Falun Gong issues.
About the victim
Fan Baoming (birthdate unknown) is a Falun Dafa practitioner who worked as a staff member at the Electric Power Bureau in Xinjiang.
Victim's location
Xinjiang No. 2 Prison.
When victim was detained
The victim was arrested in August 2009 by the Korla City Domestic Security Division for printing Falun Gong materials. She has reportedly been held in a labor camp before, although it is unclear when that was. She was sentenced to 8 years in prison without trial in November 2010.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was arrested for printing Falun Gong materials.
Victim's status
Serving an 8-year prison sentence.
[It is very likely that the victim is subjected to forced labor, as this practice has been documented at the women's prison.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not clear, but the Minghui correspondent is said to be in the region. Additional information
Minghui report: https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2010/12/24/122092.html
Entry created: 2020-07-21 Last updated: 2020-09-05 Latest status update: 2010-12-24 11114. Hejer Hebibullah (艾节尔·艾比布拉)
Chinese ID: 654123196210020483 (Korghas)
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: housemaker
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Dilber Eset, originally from Korgas but now residing in Turkey. (daughter)
Testimony 2: Dilber Eset, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (daughter)
Testimony 3: Dilber Eset, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (daughter)
About the victim
Hejer Hebibullah was a housewife.
Address: 10 Fifth East Alley, Beshkerem Street, Lengger Township, Qorghas County, Xinjiang (新疆霍城县兰干乡拜什克兰木街东五巷10号).
Chinese passport: E34331902.
Victim's location
Qosh'eriq (双渠) Prison in Qorghas County. [This is presumably the pre-trial detention center in Qosh'eriq Village.]
When victim was detained
She had previously visited the testifier in Turkey in March 2015, staying for a year and two months and then returning to Xinjiang, where she would live normally for a year.
In April 2017, she had her final video call with Dilber, who later heard that she was arrested the following day (on April 26, 2017). She was initially held at a pre-trial detention center, but was then transferred to a camp.
Dilber then had no news of her for three years, before hearing in June 2020 that she had been sentenced to 5 years in prison. Likely (or given) reason for detention
For having gone to Turkey and for having a daughter who lives there.
Victim's status
[Presumably in prison.]
Her health was good before the arrest. It is not clear how it is now.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Dilber heard of the initial detention from her older brother over WeChat in 2017, on the day that it happened, with the brother telling her that their mother would be detained and then a little while later taken to "study at a school".
In June 2020, Dilber heard from unspecified sources that her mother had been sentenced to 5 years.
Additional information
Radio Free Asia coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/overseas-08282020164436.html
Victims among relatives
Eset Abdukerim (11115), Seypidin Eset (11116), Enwer Abdukerim (11417), Gulnar Tursun (11418)
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/11114_1.jpg Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/11114_2.jpg registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/11114_3.jpeg
Entry created: 2020-08-02 Last updated: 2021-01-02 Latest status update: 2020-08-02 11387. Zhao Haijiang (赵海江)
Chinese ID: 65900119731130??O? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhao Haijiang (赵海江), born November 30, 1973 in Shihezi city. Address: No. 2, Building 16, First Company, Division 150, Xinjiang Production Corps of Manas county, Changji Hui autonomous prefecture (新疆第八师一五〇团一连16栋平房2号).
Victim's location
Held in a detention center in Mosuowan reclamation area (莫索湾垦区), Shihezi.
When victim was detained
Initally sentenced on November 16, 2009 and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison on 'undermining law enforcement with evil cult practices' (利用邪教组织破坏法律实施). He was released on March 15, 2013. He was subsequently detained on June 17, 2015 and formally arrested a week later with the same charges brought upon him. He was sentenced to 3.5 years on October 15, 2015.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
On May 25 2015, Zhao reportedly gave a copy of the Falun Gong-authored ‘Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party' to a member of security personnel who was on duty next to a school in Division 150. Later during a house search, copies of Falun Gong publications were found in Zhao's home.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 3.5 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: archive.is/XNpDk
Entry created: 2020-08-14 Last updated: 2020-11-17 Latest status update: 2015-10-15 11389. Halise Adil
Chinese ID: 650202199011080022 (Karamay)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*: Anonymous, but with a verified identity. (friend)
Testimony 2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 3*: Anonymous, as reported by Gene A. Bunin. (friend)
About the victim
Halise Adil was a student at Xinjiang University, but at one point dropped out and moved back to her home region of Karamay.
Victim's location
A prison in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
She was sent to camp in late 2017 (most likely in Karamay).
In June-July 2020, she was given a 6-year prison sentence, being transferred to a prison in Urumqi in around April 2021.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
For being religious and praying.
Victim's status
In prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Her friend learned of her situation "through mutual contacts".
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials photo (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/11389_1.jpeg photo (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/11389_2.jpeg
Entry created: 2020-08-14 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2021-05-28 11399. Liu Weiguo (刘卫国)
Chinese ID: 110108197207254977 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: corporate work
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Liu Weiguo (also known as "Liu Yuqian") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Liu Weiguo has a high school education. He was an employee of Beijing Yuanjia Technology Company up until the point of his arrest (the same company as his wife).
Testimony 4: Liu Weiguo was officially baptized in March 2005 in Beijing, becoming a Jehovah's Witness. Later on, in 2007, Liu Weiguo was "ordained as an assistant servant of the Chongqing Jehovah's Witnesses and then an elder of the Chongqing congregation." In October 2008, Liu Weiguo then "served as the elder of the Yili congregation in Xinjiang." A few years later, from July 2011 until July 2013, Liu Weiguo "served as the elder of the Korla congregation."
Address: Fengtai District, Beijing.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).
When victim was detained
The victim was initially arrested by Xinjiang police for "evangelism" on 5 October 2018 and held in the Korla Detention House in Xinjiang.
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 30,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 5 October 2018 to 4 April 2025.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the xie jiao were to be confiscated following the trial.
Testimony 4: The indictment says that Liu Weiguo was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 5 October 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 10 November 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Liu Weiguo. The official arrest was executed by the Korla Police Department on the same day as the court approval.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: Together with Zhang Min {11407}, Liu Weiguo allegedly "recruited seven people, including Song Qinghong, Xu Yanli {11416}, Shang Guanghong, Aoriliman, etc., as Bible students." The indictment additionally alleges that Liu Weiguo {11399} and Zhang Min {11407} hosted over 100 "illegal" gatherings at a meeting point that they rented which was located in Bazhou Hospital, Jiashuyuan. [Unclear who Song Qinghong, Shang Guanghong and Aoriliman are.
Testimony 4: Liu Weiguo (11399) allegedly hosted multiple "illegal gatherings" for Jehovah's witnesses in Korla together with Jiang Xijun (11403) and Lin Zaiwu (11400); among those venues was "Loulan Shijia A-601, Bayin Court Judongyuan Ste.1 3-502".
Testimony 4: The indictment also alleges that Liu Weiguo (11399), together with Jiang Xijun (11403) and Lin Zaiwu (11400), printed and made books and magazines relating to Jehovah's Witnesses in order to "spread the religion" at "their place, Zhonglian Shangdu Court 4-603" [precise meaning of "their place" unclear].
Testimony 4: allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs. (Testimony 4: In October 2018, Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly "resisted surveillance and refused to sing the national anthem and other patriotic songs when held in custody at the detention center.")
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Testimony 4:
A total of thirteen people allegedly attended the gatherings held by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407), including Gao Xinlian (11404), Yu Bingru (11406), Wei Pengfei (11411), Wang Xiaoqing (11405), Xu Yanli (11416) and Zhao Lianhe. [Unclear who Zhao Lianhe is.] In February 2012, the Korla Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau gave a warning to the thirteen attendees [presumably including Liu Weiguo], and "shut down" the meeting spot. After the meeting spot was "shut down," Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly changed their meeting spot "in efforts to avoid the penalty"; their weekly gatherings reportedly rotated among the homes of different people from that point onward, including the homes of Lin Zaiwu (11400), Gao Xinlian (11404), Yu Bingru (11406), and Wei Pengfei (11411). The thirteen attendees allegedly continued to meet at the various meeting places "more than 100 times." There was reportedly a donation box at each gathering. Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly received a total of 500 yuan in donations from attendees; 300 yuan was allegedly sent to the Hong Kong branch [of their organisation] "as support for the global mission," whilst the remaining money was allegedly "spent on making books and flyers." The thirteen attendees allegedly distributed the books and flyers they made "to believers and non-believers at Remin Square, Jinseshidai, Peacock Park, and other packed places."
Testimony 4:
The indictment alleges that in the gatherings hosted by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407), the thirteen attendees "deified Jehovah, taught and advocated for 'neutral politics,' required believers not to fulfill obligations stipulated in the [Chinese] Constitution, receive patriotic education, serve in the military, join the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Youth League, raise the national flag, sing the national anthem, or salute the national flag, and demanded members not to transfuse nor give blood."
Testimony 4:
-In July 2012 and July 2017, Liu Weiguo (11399), Zhang Min (11407), Huang Lili (11412), Xu Yanli (11416), Zhao Lianhe [identity unclear], along with other unspecified individuals, allegedly attended a regional conference hosted by Jehovah's Witnesses at the Hong Kong branch [of their organisation]. - In July 2013, Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly held a gathering at Loulan Shijia, Korla, "where they were found by the [Korla] Committee of Ethnic and Religious Affairs." - In 2014, Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly left Korla to attend a regional conference [for Jehovah's Witnesses] in South Korea.
Victims among relatives
Zhang Min (11407)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11399_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11399_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11399_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-10 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11400. Lin Zaiwu (林在务)
Chinese ID: 350181198208245016 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Lin Zaiwu (aliases are "Lin Dahai" and "Lin Zhong") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Lin Zaiwu has a junior high school education. His employment is described in the indictment as "irregular." His birthplace and address are recorded together as: Tianwei No. 17, Donghan village, Donghan town, Fuqing, Fujian province. Lin Zaiwu (11400) is married to a woman named Yang Xianhua.
Victim's location
Testimony 3: Korla City Pre-Trial Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).
When victim was detained
The victim was initially arrested by Xinjiang police for "evangelism" on 8 October 2018 and held in the Korla Detention House in Xinjiang.
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 30,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 8 October 2018 to 7 April 2025.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Testimony 4: The indictment says that Lin Zaiwu was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 8 October 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 10 November 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Lin Zaiwu. The official arrest was executed by the Korla Police Department on 11 November 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: Lin Zaiwu (11400) allegedly attended the gatherings hosted by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) at a rented place located in Bazhou Hospital, Jiashuyuan. After the original meeting place for those gatherings was shut down by the Korla Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and the gatherings began to rotate from home to home, the home of Lin Zaiwu (11400) was allegedly one of the locations at which subsequent gatherings were held. Lin Zaiwu (11400) also allegedly distributed books and flyers relating to Jehovah's Witnesses "to believers and non-believers at Remin Square, Jinseshidai, Peacock Park, and other packed places."
Testimony 4: From August 2012 until December 2015, Lin Zaiwu (11400), Yang Xianhua and Jiang Xijun (11403) allegedly organised "more than 10 people," including Gao Xinlian (11404), Yu Bingru (11406), Wei Pengfei (11411), Xu Yanli (11416), Huang Lili (11412) and Zhao Lianhe [identity unclear], to "gather at their places (Jurong Building 2-1705, Huashan Jinxiuyuan Ste. 3 5-102) more than 80 times."
Testimony 4: Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Yang Xianhua allegedly recruited Bible students, including Hu Ping [identity unclear], Shi Yanyan [identity unclear], Yang Hua (11414), Dong Suying [identity unclear] and Shi Xianhe (11415).
Testimony 4: In July 2013, Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Fan Tao (11410), who were reportedly in charge of the sign language group, allegedly "recruited Zhang Kai [identity unclear] and others who are unable to speak and hear, advertised among the youth, encouraged them not to comply with obligations stipulated in the Constitution, preached and advocated for various thoughts, including 'neutral politics,' rejecting patriotic education, not serving in the military (including the military training before attending a college), not joining [the] Chinese Communist Party or the Communist Youth League, not raising the national flag, not singing the national anthem, not saluting the national flag, and so on."
Testimony 4: Lin Zaiwu (11400) and either Fan Tao (11410) or Yang Xianhua [the wording in the translated indictment is ambiguous] allegedly “[made] books and magazines about Jehovah’s Witnesses, distributed these to believers, and handed out flyers at packed places, promoting the overseas Jehovah’s Witnesses website in efforts to proselytize people."
Testimony 4: The home of Lin Zaiwu (11400) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings. Lin Zaiwu (11400) allegedly hosted multiple "illegal gatherings" for Jehovah's witnesses in Korla together with Jiang Xijun (11403) and Liu Weiguo (11399); among those venues was "Loulan Shijia A-601, Bayin Court Judongyuan Ste.1 3-502".
Testimony 4: The indictment also alleges that Lin Zaiwu (11400), together with Jiang Xijun (11403) and Liu Weiguo (11399), printed and made books and magazines relating to Jehovah's Witnesses in order to "spread the religion" at "their place, Zhonglian Shangdu Court 4-603" [precise meaning of "their place" unclear].
Testimony 4: Lin Zaiwu (11400) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"]. The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Testimony 4:
Lin Zaiwu (11400) reportedly learnt about Jehovah's Witnesses in February 2003 when he was studying in Japan. He was later baptized in February 2004 and allegedly served as a missionary [presumably from that point onward]. In January 2009, Lin Zaiwu (11400) was reportedly ordained as an "assistant pioneer" with the approval of the elders of the local congregation in Fuqing, Fujiang. In July 2009, Lin Zaiwu "officially served as a pioneer]. Later, in August 2012, Lin Zaiwu (11400) and his wife, Yang Xianhua, went to Korla and allegedly converted others into Jehovah's Witnesses and organised gatherings.
Testimony 4:
In July 2015, Lin Zaiwu (11400) attended a regional conference hosted by Jehovah's Witnesses at the Hong Kong branch [of the organisation] together with Yang Xianhua [his wife], Yang Ming [wife of Shi Xianhe (11415)], Zhang Kai [identity unclear], Hu Ping [identity unclear], Shi Xianhe (11415) and other unspecified individuals, allegedly "receiving advanced-level training in an attempt to expand their organisation."
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11400_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11400_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11400_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-12 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11401. Li Yifang (李义芳)
Chinese ID: 370225197011213516 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Li Yifang (alias is "Li Zhi") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Li Yifan has a junior high school education. He was a small business owner up until the point of his arrest. His birthplace is recorded as: Xiasi Village Zone 1 14-2, Zhangfang Town, Fangshan District, Beijing. His current address [at the time of the indictment] is recorded as: Old Municipal Government Neighborhood No. 1 4-202, Korla.
Testimony 4: In October 2000, Li Yifan (11401) was reportedly baptised in Beijing, becoming a Jehovah's witness. He allegedly served as a missionary thereafter. In October 2013, Li Yifan (11401) was sent to Korla and allegedly served as an elder from that point onward.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
The victim was initially arrested by Xinjiang police for "evangelism" on 12 November 2018 and held in the Korla Detention House in Xinjiang. The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 6 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 30,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 12 November 2018 to 11 May 2025.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Testimony 4: The Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Li Yifan on 10 November 2018. The official arrest was executed by the Korla Police Department on 12 November 2018. (Notably, he was not put under criminal detention prior to the court approval; this happened for some, but not all of these victims. cf. Lin Zaiwu and Liu Weiguo above.)
Testimony 4: During a gathering apparently hosted by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) on May 25, 2018, Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) were given an administrative penalty by the Korla Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and were ordered to stop the event. Unspecified items were confiscated on that occasion, and the event venue was shut down.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: From the residence of Li Yifan (11401), police reportedly confiscated "132 flyers, 17 books, four notebooks, 178 brochures [and] two thumb drives."
Testimony 4: From October 2013 to May 2018, Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) allegedly "oversaw a group of deaf people" and "hosted members more than 300 times at different places," including their own homes and the homes of Lin Zaiwu (11400), Wei Pengfei (11411), Huang Lili (11412), Gao Xinlian (11404), Xu Yanli (11416), Yang Hua (11414), Shi Xianhe (11415) and the company of Yu Bingru (11406). They allegedly preached and advocated for "neutral politics" as well as "thoughts such as not fulfilling obligations stipulated in the [Chinese] Constitution, refusing patriotic education, not serving in the military (including the military training before attending a college), not joining the Chinese Communist Party or the Communist Youth League, not raising the national flag, not singing the national anthem, not saluting the national flag, etc." There was reportedly a donation box at each gathering, through which Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) allegedly raised funds for daily expenses [of the organisation], "making and printing relevant books and magazines" and the "proclamation of the organisation's Jehovah's Witnesses' thoughts among believers and non-believers."
Testimony 4: Li Yifan (11401) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law." Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11401_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11401_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11401_3.pdf Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-12 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11402. Lin Hao (林浩)
Chinese ID: 371081197906243418 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Lin Hao (alias is "Qu Zheng") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Lin Hao has a high school education. His employment is described in the indictment as "irregular." His birthplace is recorded as: Wendeng, Shandong province. His hukou is recorded as: Lidao Village No. 495, Zetou Town, Wendeng District, Weihai, Shandong province. His current address [at the time of the indictment] is recorded as: Victoria court Ste.3 1-2002, Heping Roda, Xinxiang, Henan province.
Testimony 4: Lin Hao (11402) reportedly learnt about Jehovah's Witnesses when working in South Korea in 2004. He was baptised in May 2005 and allegedly served as a missionary thereafter. Lin Hao (11402) was allegedly ordained as a "formal pioneer" in October 2007. Lin Hao (11402) allegedly served as the elder of the Shanyang congregation in 2010.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Lin Hao was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 16 October 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." After Lin Hao was "put under criminal detention" on 16 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court on 10 November 2018 to officially arrest Lin Hao. The official arrest was executed by the Korla Police Department on the same day as the court approval (10 November 2018).
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 6 years in prison and a fine of 30,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 1 October 2018 to 30 September 2024.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: In August 2016, Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) allegedly hosted multiple gatherings at the company of Yu Bingru (11406) (Xinjiang Baide Education Consulting Ltd.).
Testimony 4:
Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) allegedly held additional Jehovah's Witness gatherings at the homes of Li Yifan (11401) and other unspecified Jehovah's Witnesses on "more than 170" occasions. The indictment alleges that at these gatherings, Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) "[spread taboos], such as not joining [the] Chinese Communist Party or the Communist Youth League, not serving in the military, not worshipping ancestors [or] parents, not saluting the national flags, and so [on]" and that "if people did not comply with the rules, they would be punished." In each meeting, Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) allegedly "took measures to keep the meeting secret, such as locking the door [...] and using foam as soundproofing material." Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) also allegedly encouraged believers to donate to support the global mission of Jehovah's Witnesses and "[aid] countries hit by disasters" [which the indictment claims were "excuses"]. The indictment also alleges that Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) "handed out books, magazines, and preaching materials about Jehovah’s Witnesses multiple times" and on weekends, "organized believers to distribute flyers and business cards to others in order to preach the religion."
Lin Hao (11402) is one of the individuals who was allegedly involved in organising a total of nine people, including Yang Hua (11414) and Xu Yanli (11416), to study the Jehovah’s Witness religion at the residence of Xu Yanli (11416). Lin Hao (11402) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Victims among relatives
Chen Meiling (11409) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11402_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11402_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11402_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-12 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11403. Jang Seok-jun (姜锡俊)
Chinese ID: 210303197910011638 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 40 Gender: M Ethnicity: other Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Jan. 2019 - Mar. 2019 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Jiang Xijun (alias "Jiang Yan") is a Jehovah's Witness. He is an ethnic Korean.
Testimony 4: Jiang Xijun [Jang Seok-jun] has a junior high school education and was a small business owner up until the point of his detention.
Testimony 4: His birthplace is recorded as: Anshan, Liaoning province. His hukou is recorded as: 601 Tonghai Road Ste.4 3-402, Mouping District, Yantai, Shandong province. His current address is recorded as: Fucheng Liuqi No. 16 1-1501, Yanjiao development district, Sanhe, Hebei province.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
The victim was initially arrested by Xinjiang police for "evangelism" on 7 March 2019 and held in the Korla Detention House in Xinjiang.
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 6 years in prison and a fine of 30,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 7 March 2019 to 6 March 2025.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Testimony 4: According to the indictment, on November 10, 2018, the Korla People's Court approved his arrest "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." He was ultimately arrested by the Korla Police Department on 7 March 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: In the details section of the indictment for Lin Zaiwu (11400), it is stated that between August 2012 and December 2015, Jiang Xijun (11403), together with Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Yang Xianhua [wife of Lin Zaiwu (11400], allegedly organised "more than 10 people," including Gao Xinlian (11404), Yu Bingru (11406), Wei Pengfei (11411), Xu Yanli (11416), Huang Lili (11412) and Zhao Lianhe [identity unclear], to "gather at their places (Jurong Building 2-1705, Huashan Jinxiuyuan Ste. 3 5-102) more than 80 times."
Testimony 4: In the details section of the indictment for Jiang Xijun (11403), it is stated that Jiang Xijun (11403) was sent by Wang Yong, who was the leader of the Shandong Yantai Jehovah's Witness Congregation at the time, to be an elder of the Korla congregation in March 2013. The indictment additionally alleges that from March 2013 until August 2013, Jiang Xijun (11403), together with Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Liu Weiguo (11399), hosted multiple "illegal gatherings" for Jehovah's witnesses in Korla at various venues, including Loulan Shijia A-601, Bayin Court Judongyuan Ste.1 3-502. Jiang Xijun (11403), Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Liu Weiguo (11399) allegedly printed and made books and magazines relating to Jehovah's Witnesses in order to "spread the religion" at "their place, Zhonglian Shangdu Court 4-603" [precise meaning of "their place" unclear].
Testimony 4: Together with Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Liu Weiguo (11399), Jiang Xijun (11403) allegedly "preached and advocated for 'neutral politics,' not acknowledging Chinese traditional culture, not joining the army, not singing the national anthem, not serving in the military, not raising the national flag, not participating in elections as candidates or voters, etc."
Testimony 4: Jiang Xijun (11403) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law." Victim's status
The victim has been sentenced and is currently in prison. The victim is suicidal. According to the Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center), the victim attempted to kill himself by knocking his head against a wall whilst in detention due to unbearable conditions and mistreatment by Chinese authorities (see Additional Information section below for details on mistreatment), but failed.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block).
The victim is one of those who underwent this mistreatment and attempted to kill himself as a result of unbearable conditions by knocking his head against a wall, but failed.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs. (Testimony 4: Jiang Xijun (11403) allegedly disobeyed detention rules in March 2019, "refusing to sing the national anthem and patriotic songs" when he was in custody at the detention center.)
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'. Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11403_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11403_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11403_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-12 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11404. Gao Xinlian (高新莲)
Chinese ID: 65282619690201002X (Yanqi)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Gao Xinlian (alias "Zhao Ping") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Gao Xinliang has a high school education. She was unemployed. Her birthplace is recorded as: Yanqi County, Xinjiang. Her hukou and current address are recorded as: "Korla, Xinjiang, living at 27 Jianguo N Road Judong Garden Ste. 1 2-502."
Testimony 4: Gao Xinlian (11404) reportedly learnt about Jehovah's Witnesses through Wang Xiaoqing (11405) in October 2011. She was allegedly recruited as a Bible student by Zhang Min (11407) in December 2011. In February 2012, during a Jehovah's Witness gathering [which it is implied that Gao Xinlian (11404) attended], the organisation was reportedly given a warning and administrative penalty by the "ethnic and religious affairs department" [presumably of Korla]. After that point in time, Gao Xinlian (11404) allegedly allowed Jehovah's Witnesses to meet at her place on multiple occasions, located at Jianguo N Road No. 27 Judongyuan Ste. 1 2-502, Korla. She was allegedly baptised later on [in 2012] with the baptism allegedly officiated by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Wang Xiaoqing (11405). Gao Xinlian (11404) allegedly then served as a "formal pioneer" from September 2012.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).] When victim was detained
The victim was initially arrested by Xinjiang police for "evangelism" on 23 September 2018 and held in the Korla Detention House in Xinjiang.
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 23 September 2018 to 22 September 2021.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Gao Xinlian (11404), police reportedly confiscated one iPhone.
Testimony 4: She was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 23 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Gao Xinlian. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day].
Testimony 4: Gao Xinlian (11404) was allegedly one of the individuals who attended the gatherings held at Jurong Building 2-1705, Huashan Jinxiuyuan Ste. 3 5-102 on a number of occasions by Lin Zaiwu (11400), Yang Xianhua [wife of Lin Zaiwu (11400)] and Jiang Xijun (11403). The home of Gao Xinlian (11404) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings.
Testimony 4: The home of Gao Xinlian (11404) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: Gao Xinlian (11404) allegedly attended the gatherings hosted by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) at a rented place located in Bazhou Hospital, Jiashuyuan. After the original meeting place for those gatherings was shut down by the Korla Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and the gatherings began to rotate from home to home, the home of Gao Xinlian (11404) was allegedly one of the locations at which subsequent gatherings were held. Gao Xinlian (11404) also allegedly distributed books and flyers relating to Jehovah's Witnesses "to believers and non-believers at Remin Square, Jinseshidai, Peacock Park, and other packed places."
Testimony 4: Since December 2011 [notably before she became a "formal pioneer"], Gao Xinlian (11404) allegedly recruited and accepted eight Bible students, including Lu Feng, Dong Suying Li Jianqi and Yang Chunlei [identities unclear]. This group [including Gao Xinlian (11404)] allegedly "engaged in evangelical activities, such as handing out flyers and business cards on weekends as well as in their free time at crowded places" and "preached and advocated for so-called “neutral politics,” not acknowledging Chinese traditional culture, not joining the army, not singing the national anthem, not serving the military, not raising the national flag, not participating in elections, neither as candidates nor voters, etc."
Testimony 4: Gao Xinlian (11404) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs. The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11404_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11404_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11404_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-12 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11405. Wang Xiaoqing (王小青)
Chinese ID: 150102196112302037 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 58 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Wang Xiaoqing (alias "Wulanbate") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Wang Xiaoqing has an associate degree [major unspecified] and was an employee of the Inner Mongolia University of Agriculture. His hukou and birthplace are recorded together as: Xincheng District, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. His current address is recorded as: Hengdamingdu Ste.3 Room 2002, Dongying N Road, Saihan District, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Testimony 4: Wang Xiaoqing (11405) reportedly became a Jehovah's Witness in July 2007.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
The victim was initially arrested by Xinjiang police for "evangelism" on 8 October 2018 and held in the Korla Detention House in Xinjiang.
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 6 years in prison and a fine of 30,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 8 October 2018 to 7 October 2024.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Wang Xiaoqing (11405), police reportedly confiscated "four notebooks and six books."
Testimony 4: He was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 8 October 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 10 November 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Wang Xiaoqing. The official arrest was executed by the Korla Police Department on the same day as the court approval (10 November 2018).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: Wang Xiaoqing (11405) allegedly attended the gatherings hosted by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) at a rented place located in Bazhou Hospital, Jiashuyuan. Wang Xiaoqing (11405) also allegedly distributed books and flyers relating to Jehovah's Witnesses "to believers and non-believers at Remin Square, Jinseshidai, Peacock Park, and other packed places."
Testimony 4: From September 2009 until April 2015, Wang Xiaoqing (11405) allegedly served as an "assistant servant of the Jehovah's Witnesses congregation in Korla"; as part of this role, he allegedly helped Liu Weiguo (11399), Lin Zaiwu (11400), Jiang Xijun (11403) and other unspecified individuals to govern the Jehovah's Witness congregation of Korla and convert Zhao Lianhe [identity unclear], Qu Ping [identity unclear] and Li Jianqi [identity unclear] to the religion.
Testimony 4: From September 2009 until September 2013, Wang Xiaoqing (11405) allegedly shared "superstitions of the Jehovah's Witnesses" with an adolescent named Yu Jing [the son of Yu Bingru (11406)], "inciting Yu Jing not to raise the national flag, not to sing the national anthem, not to join the Communist Youth League, nor to participate in military training, etc."
Testimony 4: Wang Xiaoqing (11405) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11405_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11405_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11405_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-12 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11406. Yu Bingru (于秉汝)
Chinese ID: 652801196602171617 (Korla)
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Yu Bingru (alias "Yu Xinxue") is a Jehovah's Witness. He is married with at least one son.
Testimony 4: Yu Bingru has a bachelor's degree [major unspecified] and was the CEO of Xinjiang Baide Education Consulting Ltd. at the time of this indictment. Xinjiang Baide Education Consulting Ltd. is/was located at Loulan Shijia A 6th floor, Renmin E Road, Korla. His birthplace is recorded as: Shihezi, Xinjiang. His hukou is recorded as: 8 Donghu 1 Road Bencheng Tianyue Haoting Ste.2 Room 1402, Zhaoqing, Guangdong province. His current address is recorded as: State Grid Jiashu Yuan Ste. 1 1-402, Tuishuiqu Road, Wenhua W Road, Korla.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Yu Bingru was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 22 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Yu Bingru. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day]. The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 21 September 2018 to 20 September 2021.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Yu Bingru (11406), police reportedly confiscated "eight books, one hand-written notebook, one disc, one Lenovo thumb drive, three iPhones, two iPads, and two laptops."
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: Yu Bingru (11406) allegedly attended the gatherings hosted by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) at a rented place located in Bazhou Hospital, Jiashuyuan. After the original meeting place for those gatherings was shut down by the Korla Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and the gatherings began to rotate from home to home, the home of Yu Bingru (11406) was allegedly one of the locations at which subsequent gatherings were held. Yu Bingru (11406) also allegedly distributed books and flyers relating to Jehovah's Witnesses "to believers and non-believers at Remin Square, Jinseshidai, Peacock Park, and other packed places."
Testimony 4: Yu Bingru (11406) was allegedly one of the individuals who attended the gatherings held at Jurong Building 2-1705, Huashan Jinxiuyuan Ste. 3 5-102 on a number of occasions by Lin Zaiwu (11400), Yang Xianhua [wife of Lin Zaiwu] and Jiang Xijun (11403). The company of Yu Bingru (11406) (Xinjiang Baide Education Consulting Ltd.) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings. Yu Bingru (11406) allegedly consented to Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) hosting multiple Jehovah's Witness gatherings at his company (Xinjiang Baide Education Consulting Ltd.) in August 2016.
Testimony 4: The indictment alleges that in 2009, with the help of Wang Xiaoqing (11405), Yu Bingru (11406) met with Jiu An, who was the first elder of the Korla congregation at the time. According to the indictment, Yu Bingru (11406) was gradually indocrinated into the religion by Jiu An. Yu Bingru (11406) allegedly entrusted his adolescent son, Yu Jing, to Wang Xiaoqing (11405), who in turn allegedly "brainwashed" Yu Jing.
Testimony 4: Yu Bingru (11406) allegedly attended Jehovah's Witness gatherings "more than 100 times." Testimony 4: From October 2012 until May 2016, Yu Bingru (11406) allegedly allowed Li Yifan (11401), Fan Tao (11410) and other unspecified individuals to organise Jehovah's Witness gatherings at the offices of his company (Xinjiang Baide Education Consulting Ltd.).
Testimony 4: From September 2009 until August 2017, Yu Bingru (11406) allegedly "required Yu Jing, his son, not to attend military training, not to sing the national anthem, not to salute the national flag, and not to join the Communist Youth League at school."
Testimony 4: Yu Bingru (11406) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name]. The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11406_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11406_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11406_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-12 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11407. Zhang Min (张敏)
Chinese ID: 51022219721106062X (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: corporate work
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Zhang Min (alias "Zhang Xiaohe") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Zhang Min has a bachelor's degree [major unspecified] and was an employee of Beijing Yuanjia Technology Company. [This means she worked at the same company as Liu Weiguo (11399).]
Testimony 4: Her birthplace is recorded as: Banan District, Chongqing. Her hukou and current address are recorded together as: Weiyuan Ste. 20 3-3-102, Dachengli, Fengtai District, Beijing.
Testimony 4: Zhang Min was officially baptized in March 2005 in Beijing, becoming a Jehovah's Witness. From July 2011 until July 2013, Zhang Min "served as the 'special pioneer' of the Korla congregation."
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
The victim was initially arrested by Xinjiang police for "evangelism" on 5 October 2018 and held in the Korla Detention House in Xinjiang. The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 5 October 2018 to 4 October 2021.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Zhang Min (11407), police reportedly confiscated "one white Samsung cell phone, one golden iPad, and eight books."
Testimony 4: Zhang Min was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 5 October 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 10 November 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Zhang Min. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 11 November 2018 [the next day].
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: Together with Liu Weiguo (11399), Zhang Min allegedly "recruited seven people, including Song Qinghong, Xu Yanli (11416), Shang Guanghong, Aoriliman, etc., as Bible students." The indictment additionally alleges that Zhang Min (11407) and Liu Weiguo (11399) hosted over 100 "illegal" gatherings at a meeting point that they rented which was located in Bazhou Hospital, Jiashuyuan. [Unclear who Song Qinghong, Shang Guanghong or Aoriliman are.]
Testimony 4: A total of thirteen people allegedly attended the gatherings held by Zhang Min (11407) and Liu Weiguo (11399), including Gao Xinlian (11404), Yu Bingru (11406), Wei Pengfei (11411), Wang Xiaoqing (11405), Xu Yanli (11416) and Zhao Lianhe. [Unclear who Zhao Lianhe is.] In February 2012, the Korla Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau gave a warning to the thirteen attendees, and "shut down" the meeting spot. After the meeting spot was "shut down," Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly changed their meeting spot "in efforts to avoid the penalty"; their weekly gatherings reportedly rotated among the homes of different people from that point onward, including the homes of Lin Zaiwu (11400), Gao Xinlian (11404), Yu Bingru (11406), and Wei Pengfei (11411). The thirteen attendees allegedly continued to meet at the various meeting places "more than 100 times." There was reportedly a donation box at each gathering. Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly received a total of 500 yuan in donations from attendees; 300 yuan was allegedly sent to the Hong Kong branch [of their organisation] "as support for the global mission," whilst the remaining money was allegedly "spent on making books and flyers." The thirteen attendees allegedly distributed the books and flyers "to believers and non-believers at Remin Square, Jinseshidai, Peacock Park, and other packed places."
Testimony 4: The indictment alleges that in the gatherings hosted by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407), the thirteen attendees "deified Jehovah, taught and advocated for 'neutral politics,' required believers not to fulfill obligations stipulated in the [Chinese] Constitution, receive patriotic education, serve in the military, join the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Youth League, raise the national flag, sing the national anthem, or salute the national flag, and demanded members not to transfuse nor give blood."
Testimony 4: Zhang Min (11407) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs. (Testimony 4: In October 2018, Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly "resisted surveillance and refused to sing the national anthem and other patriotic songs when held in custody at the detention center.") The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Testimony 4:
In July 2012 and July 2017, Liu Weiguo (11399), Zhang Min (11407), Huang Lili (11412), Xu Yanli (11416), Zhao Lianhe [identity unclear], along with other unspecified individuals, allegedly attended a regional conference hosted by Jehovah's Witnesses at the Hong Kong branch [of their organisation]. In July 2013, Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly held a gathering at Loulan Shijia, Korla, "where they were found by the Committee of Ethnic and Religious Affairs." In 2014, Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) allegedly left Korla to attend a regional conference [for Jehovah's Witnesses] in South Korea.
Victims among relatives
Liu Weiguo (11399)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11407_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11407_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11407_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-12 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11408. Jiang Jinling (姜金玲)
Chinese ID: 110111197404044221 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Jiang Jinling (alias: "Li Ling") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Jiang Jinling has a junior high school education and is a farmer. Her hukou and current address are recorded as: Xiasi Village Zone 1 No. 14-2, Zhangfang Town, Fangshan District, Beijing.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: During a gathering apparently hosted by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) on May 25, 2018, Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) were given an administrative penalty by the Korla Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and were ordered to stop the event. Unspecified items were confiscated on that occasion, and the event venue was shut down.
Testimony 4: Jiang Jinling was actually "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 10 November 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." On the same day (10 November 2018), the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Jiang Jinling. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 12 November 2018 [two days later].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 12 November 2018 to 11 November 2021.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4:
From October 2013 to May 2018, Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) allegedly "oversaw a group of deaf people" and "hosted members more than 300 times at different places," including their own homes and the homes of Lin Zaiwu (11400), Wei Pengfei (11411), Huang Lili (11412), Gao Xinlian (11404), Xu Yanli (11416), Yang Hua (11414), Shi Xianhe (11415) and the company of Yu Bingru (11406). They allegedly preached and advocated for "neutral politics" as well as "thoughts such as not fulfilling obligations stipulated in the [Chinese] Constitution, refusing patriotic education, not serving in the military (including the military training before attending a college), not joining the Chinese Communist Party or the Communist Youth League, not raising the national flag, not singing the national anthem, not saluting the national flag, etc." There was reportedly a donation box at each gathering, through which Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) allegedly raised funds for daily expenses [of the organisation], "making and printing relevant books and magazines" and the "proclamation of the organisation's Jehovah's Witnesses' thoughts among believers and non-believers."
Jiang Jinling (11408) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system. Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11408_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11408_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11408_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11409. Chen Meiling (陈美玲)
Chinese ID: 211402198601195044 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: F Ethnicity: other Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: medicine
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Chen Meiling (alias: "Lin Chen") is ethnic Manchu, and a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4:
Chen Meiling has an associate degree and worked as a nurse. Her birthplace is recorded as: Huludao, Liaoning province. Her hukou is recorded as: 495 Lidao Village, Zetou Town, Wendeng District, Weihai, Shandong province. Current address: Victoria Court Ste. 3 1-2002, Heping Road, Xinxiang, Henan province.
Chen Meiling (11409) was baptised in June 2010. At some point after that, she "applied for the position of assistant pioneer." She was reportedly ordained as a "formal pioneer" in December 2010.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Chen Meiling was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 16 October 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 10 November 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Chen Meiling. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 12 November 2018 [two days later].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 5 October 2018 to 4 October 2021.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Chen Meiling (11409), police reportedly confiscated "one tablet, one Samsung cell phone, 28 business cards, 83 copies of promotion articles, seven receipts, one photo, 2 forms of application for assistant pioneer, 2 copies of congregation analysis, 1 report of congregation account, five notebooks, one picture, and 10 books."
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: In August 2016, Chen Meiling (11409) and Lin Hao (11402) allegedly hosted multiple gatherings at the company of Yu Bingru (11406) (Xinjiang Baide Education Consulting Ltd.).
Testimony 4:
-Chen Meiling (11409) and Lin Hao (11402) allegedly held additional Jehovah's Witness gatherings at the homes of Li Yifan (11401) and other unspecified Jehovah's Witnesses on "more than 170" occasions. The indictment alleges that at these gatherings, Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) "[spread taboos], such as not joining [the] Chinese Communist Party or the Communist Youth League, not serving in the military, not worshipping ancestors [or] parents, not saluting the national flags, and so [on]" and that "if people did not comply with the rules, they would be punished." In each meeting, Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) allegedly "took measures to keep the meeting secret, such as locking the door [...] and using foam as soundproofing material." Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) also allegedly encouraged believers to donate to support the global mission of Jehovah's Witnesses and "[aid] countries hit by disasters" [which the indictment claims were "excuses"]. The indictment also alleges that Lin Hao (11402) and Chen Meiling (11409) "handed out books, magazines, and preaching materials about Jehovah’s Witnesses multiple times" and on weekends, "organized believers to distribute flyers and business cards to others in order to preach the religion." - Chen Meiling (11409) is one of the individuals who was allegedly involved in organising a total of nine people, including Yang Hua (11414) and Xu Yanli (11416), to study the Jehovah’s Witness religion at the residence of Xu Yanli (11416). - Chen Meiling (11409) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Victims among relatives
Lin Hao (11402) Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11409_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11409_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11409_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11410. Fan Tao (樊涛)
Chinese ID: 652901198609204818 (Aksu)
Basic info
Age: 33 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: law
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Fan Tao is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4:
Fan Tao has an associate degree and was an employee of the Beijing Jindu Law Firm. Fan Tao's birthplace is recorded as: Aral, Xinjiang province, Xinjiang. Fan Tao's hukou is recorded as: Shihua Road No. 47 Lixiangshuiyun Ste. 36 2-401, Jianshe Street, Korla, Xinjiang. The translated indictment for Fan Tao says [in place of a current address]: "currently living at Sanhuan Xincheng No. 7 Ste. 11 6-505, Fengtai District, Beijing for now."
Fan Tao (11410) was allegedly baptised in August 2012 when attending the Jehovah's Witness regional conference held in Hong Kong.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained Testimony 4: According to the indictment, Fan Tao (11410) was given a warning by the Korla Committee of Ethnic and Religious Affairs at some point in 2012 in relation to Jehovah's Witnesses gatherings.
Testimony 4: He was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 24 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Fan Tao. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 24 September 2018 to 23 May 2021.
Books and other goods associated with the activities of the 'xie jiao' were to be confiscated following the trial.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: In July 2013, Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Fan Tao (11410), who were reportedly in charge of the sign language group, allegedly "recruited Zhang Kai [identity unclear] and others who are unable to speak and hear, advertised among the youth, encouraged them not to comply with obligations stipulated in the Constitution, preached and advocated for various thoughts, including 'neutral politics,' rejecting patriotic education, not serving in the military (including the military training before attending a college), not joining [the] Chinese Communist Party or the Communist Youth League, not raising the national flag, not singing the national anthem, not saluting the national flag, and so on."
Testimony 4: Between July 2013 and October 2015, Fan Tao (11410) allegedly assisted Lin Zaiwu (11400) to "proselytize people"; during that period, he also allegedly allowed his own residence to be used as a location for a Jehovah's Witness gathering on one occasion, hosted Jehovah's Witness gatherings "more than 10 times" [presumably at other locations], recruited Shi Xianhe (11415) as a missionary, converted Li Bin and Hu Pin [identities unclear] to the religion, and preached to Gao Di, Liang Zhongfeng, Chen Wenjun [identities unclear] and other unspecified individuals.
Testimony 4: Fan Tao (11410) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law." Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11410_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11410_2.pdf Testimony 3: https://shahit.biz/supp/11410_3.pdf Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11411. Wei Pengfei (魏鹏飞)
Chinese ID: 652801198208153444 (Korla)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Wei Pengfei (alias: "Mixue") is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4:
Wei Pengfei has a "vocational secondary school education."
Her birthplace is recorded as: Shaoding County, Hunan province. Her hukou is recorded as: Shanan Village Fu J5 Alley No. 28, Airport Express Way, Korla, Xinjiang. Her current address is recorded as: 56 Tengfeng Road Ste. 19 2-501, Korla, Xinjiang.
Wei Pengfei (11411) was allegedly recruited as a Bible student by an individual called "Minister Mayila" and baptised in February 2010. She allegedly served as a missionary in September 2010.
"In 2011, after submitting application to Jiu An, [Wei Pengfei] served as an assistant pioneer in September 2013." [This sentence is grammatically ambiguous.] Wei Pengfei (11411) allegedly served as a "formal pioneer" after sending an application to Lin Zaiwu (11400) at an unspecified point in time.
Victim's location [Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Wei Pengfei was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 20 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Wei Pengfei. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 20 September 2018 to 19 September 2021.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Wei Pengfei (11411), police reportedly confiscated "three books, one promotional image, 12 hand-written notebooks, 84 business cards of the Jehovah's Witness website, and one camera."
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4:
- Wei Pengfei (11411) allegedly attended the gatherings hosted by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) at a rented place located in Bazhou Hospital, Jiashuyuan. After the original meeting place for those gatherings was shut down by the Korla Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau and the gatherings began to rotate from home to home, the home of Wei Pengfei (11411) was allegedly one of the locations at which subsequent gatherings were held. Wei Pengfei (11411) also allegedly distributed books and flyers relating to Jehovah's Witnesses "to believers and non-believers at Remin Square, Jinseshidai, Peacock Park, and other packed places." - Wei Pengfei (11411) was allegedly one of the individuals who attended the gatherings held at Jurong Building 2-1705, Huashan Jinxiuyuan Ste. 3 5-102 on a number of occasions by Lin Zaiwu (11400), Yang Xianhua [wife of Lin Zaiwu] and Jiang Xijun (11403). - The home of Wei Pengfei (11411) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings. - Since March 2011, Wei Pengfei (11411) allegedly "preached the thoughts of the Jehovah's Witness faith, an evil religion, to her mother, He Kaiyun, proselytized Zhang Cuihua, Lou Jingyuan [wife of Yu Bingru (11406)], Zhang Lin, Xu Li, etc., [identities unclear] and engaged in evangelical events for 70 hours every week." - Wei Pengfei (11411) allegedly distributed cards [relating to the Jehovah's Witness faith] and [sic] "required believers to obey creeds: to not acknowledge Chinese culture, to not observe the customs of keening and vigil, to not serve the military, to not join Chinese Communist Party, to not sing the national anthem: to not honor any other law that they considered Communist Party taboos." - In May 2013, Wei Pengfei (11411) allegedly "spread thoughts of the evil Jehovah's Witness religion" to Huang Lili (11412), "making her gradually accept the teachings and appointing her as the formal pioneer eventually." - Wei Pengfei (11411) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs. (Testimony 4: In October 2018, when Wei Pengfei (11411) was in custody at the Korla Detention Center, she allegedly disobeyed detention rules and "refused to sing patriotic songs or the national anthem"; the indictment alleges that in this instance, she used religion as an "excuse.") The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11411_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11411_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11411_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11412. Huang Lili (黄丽丽)
Chinese ID: 411602199211265521 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 27 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Huang Lili (alias: Tang Xiao) is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4: Huang Lili (11412) was baptized by Lin Zaiwu (11400) in February 2014, allegedly becoming a Jehovah's Witness missionary from that point onward. Huang Lili has a junior high school education.
Testimony 4:
- Her birthplace is recorded as: Zhoukou, Henan province. - Her hukou is recorded as: 126 Jianguo N Road Ste. 33 2-602, Korla, Xinjiang. - Her current address is recorded as: No. 56 Tengfei Road Ste. 10 2-101, Korla, Xinjiang.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Huang Lili was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 20 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Huang Lili. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 20 September 2018 to 19 September 2021.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Huang Lili (11412), police reportedly confiscated "one Samsung Laser Printer, one Canon Color Printer, one Samsung Galaxy Tab3 tablet, one Samsung laptop, 30 DVD discs, 108 business cards, two map cards, 23 large printed books, 44 small printed books, 22 hand-written note books, 55 hand-written notes, 383 flyers, 81 color brochures, two desk calendars, four pieces of advance directive, one Bible reading schedule, and one brochure."
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4: Huang Lili (11412) was allegedly one of the individuals who attended the gatherings held at Jurong Building 2-1705, Huashan Jinxiuyuan Ste. 3 5-102 on a number of occasions by Lin Zaiwu (11400), Yang Xianhua [wife of Lin Zaiwu] and Jiang Xijun (11403).
Testimony 4:
- The home of Huang Lili (11412) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings. - The indictment alleges that Huang Lili (11412) learnt sign language from Yang Xianhua [wife of Lin Zaiwu (11400)] for the purpose of preaching the Jehovah's Witnesses religion to the "weak, deaf and mute." - Since 2014, Huang Lili (11412) allegedly [sic] "invited members of the sign language group, including Shi Xianhe [11415], Yang Ming, Li Bin, Zhang Kai, Ding Lijuan, Zhang Kai, and others to gatherings multiple times." - Together with Shi Xianhe (11415), Huang Lili (11412) allegedly preached the Jehovah's Witness religion in sign language during gatherings; the indictment specifically alleges that they jointly "required members to rigorously follow the rules of the religion, obey the doctrine of 'Jehovah's Witnesses,' not serve in the military, not sing the national anthem, not join the Chinese Communist Party or Communist Youth League, not participate in elections as either candidates or voters, not celebrate Chinese traditional holidays," and "prohibited [members] from transfusing and giving blood." - The indictment alleges that during her service as a "formal pioneer," Huang Lili (11412) downloaded, printed and made a total of five books and five flyers; she also allegedly handed out five copies of the Bible and other unspecified books, and distributed a total of 15 flyers. - She allegedly allowed the [sign language] gathering to meet at her place, "No. 56 court Ste. 10 2-101" since October [year unspecified, but presumably 2014]. - Huang Lili (11412) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs. (Testimony 4: The indictment alleges that Huang Lili (11412) disobeyed detention rules in November 2018, "refusing to sing the national anthem and patriotic songs.")
Testimony 4: Huang Lili (11412) allegedly converted Yang Hua (11414) to the Jehovah's Witnesses religion in August 2013.
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'. Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11412_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11412_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11412_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11413. Ma Xiaojun (马小君)
Chinese ID: 412922197809304525 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Ma Xiaojun (alias: "Ma Xue") is a Jehovah's Witness. She is married and has two sons.
Testimony 4:
Ma Xiaojun has a junior high school education.
Her hukou and birthplace are recorded together as: Niuzhuang Village, Zhaohe Town, Fangcheng County, Nanyang, Henan province. Her current address is recorded as: Qiaerbage Township Group 1 Alley 3 No.7 1-102, Korla, Xinjiang.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Ma Xiaojun was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 20 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Ma Xiaojun. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 20 September 2018 to 19 September 2021.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Ma Xiaojun (11413), police reportedly confiscated "131 books, four notebooks, 169 flyers, 64 business cards, and one copy of the advance directive."
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4:
- According to this indictment, in October 2011, Ma Xiaojun (11413) was introduced to the Jehovah's Witness religion by an individual named "Aoriliman" [identity unclear] and attended a gathering held at Lin Zaiwu's (11410) home [in the same month]. - The indictment alleges that Ma Xiaojun (11413) was baptised in December 2013 and served as a missionary [from that point onwards]; her baptism was reportedly officiated by Li Yifan (11401). - Ma Xiaojun (11413) allegedly preached the Jehovah's Witnesses religion to her husband, two sons, older sister [names mentioned above] and a friend named Wang Ke. - It is also alleged that Ma Xiaojun (11413) attended multiple Jehovah's Witness gatherings, allowed gatherings to be held at her residence, distributed Jehovah's Witness brochures to pedestrians, and introduced [pedestrians] to overseas Jehovah's Witness websites "more than 40 times." - Ma Xiaojun (11413) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case. Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11413_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11413_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11413_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11414. Yang Hua (杨华)
Chinese ID: 513030199003118621 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Yang Hua is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4:
Yang Hua has a junior high school education.
Her hukou and birthplace are recorded together as: Liangfeng Hamlet Group 1 No. 111, Lifu Village, Qu County, Dazhou, Sichuan province. Her current address is recorded as: "Alley 1 No.2 24 Lian Court Tiemenguan Road E Ste. 17, Korla, Xinjiang."
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Yang Hua was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 20 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Yang Hua. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 20 September 2018 to 19 September 2021.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Yang Hua (11414), police reportedly confiscated one tablet [computer].
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4:
- Yang Hua (11414) was reportedly one of the Bible students of Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Yang Xianhua. - The home of Yang Hua (11414) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings. - Yang Hua (11414) reportedly got to know Huang Lili (11412) in 2013 when working at [sic] "Huijia Ers". The indictment alleges that Yang Hua (11414) became a bible student as a result of Huang Lili's (11412) influence. - In November 2013, Yang Hua (11414) allegedly preached the Jehovah's Witness religion to her older sister, Yang Ling, and her brother-in-law, Yu Lei, as well as multiple unspecified co-workers. - Yang Hua (11414) allegedly began to work as a missionary in 2015 after she was baptised [so she was presumably baptised in 2015, but this is unclear; the date of her baptism is not explicitly stated]. The indictment also alleges that she attended multiple Jehovah's Witness gatherings, donated 200 yuan [presumably at the Jehovah's Witness gatherings], allowed gatherings to be held at her residence "nearly 40 times", and handed out cards and flyers in crowded locations three times per week. - Yang Hua (11414) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system. Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs. (Testimony 4: Yang Hua (11414) allegedly disobeyed detention rules in October 2018 when she was being held in custody at the Korla Detention Center, refusing to "sing patriotic songs and the national anthem.")
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11414_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11414_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11414_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11415. Shi Xianhe (石贤贺)
Chinese ID: 410926199407134415 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Shi Xianhe is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4:
Shi Xianhe has a junior high school education.
- His birthplace is recorded as: Fan County, Henan province. - His hukou is recorded as: 174 Jianshe Road, Tahaqi Village, Heshuo County, Xinjiang. - His current address is recorded as: Jinmeng court Ste. 6 2-602, Korla, Xinjiang.
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).]
When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Shi Xianhe was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 22 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Shi Xianhe. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 21 September 2018 to 20 March 2021.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Shi Xianhe (11415), police reportedly confiscated "two books, two programs of the 2018 Jehovah's Witnesses Regional Conference, one notebook, one card, three best-wishes papers, one hand-written note, one white iPad, one card reader, one golden iPhone, and two thumb drives."
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4:
- In July 2015, Shi Xianhe (11415) allegedly attended a regional conference hosted by Jehovah's Witnesses at the Hong Kong branch [of the organisation] together with Lin Zaiwu (11400), Yang Xianhua [wife of Lin Zaiwu (11400)], Yang Ming [his wife], Zhang Kai [identity unclear], Hu Ping [identity unclear] and other unspecified individuals, allegedly "receiving advanced-level training in an attempt to expand their organisation." - Shi Xianhe (11415) was reportedly one of the Bible students of Lin Zaiwu (11400) and Yang Xianhua. - The home of Shi Xianhe (11415) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings. - Between July 2013 and September 2018, Shi Xianhe (11415) allegedly attended Jehovah's Witness gatherings "more than 300 times", allowed his residence to be used by the sign language group, introduced Fan Tao (11410) to Li Bin [identity unclear], whom Fan Tao (11410) then recruited as a Bible student. - Shi Xianhe (11415) and Huang Lili (11412) allegedly preached the Jehovah's Witness religion in sign language during gatherings; the indictment specifically alleges that they "required members to rigorously follow the rules of the religion, obey the doctrine of 'Jehovah's Witnesses,' not serve in the military, not sing the national anthem, not join the Chinese Communist Party or Communist Youth League, not participate in elections as either candidates or voters, not celebrate Chinese traditional holidays," and "prohibited [members] from transfusing and giving blood." - In August 2018, Shi Xianhe (11415) and Yang Ming [his wife] allegedly attended the Jehovah's Witness Hong Kong branch conference under the instruction of Huang Lili (11412), "received training" and became missionaries. The indictment additionally alleges that Shi Xianhe (11415) and Yang Ming attended the Hong Kong regional conference a total of four times, but it does not specify the dates of the other three times. - Shi Xianhe (11415) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs.
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'.
Supplementary materials Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11415_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11415_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11415_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11416. Xu Yanli (徐艳丽)
Chinese ID: 412322197208192748 (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2018 - Sep. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Official letter of complaint, as written to report or appeal with regard to legal/procedural violations. (lawyer)
Testimony 3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 4: Official indictment, issued by a procuratorate and charging a given person(s) with an offense.
About the victim
Xu Yanli is a Jehovah's Witness.
Testimony 4:
Xu Yanli has an associate degree. She was the vice principal of Goldun Sun Kindergarten, development district Korla.
- Her birthplace is recorded as: Shangqiu, Henan province. - Her hukou and current address are recorded together as: 7 Beiyixiang Ste. 4 2-301, Renmin E Road, Sayibage Street, Korla, Xinjiang. - According to the indictment, Xu Yanli (11416) was brought to a Jehovah's Witness gathering by Zhang Min (11407) in November 2012 and subsequently became a Bible student. - In July 2013, Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) reportedly took Xu Yanli (11416) to a Jehovah's Witness branch conference in Hong Kong. - Xu Yanli (11416) was allegedly baptised in November 2013 and served as a missionary from that point onwards; the indictment says that her baptism was officiated by Li Yifan (11401).
Victim's location
[Presumably at the Korla City Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).] When victim was detained
Testimony 4: Xu Yanli was "put under criminal detention" by the Korla Police Department on 23 September 2018 "on a charge of inciting to obstruct law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization." The following month, on 26 October 2018, the Korla Police Department received approval from the Korla People's Court to officially arrest Xu Yanli. The official arrest was then executed by the Korla Police Department on 27 October 2018 [the next day].
The victim was indicted on 15 April 2019 by the People's Procuratorate of Korla City along with 17 other Jehovah's Witnesses "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement."
The victim was reportedly sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine of 15,000RMB on 13 June 2020 by the Korla City People's Court. [One of the reports from Bitter Winter says that the sentencing happened on 30 June 2020, but this appears to be a mistake, judging from the photograph of the court document included in the first report.]
The sentence was offset by time already spent in custody, so the period for which the victim is to be imprisoned is 23 September 2018 to 22 September 2021.
Testimony 4: From the residence of Xu Yanli (11416), police reportedly confiscated "three golden Samsung cell phones, two Samsung tablets, six DVD discs, one computer chassis of an HP desktop, four color group photos, 47 cards of the [Jehovah's Witness] website, nine study notebooks, 43 books, and 110 flyers."
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was initially arrested for "evangelism" but later indicted "on suspicion of organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement".
The victim was ultimately convicted of "organizing and using a 'xie jiao' organization to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced (see above).
Testimony 4:
- Xu Yanli (11416) allegedly attended the gatherings hosted by Liu Weiguo (11399) and Zhang Min (11407) at a rented place located in Bazhou Hospital, Jiashuyuan. Xu Yanli (11416) also allegedly distributed books and flyers relating to Jehovah's Witnesses "to believers and non-believers at Remin Square, Jinseshidai, Peacock Park, and other packed places." - Xu Yanli (11416) was allegedly one of the individuals who attended the gatherings held at Jurong Building 2-1705, Huashan Jinxiuyuan Ste. 3 5-102 on a number of occasions by Lin Zaiwu (11400), Yang Xianhua [wife of Lin Zaiwu] and Jiang Xijun (11403). - The home of Xu Yanli (11416) was among a number of venues allegedly utilised by Li Yifan (11401) and Jiang Jinling (11408) as a venue for one or more Jehovah's Witness gatherings. The indictment also says that Li Yifan (11401), Lin Hao (11402), Jiang Jinling (11408) and Chen Meiling (11409) allegedly organised nine people, including Yang Hua (11414) and Xu Yanli (11416) herself, to study at the residence of Xu Yanli (11416) “more than 100 times.” - From July 2014 until April 2018, Xu Yanli's residence at Beiyixiang No. 15 Kangweiyuan Ste. 4 2-301, Renmin N. Road, Korla, was allegedly used as a venue for multiple Jehovah's Witness gatherings. - Xu Yanli (11416) allegedly served as an "assistant pioneer" for a period of one month [dates unspecified]; during that month, the indictment says that she preached the Jehovah's Witness religion to Shang Guanhong, Shang Huanzhi and Liu Qitao [identities unclear] and recruited Shang Guanhong as a "Bible student." - Xu Yanli (11416) allegedly violated "Articles 300 and 25 of the People's Republic of China Criminal Law."
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+4: this an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: the lawyers who wrote the complaint are presumably directly involved with the case.
Testimony 3: not stated.
Additional information
Bitter Winter summaries: https://bitterwinter.org/18-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-years-in-jail-in-xinjiang/ https://bitterwinter.org/the-xinjiang-decision-against-18-jehovahs-witnesses-english-translation/
The Weiquanwang (Rights Protection Network Information Center) reported that on 14 February 2020 (Testimony 3, https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2020/02/blog-post_26.html), most of the 18 Jehovah's Witnesses who were detained were subjected to various forms of physical punishment and mistreatment, such as being forced to wear "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" (where handcuffs are linked to shackles with a short chain, attached to a 5kg block). The victim is likely to have been one of those who underwent this mistreatment.
Several defence lawyers wrote a joint letter to the People's Procuratorate of Korla City in regard to the aforementioned mistreatment.
The aforementioned "conjoined handcuffs" and "hug handcuffs" were reportedly kept locked for 24 hours a day, including when the detainees were going to the toilet, eating, washing and "brushing" [it is unclear what the latter means]. Those who were handcuffed could reportedly only walk with their waists bent. Xu Yanli (one of the detainees) reportedly remarked that the detainees would sometimes have to crawl on all fours "like a dog" [presumably as a result of the "hug handcuffs"].
The 18 detainees were reportedly forced to sing songs. (Testimony 4: Xu Yanli (11416) allegedly disobeyed detention rules in October 2018 when she was being held in custdoy at the Korla Detention Center, "refusing to sing the national anthem and patriotic songs.")
The presiding judge for the trial on 13 June 2020 was Xu, Ruijiang. The other judges were Wang, Laiyou and Yu, Meiling. The secretary at the trial was 书记员米克热巴 [transliteration uncertain, likely an Uyghur name].
The indictment and trial were the first time that Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code was applied to Jehovah's Witnesses, despite the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are reportedly not included in the official list of 'xie jiao'. Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://shahit.biz/supp/11416_1.pdf Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/11416_2.pdf Testimony 4: https://shahit.biz/supp/11416_3.pdf
Entry created: 2020-08-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2020-06-13 11997. Nie Shigang (聂世岗)
Chinese ID: 61010419700721??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Hui Likely current location: Kizilsu Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other, assisting "criminals", "terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: tradesperson
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Nie Shigang worked as an agent in eastern China (namely, in Jiangsu and Zhejiang), where he helped Egyptian businessmen [and presumably others] with inspecting goods, placing orders, and going through customs/transportation procedures.
Place of residence: Lianhu District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province.
Victim's location
Atush City Pre-Trial Detention Center (阿图什市看守所).
When victim was detained
He was put under criminal detention on March 22, 2018 on suspicion of assisting in terrorist activities and carrying out illegal business operations, to be held at the Yiwu City Pre-Trial Detention Center (义乌市看守所) until March 29. It is unclear where he was afterwards, but he would be released on bail on July 24, 2018.
On February 25, 2019, he was put under residential surveillance, before being formally arrested on March 16, 2019, to be held at the Atush City Pre-Trial Detention Center.
The XUAR Atush City People's Procuratorate filed its indictment against him on March 22, 2019, with the Atush City People's Court sentencing him to 15 years with 5 years' deprivation of political rights on April 1. However, the victim appealed and was given a new verdict on August 2, 2019, which reversed the original verdict and asked for a retrial. The case was then reheard on August 26.
A decision issued on November 6, 2019 sentenced the victim to 5 years in prison for the crime of money laundering, with the 800000RMB involved in the case to be confiscated by the state treasury. Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was arrested and tried for "assisting in terrorist activities" and "money laundering", for having helped Uyghurs from southern Xinjiang [mainly, it seems, from Atush] to transfer money to their relatives in Egypt, by means of the regular financial transactions he was already engaging in with his clients, Egyptian businessmen Ahmed Mohamed Hegazy Makhlouf and El Sayed El Sayed Mohamed Bekhit Mohamed.
Ultimately, the court found that he did not possess the knowledge and intent to "assist in terrorist activities", but was criminally responsible for money laundering.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 5 years.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to original verdict: https://archive.is/M0nOJ
The court document mentions around ten people of southern Xinjiang origin who were guilty of sending money to "terrorists" abroad (usually, their relatives). At least two of these people, Mahire Nurmuhemmed {4628} and Rizayidin Abdureshit {5441} had already been reported by their relatives as given long prison sentences, and thereby corroborate the content of the verdict.
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_39.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_39.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=39
Entry created: 2020-12-30 Last updated: 2020-12-30 Latest status update: 2019-11-06 12046. Li Lin (李霖)
Chinese ID: 650105198706060713 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 33 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"inciting subversion" Health status: --- Profession: engineer
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Li Xinhua, as reported by Zhou Fengsuo. (mother)
Testimony 2: Arrest approval request, a formal document from the public security bureau to the procuratorate, asking for approval to formally arrest a specified individual.
Testimony 3: Official detention notice, provided after the initial detention of a suspect in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 4: Li Xinhua, mother of victim Li Lin. (mother)
Testimony 5: Li Xinhua, as reported by Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch. (mother)
About the victim
Li Lin, an ethnic Han. On the PSB arrest notice, his current address is reported as 水磨沟区红光山路尚德苑19-1-102, but the testifier has underlined that this is not the victim's actual current address. Li's original hukou address is located in Huinan District of Shenyang city in Liaoning province.
Testimony 5: Li Lin (李霖) is a software engineer. In February 2018, he came to Urumqi to spend the Chinese New Year's festival with his family. During his stay, he was actively posting on Twitter, complaining about the massive police presence and poor internet connection in Urumqi, posting two pictures of the removal of "Halal" signs from business establishments and a video of a police patrol station on the street. He also posted his own critique on the social policies of the region.
Victim's location
Testimony 2-3: Urumqi's First Detention Center
When victim was detained
Arrested on February 21, 2018 and taken to the Hubei Road police office in Urumqi, where he was detained for 10 days until the official charges were announced, which is when he was transferred to Urumqi’s First detention center.
Testimony 5: Detained on February 20, 2018. The next day, the PSB deemed his tweets to constitute a case of "spreading rumours" and issued a formal accusation of "disturbing social order" and given administrative detention for 10 days. He was nevertheless held in the detention center for longer, and on March 10 his accusations were changed to "inciting ethnic separation and discrimination", and assigned criminal detention. On August 10, the charges were once again changed: Li was accused of "instigating a subversion of political power of the State". On December 5, 2018, Li was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: Official charges of “state subversion” were announced on March 3, 2018, based on comments that Li posted on Youtube and Twitter which were posted in violation of Article 105 of China’s Penal Law. The notice mentions that Li criticized the CCP leadership and Xinjiang’s “Uyghur stabilization” policy. One comment read “Xinjiang’s urban areas have checkpoints at every 500 meters, I cannot begin to fathom how much money the CCP has”.
Victim's status
Testimony 1: Sentenced to 4 years.
Testimony 4: Serving his sentence in a detention center. The testifier reports that Li has shackles on him throughout the day. She contacting the detention center to have them removed, but received an answer saying that “people with crime’s like Li’s in Xinjiang are always kept in shackles”.
[It is also possible that the victim is subjected to forced labor at the No. 1 detention center, as there is some evidence for this practice existing there.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: she was an eyewitness to the events.
Testimony 2-3: these are official documents from the public security bureau.
Additional information
Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch coverage (Testimony 5): https://www.msguancha.com/a/lanmu13/2021/0210/20746.html
Translation of the testifier's testimony (Testimony 1): “Since November 30, 2018, I have been constantly reporting the Urumqi Investigative Bureau about one of it’s workers, Liu Jinbo, violating the law and procedural guidelines while handling the case of my son Li Lin, who has been sentenced to 4 years in prison. I have only received a confirmation via phone call that disciplinary action had been taken against Liu, but they did not show me the official notice. On January 15, 2020, I’ve submitted 3 letters accusing the PSB officer, judge and prosecutor Liu Jinbo of breaking the law while processing Li Lin’s case to the Urumqi Investigative Bureau. The newly appointed chairman of the Second Bureau Liang Xinwei has received the appeals, the Appeals department registered them, and I haven’t heard any response since. Due to my constant pressing on the issue of the 3 appeals, I’ve received a phone call from the Appeals Department on April 28, 2020, who informed me that “Prosecutor Jiang will meet you tomorrow on 11am”. I’ve arrived on 11 o’clock of April 29 on time only to find out it was a hearing with only their people present. The prosecutor first made me agree to the terms of the meeting, then chairman Zhang pulled out a document I had sent to the prosecutor on October 16, 2019 and proceeded to explain it in twisted terms. Some people entered inside and took pictures. Finally, I pressed for an answer to my three appeals, but prosecutor Jiang told me accusing a public security officer of breaking the law was irrational behavior! They both sat close to my while reviewing the entirety of the policemen’s body-cam footage. On May 13, I again called Wang Yuji of the Appeals Department on his number 09918555068 and asked about the 3 appeals, Wang said he couldn’t find them and asked me to send them again. So today I am submitting the accusations again. Although I’ve always communicated within the boundaries of the law, I feel today might be dangerous, so I ask everyone to follow this case. Li Xinhua 136 3995 5916“
Testimony 4: The testifier claims that Li’s Urumqi lawyer told Li before that hearing that he must confess, otherwise the punishment could have been severe
Testimony 5: The testifier has listed out the ways in which she believes Li was denied rights during his trial. These include: prolonging his administrative detention without an official warrant, refusing the lawyer found for Li by the testifier and assigning a lawyer from Urumqi instead, preventing Li's parents from attending the trial, not letting Li wear glasses during court despite his being short-sighted, and, finally, preventing Li from appealing the sentence. The testifier also accused authorities of documental inaccuracies (signature fabrication, including names of prosecutors in a October 31 court hearing document without them being present, assigning Li a fake residential address in Urumqi etc in the subpoena etc). Most notably, the testifier accused judicial authorities of evidence fabrication: namely providing differing evidence during the investigation and prosecution phases, asking Li about the whereabouts of his electronic devices 14 days after these devices were presented as evidence in court by the prosecution etc. The testifier has appealed to authorities regarding Li's case many times, but reportedly has been ignored, reporting one police officer saying "My duty here is to keep you out of the court". On December 23, 2020, the testifier was presented with the "Appeal Refusal Notice" from the court authorities.
Some netizens have speculated that Li and another activist in Xinjiang “@kujou_rin” are the same person: https://pincong.rocks/question/5071
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1-3: https://twitter.com/ZhouFengSuo/status/1261256228832935936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/Lu_Jinghua/status/1360814094975176704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/12046_2.jpg certificate of summons: https://shahit.biz/supp/12046_4.png hearing record (first page): https://shahit.biz/supp/12046_5.png search record: https://shahit.biz/supp/12046_6.png
Entry created: 2020-12-08 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2021-02-13 12546. Ablikim Qahar (阿卜力克木·喀哈尔)
Chinese ID: 652325197108041815 (Qitai)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: --- When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Mukerem Qahar, a resident of Germany. (sister)
About the victim
Ablikim Qahar, born on August 4, 1971. He has a university education and worked as a businessman.
His registration noted that he lived and worked in Santun Village.
Victim's location
---
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: he suddenly disappeared in April 2008. His family had no news of his whereabouts until someone who was held together with him at the Liudaowan pre-trial detention center (in Urumqi) later notified them. Around January 2010, he was tried by the Urumqi Intermediate People's Court, which sentenced him to 12 years for "being Rebiya Kadeer's arms supplier" and for "separatism". He was then transferred to Daheyan Prison [Turpan Prison] to serve his sentence. On April 2020, his sentence should have expired, but he called his family briefly to say that he wouldn't be able to return for 15 days because of coronavirus restrictions. However, later he called again and said that he wouldn't be able to return on time, after which he disappeared, with the family unable to get any concrete news or explanation from the police.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: the police wouldn't initially tell the family why Ablikim was detained. Later, the court sentenced him for "being Rebiya Kadeer's arms supplier" and for "separatism".
Victim's status
Testimony 2: missing. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
His sister was either in the region when he was initially detained or presumably heard about it from relatives who were.
Ablikim called the family directly after his release.
Additional information
[He was presumably subjected to forced labor while at Turpan Prison, as the Donghu Cement Factory is based there.]
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OkViT7RFMU Testimony 1: https://twitter.com/Googoom1/status/1302369181753577472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/12546_2.png registration: https://shahit.biz/supp/12546_4.png
Entry created: 2020-09-21 Last updated: 2021-06-30 Latest status update: 2020-09-06 13314. Qurban Tomur (库尔班·铁木尔)
Chinese ID: 65212319741226151X (Toksun)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|phone/computer, related to religion Health status: has problems Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Qurban Tomur.
Registration address: House No. 4-3-253, No. 4 Team, Hedong Village, Gholboyi Township, Toqsun County (托克逊县郭勒布依乡河东村四队4-3-253号). [His wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, so it is very likely that this is Qurban's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
At the Badaowan Vocational Education Center (八道湾职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on May 2, 2017. On July 12, 2018, he was allowed to meet with his wife and daughter for 27 minutes next to a hospital in the Qidaowan subdistrict, Urumqi, before he was scheduled to undergo an operation there. On August 16, 2018, his wife appealed to have him released from hospital to recover at home (the place of surgical incision was swelling), but the request was declined by the camp official.
On November 9, 2018, he was "sentenced" to 2 years in camp for "illegally studying scripture".
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Detained for going off the network. Sentenced in camp for "illegally studying scripture".
Victim's status
Sentenced in a "twice inform and once announce" session, to a provisional term of 2 years. [There is a good likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor at the factories surrounding the camp facility, as this practice has been reported here.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-03-17 Last updated: 2021-03-17 Latest status update: 2018-11-09 13315. Yusup Turghun (玉苏甫·吐尔洪)
Chinese ID: 653127198804040952 (Mekit)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"problematic" association, assisting "criminals" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Yusup Turghun.
Registration address [also his wife's residence]: Apt. 805, Building No. 11, Shanshui Lande Residential Area, 889 Longrui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号山水兰德小区11号楼805号).
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on October 1, 2017. On November 4, 2018, he was sentenced to 3 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Originally sent to camp for "being in close contact with people in pre-trial detention". Sentenced for "harboring criminals".
Victim's status
Sentenced in a "twice inform and once announce" session, to a provisional term of 3 years.
Yusup is allowed to have police-monitored conversations with his wife and their two children. (There was also one in-person meeting at the Dabancheng camp in October 2018.)
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-03-17 Last updated: 2021-03-17 Latest status update: 2018-11-04 13316. Qasimjan Qasimov (哈斯莫江·哈斯莫夫)
Chinese ID: 650104198103160014 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 37 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"untrustworthy person", past "transgressions" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Qasimjan Qasimov.
Registration address: Apt. 103, Entrance 2, Building No. 22, 8 Xinyi Road, Xinshi District (新市区新医路8号22号楼2单元103号). [His wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, so it is very likely that this is Qasimjan's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
Shuimogou District Vocational Education Center (水磨沟区职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on April 22, 2018. On November 6, 2018, he was given a provisional sentence of 3 years in camp, with release subject to good results in Mandarin and vocational skills exams.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was sent to camp for being an "untrustworthy person". His provisional camp sentence was due to him "breaking the law" on December 30, 1996.
Victim's status
As of November 29, 2018, he is serving his sentence in camp. He has met once with his wife and their newborn son following the announcement of the sentence. He is reportedly studying knitting at the camp.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
Police records mark him as added to the iTap database on August 7, 2017.
Entry created: 2021-03-18 Last updated: 2021-06-02 Latest status update: 2018-11-29 13320. Buhliche Amut (布合丽其·阿木提)
Chinese ID: 653126196808010085 (Kaghilik)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|relative(s), "violating birth policies", other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Buhliche Amut.
Residential and registration address: Apt. 2306, Building No. 16, 889 Longrui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号16号楼2306室).
Victim's location
Shuimogou District Vocational Education Center (水磨沟区职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on May 20, 2017. On November 7, 2018, she was sentenced to 3 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
She was sent to camp for “being relatives with people of unknown whereabouts, being relatives with members of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, and being among those forbidden to go abroad”. The reason for her 3-year sentence was "violating the birth quota by 3 children".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 12, 2018. She is allowed to have police-monitored conversations with her family.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi. Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Lutpulla Memetimin (13319), Imamidin Memet (13321)
Entry created: 2021-03-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2018-11-12 13321. Imamidin Memet (依玛木丁·买买提)
Chinese ID: 653126199906160013 (Kaghilik)
Basic info
Age: 19 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion, relative(s), challenging authority Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Imamidin Memet.
Residential and registration address: Apt. 2306, Building No. 16, 889 Longrui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号16号楼2306室).
Victim's location
Badaowan Vocational Education Center (八道湾职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on May 20, 2017. On November 4, 2018, Imamidin's brother and sister-in-law attended his "twice inform and once announce" session in the Badaowan camp, where he was stated to be provisionally sentenced to 3 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was sent to camp for the "three illegals: illegal religion [religious activity], illegal propaganda materials, illegal dissemination online". The reasons for his 3-year sentence were "having relatives abroad, having relatives in pre-trial detention, and not following community guidelines".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 7, 2018.
[There is a good likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor at the factories surrounding the camp facility, as this practice has been reported here.] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
[His ID number is reported as 653126199906160013X in the original report, but this is presumably a mistake, with an extra X added to the end.]
Victims among relatives
Buhliche Amut (13320), Lutpulla Memetimin (13319)
Entry created: 2021-03-18 Last updated: 2021-03-18 Latest status update: 2018-11-07 13325. Ezimetjan Omer (艾孜麦提江·乌麦尔)
Chinese ID: 650105199110031318 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 27 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"registration issues", "endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Ezimetjan Omer.
Registration address: Apt. 1101, Single Building No. 10, Shanshui Lande Residential Area, 889 Longrui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号山水兰德小区独楼10号楼1101号).
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on September 27, 2017. On November 4, 2018, Ezimetjan's family attended his "twice inform and once announce" meeting at the Dabancheng camp, where he was stated to be sentenced to 3 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Detained for having a double household registration. Sentenced for "having a double household registration and violating national security".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 7, 2018, and with a provisional sentence of 3 years. He is allowed to have police-monitored conversations with his family and has met with them at camp as well.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-03-19 Last updated: 2021-03-19 Latest status update: 2018-11-07 13326. Ablikim Abdueli (阿布力克木·阿布都艾力)
Chinese ID: 652101197905113517 (Turpan)
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"endangering state security", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Ablikim Abdueli.
Registration address: Apt. 402, Entrance 3, Building No. 33, Shanshui Lande Residential Area, 889 Longrui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号山水兰德小区33号楼3单元402号). [His wife resides at the same address, so it is very likely that this is his residential address as well.]
Victim's location
Shuimogou District Vocational Education Center (水区职教中心).
When victim was detained
Two detention dates given: May 3 and June 5, 2017. He was allowed to meet with his family at the camp at least once, in August 2018. On October 31, 2018, Ablikim's wife attended his "twice inform and once announce" session, where he was stated to be sentenced to 2 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Originally sent to camp for "endangering national security". Sentenced for "illegally expounding scripture".
Victim's status
Given a provisional sentence of 2 years of camp study.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
The police report records an instance of Ablikim calling his wife, Chimangul, through the phone of a camp teacher surnamed Zhang. The report notes that the authorities should investigate the issue, since relatives of the "three-kinds people" (三类人员) are not allowed to contact detainees without the arrangement and supervision of the community police.
Entry created: 2021-03-19 Last updated: 2021-03-19 Latest status update: 2018-11-01 13328. Paruq Omer (帕热库·吾买尔)
Chinese ID: 650105199008280019 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 28 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|past "transgressions", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Paruq Omer.
Registration address: Apt. 202, Building No. 31, West Wenquan Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区温泉西路31栋202号). [His wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood in Shuimogou District, however, so it is very likely that this is Paruq's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
A re-education camp in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on May 23, 2017. On November 4, 2018, Paruq's wife attended his "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp, where he was provisionally sentenced to 2 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Detained for "taking part in the July 5 demonstrations". Sentenced for "illegally expounding scripture".
Victim's status
Provisionally sentenced to 2 years in camp. He was allowed to meet with his family at least once while in camp, in August 2018.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi. Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-03-20 Last updated: 2021-03-20 Latest status update: 2018-11-04 13330. Ezizjan Memetimin (艾则孜江·买买提依明)
Chinese ID: 653126199803241515 (Kaghilik)
Basic info
Age: 20 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion, past "transgressions" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Ezizjan Memetimin.
Possible address [his parents']: Apt. 903, Building No. 20, Shanshui Lande Residential Area, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (山水兰德小区20号楼903室).
Victim's location
Badaowan Vocational Education Center (八道湾职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on April 22, 2018. He was allowed to meet with his parents at the camp at least two times - once in August and once in December 2018. In November 2018, he was given a provisional sentence of 2 years in camp, with release subject to good results on Mandarin and vocational skills exams.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "going astray by illegally studying scripture (with his grandfather, when he was young)".
Victim's status
Provisionally sentenced to 2 years in camp.
[There is a good likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor at the factories surrounding the camp facility, as this practice has been reported here.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-03-20 Last updated: 2021-03-20 Latest status update: 2018-12-03 13331. Memetimin Baqi (麦麦提敏·巴柯)
Chinese ID: 653122198002013192 (Shule)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"untrustworthy person", other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Memetimin Baqi.
Registered address: House No. 029X, Group No. 4, Topey'eriq Village, Yapchan Municipality, Yengisheher County (疏勒县牙甫泉镇吐排艾日克村4组029X号). [His wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood in Shuimogou District, however, so it is very likely that this is Memetimin's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
Badaowan Vocational Education Center (八道湾职教中心).
When victim was detained
Arrested on May 14, 2017. Officially transferred to camp on November 7, 2017. A year later, Memetimin's wife attended his "twice inform and once announce" session at the re-education camp, where he was provisionally sentenced to 3 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Detained for "being an untrustworthy person". Sentenced for "disrupting fundamental community order".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 20, 2018, and provisionally sentenced to 3 years. He was allowed at least one police-monitored conversation with his family in August 2018.
[There is a good likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor at the factories surrounding the camp facility, as this practice has been reported here.] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-03-20 Last updated: 2021-03-20 Latest status update: 2018-11-20 13347. Elshat Turdi (艾力夏提·吐尔迪)
Chinese ID: 65292719990530271X (Uchturpan)
Basic info
Age: 19 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|phone/computer, contact with outside world, "problematic" association Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Elshat Turdi.
Registered address: House No. 48, Group No. 4, Aqyar Village, Aqyar Township, Uchturpan County (乌什县阿合雅乡上阿合雅村4组48号). [His parents reside in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, however, and so it is very likely that this is Elshat's residential address as well, given his young age and the fact that he was sent to camp in Urumqi.]
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on November 17, 2017. On November 8, 2018, Elshat's father attended his son's "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp, where the latter was given a provisional sentence of 3 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for having the Zapya application on his phone, for "being in close contact with focus people", and for "contacting people abroad".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of March 23, 2019. He has been allowed to have at least several police-monitored phone and video conversations with his family. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
On March 19, 2019, his father, Turdi Ismayil, suffered a stroke and had facial paralysis following an injection at a clinic. Several days later, Elshat was allowed to go home for 24 hours and to see his father, before being returned to the camp on March 23.
Entry created: 2021-03-23 Last updated: 2021-03-23 Latest status update: 2019-03-23 13348. Turghun Eziz (吐尔洪·艾则孜)
Chinese ID: 650105198001181312 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Turghun Eziz.
Registered address: Apt. 408, Entrance 4, Building No. 14, Area No. 1, 13 Liudaowan Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区六道湾路13号1区14号楼4单元408号). [His wife has approximately the same registration but resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, making it very likely that the latter is Turghun's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
Badaowan Vocational Education Center (八道湾职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on May 3, 2017. On November 1, 2018, Turghun's wife attended her husband's "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp, where he was given a provisional sentence of 2 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Detained for "illegally studying scripture". Sentenced for "illegally expounding scripture".
Victim's status
At the camp, with a provisional sentence of 2 years.
[There is a good likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor at the factories surrounding the camp facility, as this practice has been reported here.] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
He was allowed to meet with his wife at the camp at least two times - once in August and once again in November, 2018.
Entry created: 2021-03-23 Last updated: 2021-03-23 Latest status update: 2018-11-01 13410. Rahman Hushtar (热合曼·呼西塔尔)
Chinese ID: 652929198306190777 (Kelpin)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Rahman Hushtar.
Registration address: House No. 20, Chilan Village, Achal Municipality, Kelpin County (柯坪县阿恰勒镇其兰村5组20号). [His wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, making it very likely that this is Rahman's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
Badaowan Vocational Education Center (八道湾职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on May 3, 2017. On November 14, 2018, Rahman's wife and nephew attended his "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp, where he was given a provisional sentence of 3 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Originally detained by the police for being a "suspect in a national security case". Sentenced for “disrupting public service”.
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 15, 2018, now with a provisional 3-year sentence.
[There is a good likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor at the factories surrounding the camp facility, as this practice has been reported here.] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
He has met with his family at least once while in camp.
Entry created: 2021-03-26 Last updated: 2021-03-26 Latest status update: 2018-11-15 13579. Muhemmetimin Abdulla
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Elnur Sidiq, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (wife)
About the victim
His name is Muhammetimin Abdulla. He is the builder and director of Xinjiang Tangnuri International Trade Ltd.
Recent residence: Urumqi (specifically, an area under the jurisdiction of the Nanguan Police Station).
Victim's location in a prison in Urumchi.
When victim was detained
The testifier last talked to the victim in March 2017; Then they totally lost contact. The victim was reportedly detained in 2017 (not clear in which month the victim was detained as there are different news about it); The victim was sentenced for 15 years in prison in 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Reportedly going abroad and sending money to his family abroad.
Victim's status in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? through a friend in Ankara who has contact with a national security police in Urumchi. The police sent a message about the victim's detention and imprisonment.
Additional information
According to the testifier, four of the victim's uncles and two brothers of him were also detained in camps. One of the uncles was reportedly released. Their names are Bahuwudun Hajim, Ablet Hajim, Ablimit Hajim, Omer and Imin Qarim. All of them live in Atbazir in Hoten City.
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghur-karxana-03192020182150.html
Entry created: 2020-12-08 Last updated: 2021-04-03 Latest status update: 2020-03-20 13755. Mirzat Tahir (木里扎提·塔依尔)
Chinese ID: 650106199103232310 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hami Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to going abroad|"separatism", "terrorism" Health status: has problems Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Testimony 1*|2|3: Mehray Mezensof, an ethnic Uyghur who was born and raised in Australia. (wife)
Testimony 4: Mehray Mezensof, as reported by Amnesty International. (wife)
Testimony 5: Chinese Mission to Australia, as reported by Mehray Mezensof. (wife)
About the victim
Mirzat Tahir was a resident of Urumqi, and was helping his father run the family business before his detention. He was a tour guide by profession.
On August 1, 2016, he married Mehray Mezensof, a native-born Australian of Uyghur descent. He has permanent residence in Australia, which was granted in July 2020.
ID address: 33 First Tianju Alley, Jiuhua Road, Toutunhe/Tudunghaba District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐头屯河区酒花路天驹一巷33号).
Chinese passport number: E18225098.
Victim's location
Iwirghol District Pre-Trial Detention Center (伊州区看守所).
When victim was detained
He was detained on April 10, 2017 while trying to travel to Australia with his wife, to be held at a detention center for approximately 10 months before being transferred to a camp. Later, he would be transferred to a different camp, before being released on May 22, 2019 [his current Chinese ID was issued on this date, and it is likely that the photo in the ID is also his photo right after release]. His wife notes that he was given phone privileges and allowed to see his relatives once a month a year into his detention. On May 19, 2020, he was detained again and allegedly taken to camp, to be held there until August 30, 2020.
On September 26, 2020, he was detained a third time [presumably in the Iwirghol detention center]. On April 1, 2021, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The testifier gives two reasons. The first, and presumably the de facto or suspected reason, is that he had traveled to Turkey in 2014 and 2015.
The second, and presumably the official reason given, is that he participated and was a leader in the cause to establish an independent country [i.e., separatism]. In a later testimony, this is given as "organising, leading and participating in [a] terrorist organization".
Victim's status
Sentenced. Judging by information from the Chinese Mission, the decision is being appealed.
The testifier notes that he is in poor health, and suffers from kidney stones and stomach problems.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Mehray was in contact with Mirzat in between his detentions.
Information from the Chinese Embassy comes directly from government representatives, who presumably have direct access to the details of the case.
Additional information
Australian Broadcasting Corporation feature: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-20/uyghur-australian-resident-sentenced-to-jail-in-xinjiang-china/1 00074634
Amnesty International petition: https://action.amnesty.org.au/act-now/china-release-australian-mirzat
Amnesty International case info: https://xinjiang.amnesty.org/#case-SR032
Supplementary materials
Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/Mehray_T/status/1384159523439480834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 3: https://twitter.com/Mehray_T/status/1386992120532127748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 5: https://twitter.com/Mehray_T/status/1440910213536620550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/13755_1.jpg marriage certificate: https://shahit.biz/supp/13755_2.jpg Chinese passport: https://shahit.biz/supp/13755_3.jpg photo in detention: https://shahit.biz/supp/13755_6.jpg photo after release: https://shahit.biz/supp/13755_7.jpg tour guide profile: https://shahit.biz/supp/13755_8.jpeg Entry created: 2021-04-11 Last updated: 2021-09-26 Latest status update: 2021-09-23 13757. Jappar Tomur
Chinese ID: 65282519790510??O? (Cherchen)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Qelbinur Gheni, an Uyghur residing abroad. (niece)
About the victim
Successful business man Tall
[victim's name given in testifying party field: Jaffar Tumur]
Victim's location
Korla prison
When victim was detained
2017 from home detained to concentration camps later sentence to 20 years
Likely (or given) reason for detention unknown
Victim's status unknown
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? from friends
Additional information my uncle was business man, never been involve any political or religious activity as i Know
Victims among relatives
Mahire Gheni (10994), Renagul Gheni (10993), Zuleyhan Hashim (13756), Memetjan Yusup (13758)
Entry created: 2021-04-10 Last updated: 2021-04-14 Latest status update: 2021-04-10 13758. Memetjan Yusup
Chinese ID: 65282519860404??O? (Cherchen)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): phone/computer|other Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Qelbinur Gheni, an Uyghur residing abroad. (cousin)
About the victim from Cherchen County of Xinjiang he was Government Server in Cherchen County 27 years old Bachelor degree in Physic
[victim's name given in testifier field: Memetjan Yusup]
Victim's location
Korla Prison
When victim was detained detained to Concentration camp 2017 from his work place along with other Uyghur colleague to Cherchen county concentration camp, later after 2 years given life sentence and moved to Korla prison
Likely (or given) reason for detention found sensitive information from Wechat group and sentence reason is treason
Victim's status not clear How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? from friend
Additional information well educate newly married young man detained and later given life sentence without any trial
Victims among relatives
Mahire Gheni (10994), Renagul Gheni (10993), Zuleyhan Hashim (13756), Jappar Tomur (13757)
Entry created: 2021-04-10 Last updated: 2021-04-14 Latest status update: 2021-04-10 13933. Gulman Abdulla (古丽阿曼·阿布都拉)
Chinese ID: 653201198002????E? (Hotan City)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (13 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"separatism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Gulman Abdulla, as reported by Yaxin Net. (the victim)
About the victim
Gulman Abdulla (古丽阿曼•阿布都拉), born in February 1980, is from Hotan City.
Victim's location
Xinjiang Women's Prison.
When victim was detained
Arrested in December 2005 in Hotan and sentenced to 13 years in prison. Transferred to Xinjiang Women’s Prison in January 2008.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
“Splitting the country”. In her statement of ‘atonement’ published by Chinese media, she mentioned that she had translated Arabic books into Uyghur and distributed them within Hotan city and Karakax county.
Victim's status
[Presumably still serving her sentence.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is a direct statement from the victim, as reported by state media.
Additional information
Victim's statement published in state media: https://archive.ph/2NMRW Entry created: 2020-12-27 Last updated: 2021-04-17 Latest status update: 2014-08-28 13947. Ruqiye Osman
Chinese ID: 65412119????????O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|assisting "criminals" Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Rukiya Osman is a 73-year-old Uyghur woman. She is originally from Aydal Village [not clear which village this is, as it's not listed anywhere], Dongmazar Township, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
Rukiya Osman is a widow. She has three daughters and three sons. Her three sons have all been sent to concentration camps [names unspecified].
Rukiya Osman has been a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for [approximately] 40 years. She spent [approximately] 30 years as a government official working on women's affairs in Dongmazar Township. In that role, she oversaw the interrogations of numerous women for alleged violations of family-planning policies. She was also responsible for escorting a number of pregnant women to hospitals for forced abortion procedures in connection with those policies.
Rukiya Osman reportedly won accolades and awards within the Chinese government on a number of occasions for dutifully carrying out her work.
Victim's location
Baykul Women's Prison in Ghulja City, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. [This is presumably the Ili Women's Prison, which is around Baykol and the only prison in the vicinity.]
When victim was detained
In June 2017, Rukiya Osman was brought in for questioning by Chinese authorities. During her interrogation, Rukiya Osman reportedly revealed that she had listened to an Islamic sermon given at a wake in 2007. She told police that she had attended the wake in 2007 whilst she was on duty, to "watch the event and ensure that nothing illegal was taking place."
Rukiya Osman reportedly attempted to convey to police that she had "kept a strict boundary between herself and the 'religious radicals' who were present that day [at the wake]." The police did not believe her story and reportedly punished her for "failing to report at the time that the sermon had been delivered."
Rukiya Osman reportedly told police that the reason she did not report the sermon to authorities in 2007 was that such sermons were not illegal at the time, and the sermon in question had no "harmful content."
Following her interrogation, a black hood was reportedly placed over Rukiya Osman's head and she was transported from the interrogation room to a detention center.
As a result of not reporting the aforementioned sermon to authorities in 2007, Rukiya Osman was accused by police of "aiding and abetting criminal activity" and transported from a [Dongmazar] Township detention center to a county-level facility.
Rukiya Osman spent approximately two years in detention until she was taken to trial in mid-2019 and subsequently sentenced to 17 years in prison in connection with her attendance at the wake in 2007 and her alleged failure to report the sermon at that wake to authorities at that time.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Rukiya Osman was reportedly accused by Chinese police of "aiding and abetting criminal activity." That accusation was related to a sermon delivered at a wake she attended in 2007 whilst she was "on duty" as a government official. She did not report the sermon to authorities in 2007 as such sermons were not illegal at the time and the sermon in question had no "harmful content."
Victim's status
The victim was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment in mid-2019 and is currently being held at Baykul Women's Prison in Ghulja City, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
[It is likely that the victim is being subjected to forced labor at the prison, as the presence of workshops has been documented there.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The testifier (a secretary of the Dongmazar Township committee of the Chinese Communist Party's Office of Politics and Law) reportedly has inside knowledge of the victim's case.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/septuagenarian-12182020173711.html
Entry created: 2021-01-10 Last updated: 2021-04-18 Latest status update: 2020-12-18 13948. Musa Imam
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Kizilsu Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Musa Imam is the business partner of Turkish businessman Murat Ulker.
Musa Imam ran a company named Ihlas; his company is described by the testifier as having a Turkish industrial zone in shopping malls in Urumqi, Kashgar and Hotan. [The meaning of the part about the Turkish industrial zone is unclear, but it sounds like his company had multiple storefronts, spread across Urumqi, Kashgar and Hotan, and was connected with Turkey.]
Victim's location
Testimony 2: sentenced in Atush.
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Musa Imam was arrested on 14 June 2018 in China.
Testimony 2: sentenced to 18 years in early May 2021.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
Testimony 2: sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? Not stated.
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Muzepper Imam (13949), Ekber Ela (13950)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://twitter.com/AbduwelA/status/1340738539789664258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Testimony 2: https://twitter.com/AbduwelA/status/1393508864679718915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo (right): https://shahit.biz/supp/13948_2.jpg
Entry created: 2021-01-10 Last updated: 2021-06-05 Latest status update: 2021-05-15 13971. Xu Jie (徐洁)
Chinese ID: ??????19631113??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 51 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xu Jie, born on November 13, 1963, resident address: Korla’s Bostan Village (Charbagh Township) First Group, No. 172, Building 2, No. 8 (库尔勒市博斯坦一组 172 号二楼 8 号)
Victim's location
Korla City Pre-Trial Detention Center (库尔勒市看守所).
When victim was detained
Detained for distributing Falun Gong material on October 8, 2012 and held for 15 days. Subsequently detained in Korla’s Natural Resource Neighborhood (国土资源小区) on June 3, 2014 while handing out leaflets describing the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident of 2001. She awaited trial in Korla’s Detention Center. A court case was opened on December 19, 2014 on charges of “organizing and using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” and violating Clause 1 of Article 300 of China’s Penal Code. A court witness described Xu yelling “Communist Party is corrupt”, “I am not afraid, I’ve been in prison 9 times” and other ‘illegal comments’. She also supposedly had a 5 yuan banknote with the words “Heaven will punish the CCP, quit the Party, teams and brigades to save life!” Other witnesses recalled that Xu had already started practising Falun Gong while living in Henan and preached to them and their families there. The prosecution accused Xu of distributing Falun Gong materials in urban areas of Korla several times between November 2012 and June 2014 and recommended a prison sentence of 3 to 7 years, giving her refusal to admit guilt as incriminating grounds. A police search conducted in her home found a large set of Falun Gong leaflets, the large majority of which were related to the Tiananmen self-immolation incident. She was found guilty and sentenced to 6 years in prison, with the sentence expiring on June 2, 2020.
Likely (or given) reason for detention Her Falun Gong activities, officially interpreted as "organizing and using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement (组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施罪)".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/wN2s1
Entry created: 2021-01-18 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2015-03-26 13989. Daniyar Abdugheni
Chinese ID: 65410119950914??O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (25 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Ramile Ablimit, a resident of Canada. (cousin once removed)
About the victim
Daniyar Abdugheni is a Uyghur man who was born on 14 September 1995. He is a grandson of Sattar Dawut.
He lived in Ghulja on 37 West Xinhua Road, Building No. 15 (second door, apartment on the right of the first floor).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Daniyar Abdugheni went to Turkey at some point in time. On 7 June 2017, upon his return to China from Turkey, he was arrested at the airport [by Chinese authorities].
His whereabouts were unknown for approximately three years following his arrest, until it was discovered [by an unspecified party] that he was held at a concentration camp in Kuytun [Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture].
Daniyar Abdugheni was recently sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
The victim has been sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not specified.
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Sattar Dawut (13991), Nurzat Sattar (13988)
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGbede6OdEQ
Entry created: 2021-01-22 Last updated: 2021-04-20 Latest status update: 2020-12-12 13990. Seyyare Nijat (赛亚热·尼加提)
Chinese ID: 654101199007260268 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"terrorism", "extremism" Health status: --- Profession: medicine
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Ramile Ablimit, a resident of Canada. (friend of relative)
Testimony 2: Official detention notice, provided after the initial detention of a suspect in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 3: Rahi Haji, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relative)
Testimony 4: Nadire Nijat, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (sister)
Testimony 5|7: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 6: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (colleague)
Testimony 8: Local prison staff, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Sayyare Nijat is a Uyghur woman who was born on 26 July 1990 in Ghulja.
She graduated both elementary and high school with honours and went on to study medicine at Xinjiang Medical University.
Following her graduation from Xinjiang Medical University, she started to work at the No. 2 Hospital in Urumqi. (Testimony 3-4: she worked at the Friendship Hospital, which would be the No. 3 hospital.)
ID address: 25 First Alley, Ehmetjan Road, Ghulja City, Xinjiang (新疆伊宁市阿合买提江路1巷25号).
Victim's location
Testimony 8: at the Juvenile Prison in Urumqi.
When victim was detained Testimony 1: On 23 May 2017, Sayyare Nijat was arrested from her home in Urumqi.
Testimony 2: detained on September 13, 2017 and held at a detention center in Urumqi. [The detention notice appears to have an error, as it says that Seyyare was held at the No. 3 detention center, then adds that the center is on Minghua Street. However, the center on Minghua Street is the No. 4 center, and not the No. 3. Based on Testimony 5, it would seem that the error is in the number.]
Testimony 3: arrested from home on May 17, 2017, with her family being notified of her detention (via the detention notice) 4 months later.
Testimony 5: An anonymous male police officer from Sayyare Nijat's neighborhood in Urumqi told RFA that Sayyare Nijat was taken into custody by "national security" officers and that she is currently being held at the Dawan Women's Detention Center in the southern part of Tengritah District, Urumqi. The anonymous police officer specified that the "national security" officers placed a black hood over the head of Sayyare Nijat and "took her in." The anonymous police officer also added that he had not heard of any prison sentence being handed to Sayyare Nijat, but acknowledged that his police station had not received any updates on her case from the authorities responsible for her detention.
Testimony 6: she was sentenced to 14 years.
Testimony 8: transferred to the Juvenile Prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 2: detained on the suspicion of illegal possession of items propagating terrorism and extremism.
Victim's status
Testimony 6-7: sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated.
Testimony 2: this is an official document from the police organs.
Testimony 3-4: [likely through the victim's parents]
Testimony 6: this is a former colleague at the Urumqi No. 3 Hospital, and presumably has relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Testimony 7: this is a police officer from the victim's neighborhood, and would presumably have relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Testimony 8: this is a staff member at the prison, and had seen the victim a few days earlier.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/doctor-01122021152417.html (Testimony 3-5) https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/seyyare-nijat-08112021194210.html (Testimony 6-8)
Testimony 3-4: Both of Sayyare Nijat's parents were also detained shortly after Sayyare Nijat's arrest. Her mother was released after several months and her father was released after a year and a half.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGbede6OdEQ Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/13990_1.jpg Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/13990_3.png photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/13990_4.png
Entry created: 2021-01-22 Last updated: 2021-08-19 Latest status update: 2021-08-11 14019. Qasim Sidiq
Chinese ID: 65410119????????O? (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (20 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" literature|"inciting ethnic hatred" Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1|4: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
Testimony 2: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (colleague)
Testimony 3: Rahile Kamal, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)
Testimony 5: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Qasim Sidiq is a well-known Uyghur poet, literature teacher and amateur physicist from Ghulja City, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
He previously worked for the Ghulja Bureau of Education and also taught at Dadamtu Intermediate School in Ghulja City.
Testimony 3: later in his career, Qasim Sidiq also founded an organisation [name of organisation unspecified] and worked as the director of a literary and arts group. He has also published a number of physics papers and poems ("many of his poems had romantic themes and were love poems").
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Qasim Sidiq was arrested in March 2017 and has been missing ever since. He was interrogated by police [in Xinjiang] on a number of occasions prior to his arrest, and he was "likely detained as part of a group of people deemed 'suspicious' because of previous brushes with the law." Certain song lyrics and poems that were composed by the victim "as many as 15 years ago" were used as evidence for charges of "inciting ethnic hatred" that were laid upon the victim [by the Chinese government]. (Testimony 3: Qasim Sidiq wrote the lyrics to a popular song called "Bu Keche" and, as a result of those lyrics, ran into trouble with local authorities in Xinjiang at some point in the past.)
Testimony 2: An anonymous employee of the Ghulja Bureau of Education confirmed to RFA that Qasim Sidiq had been detained, but did not provide any further details about his arrest or detention.
Testimony 4: sentenced to 20 years.
Testimony 5: sentenced in 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 1: the victim was arrested on charges of "inciting ethnic hatred" in connection with song lyrics and poems that were composed by the victim "as many as 15 years ago".
Testimony 4: there were "problems" with some of his poems.
Victim's status
In detention.
Testimony 4-5: sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1+3: not stated.
Testimony 2: both worked at the Ghulja Bureau of Education at some point, so the testifier is likely to have relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Testimony 4: this is allegedly a close friend of the victim, though it's not clear how he learned the news.
Testimony 5: this is a local policeman with presumably relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/poet-01072021174718.html (Testimony 1-3) https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/poet-01252021133515.html (Testimony 4-5)
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/14019_1.png
Entry created: 2021-02-18 Last updated: 2021-04-29 Latest status update: 2021-01-25 14279. Abdusalam Rozi
Chinese ID: 65412119????????O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): past "transgressions"|"separatism", challenging authority Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Local police, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
Abdusalam Rozi is a Uyghur man who is originally from Qotantam Village, Ghulja County.
It is known that Abdusalam Rozi was 22 years old at the time of his first arrest in 1998, and 43 years old at the time of his second sentencing in 2019. This means that as of 2021, he is approximately 45 years old.
Out of the past 23 years, Abdusalam Rozi has only spent one year outside of detention. It is not known whether he has been able to marry or have children.
Victim's location
The victim is currently being held at a prison in Shiho (Wusu) City, Tarbaghatay, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
When victim was detained
Abdusalam Rozi was first detained in 1998 in the aftermath of the 1997 Ghulja Incident and sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment on the charges of "splitting the country and distributing anti-government propaganda". He completed his first 18-year prison sentence at the No. 1 Prison in Urumqi and was released in August 2016.
In April 2017, he was re-arrested and sent to a concentration camp. At the concentration camp, he was amongst a group of approximately 10 former "Feb. 5 prisoners" [i.e. prisoners who were arrested and sentenced in the aftermath of the 1997 Ghulja Incident] who were forced to sign documents admitting "regret" for their past actions.
During a phone call from RFA to a certain anonymous staffer from the concentration camp at which Abdusalam Rozi was being held (Testimony 2), "a man believed to be [Abdusalam] Rozi could be heard along with other former Feb. 5 prisoners reciting 'lessons' taught by camp staff, including an oath of loyalty to China, as part of their daily 'activities'".
At some point in 2019, Abdusalam was sentenced once again to 18 years of imprisonment and transferred from the concentration camp to a prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Abdusalam Rozi's first arrest was in connection with the 1997 Ghulja Incident. The official charges on which he was handed his first 18-year prison sentence were "splitting the country" and "distributing anti-government propaganda".
The reason for which Abdusalam Rozi was re-arrested in April 2017 was likely that he was a former "Feb 5. prisoner". According to anonymous concentration camp staffers with whom RFA spoke in the summer of 2017 (Testimony 2), Abdusalam Rozi was considered to be amongst a group of "relatively serious offenders" all detained in April 2017.
The official charges that were laid upon him when he was handed his second 18-year prison sentence at some point in 2019 are unknown, but according to the chief of the Aral Village police station (Testimony 1), the reason for his second prison sentence was "connected to politics".
Victim's status
The victim has been handed a second 18-year prison sentence and is currently being held at a prison in Shiho (Wusu) City, Tarbaghatay, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
[It is likely that the victim is being subjected to forced labor, as all of the documented prisons in Wusu have had this practice documented.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: Unclear, but the testifier presumably had access to official information concerning the victim. Testimony 2: At least one of the anonymous concentration camp staffers worked at the concentration camp in which Abdusalam Rozi was held.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-2): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/jail-02162021145630.html
Entry created: 2021-02-26 Last updated: 2021-04-30 Latest status update: 2021-02-16 14368. Abdulber Omer (阿卜杜力拜尔·约麦尔)
Chinese ID: 65322319720405??O? (Guma)
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hotan Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"taking bribes", "abuse of power" Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Abdulber Omer (阿卜杜力拜尔•约麦尔) was born on April 5, 1972 in Pishan Farm, 14th Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. His residential address: Apartment 2102, Entrance 4, 21st Floor, Building 2, Commercial Area, South Gate International City, Renmin Road 446, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区人民路446号南门国际城商业区2栋21层4单元2102室). He worked as Vice-Secretary of the Pishan Farm’s Party Committee.
Victim's location
Xinjiang Producton and Construction Corps Division 14 Detention Center
When victim was detained
Taken into custody on April 15, 2018 (留置). An official arrest warrant was issued four months later, on August 14th. On November 23, the Corps’ Kunyu District People’s Court sentenced Abdulber to 15 years in prison, a decision which he appealed to the Intermediate People’s Court of the 14th Division. On December 20, 2018, the said court dismissed the appeal and upheld the original sentence.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
“Accepting bribes and misusing his public position“. He was accused of taking a total of 8 million 252 thousand 444 yuan and 1.6kg of gold in bribes from various individuals through his tenure as Vice-Secretary of the Party Committee of Pishan Farm between 2011 and 2016 (though the court ruling mentions that he had given part of the money back in fear of being investigated). Article 383 of China’s Penal Code stipulates that individuals who have taken bribes worth over 100.000 yuan “are to be sentenced to more than 10 years of fixed-term imprisonment or life imprisonment and may, in addition, have their properties confiscated”. Abdulber was also accused of assigning to public positions two religious figures who had been previously expelled from public office due to “extremist religious ideology”. Specifically, Abdulber was accused of instructing the 14th Division’s Ethnic and Religious Affairs Office to continue employing Osman Memet after his imam status had been cancelled, and of retracting the Pishan Farm PSB’s decision to relieve Ablimit Qadir from his religious duties. In his appeal, Abdulber asked for a lighter sentence, arguing that he had “given over to the court all illegally solicited capital, confessed to all his crimes and exposed the corrupt behaviour of others. He also argued that his actions with regards to the re-appointments of Osman Memet and Ablimit Qadir had “conditions outside of his control”. The Intermediate People’s Court dismissed both arguments.
Victim's status
Sentenced to prison for 15 years with a 5 year deprivation of political rights.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Link to verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/liangmianren.png
Mentioned in state media: https://archive.ph/y0Cgp
His case mentioned in an article posted on the official Bingtuan site: https://archive.ph/8LPIl
Entry created: 2021-04-15 Last updated: 2021-05-06 Latest status update: 2018-12-20 14369. Osman Memet (奥斯曼·麦麦提)
Chinese ID: 65322319????????O? (Guma)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion, "extremism", "inciting ethnic hatred" Health status: --- Profession: religion
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Osman Memet, an imam from Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps 14th Division and member of the Management Committee of the mosque in Company 6, Platoon 1. The 2018 court ruling of the then-vice secretary of Pishan Farm Abdulber Omer then describes how Abdulber “instructed the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of the 14th Division to continue employing Osman with knowledge of his unsuitability for religious duty”, which the Bureau agreed to do on April 18, 2014, a month after Osman’s detention. Later, Osman was assigned as the khatib (imam) of the mosque in Company 5, Platoon 2 of the Xinjiang Production Corps’ 14th Division. On December 18 the same year, he was transferred to the New City District Mosque in Pishan Farm, a post which he held until June 3, 2015.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Detained by 14th division’s Kunyu Area PSB on March 24, 2014 for “preaching scripture illegally”. The next day, he had his imam’s qualification annulled by the secretary of Pishan Farm’s Party Committee. Osman was released after serving administrative detention. Presumably on June 3, 2015, he was detained for a second time (this date is mentioned as the end of his tenure as imam of the New City District Mosque). In June 2016, Osman was sentenced to nine years in prison, with a three-year deprivation of political rights.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Detained in 2014 for “preaching scripture illegally”. Arrested and sentenced in 2016 for “illegally possessing extremist and fanatical religious items”, “illegally conducting extremist and fanatical Tabligh preaching many times during some funeral services”, “poisoning the minds of over 5 thousand people”. The 14th Division Intermediate People’s Court found him guilty of “instigating ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination”.
Victim's status
Serving a 9-year prison sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original court verdict mentioning him: https://shahit.biz/shared/liangmianren.png
Entry created: 2021-04-15 Last updated: 2021-05-06 Latest status update: 2018-12-20 14371. Nijat Idris (尼加提·伊迪热斯)
Chinese ID: 652927198801054198 (Uchturpan)
Basic info
Age: 33 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Aksu Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): challenging authority|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party (* direct submission)
Peride Idris, as reported by Rune Steenberg. (sister)
About the victim
Nijat Idris, age: 33, married, 2 daughters, lived in Lüdawan Rayon, Ürümchi, parents (originally from Aksu) were evicted from their house in Ürümchi in 2018, very religious family, three elder sisters, one in Kucha, one in Ürümchi, one in Istanbul
Victim's location
"Shinha" prison in Aksu
When victim was detained
Detained in May 2018 in Ürümchi in order for him to be "educated", during his education (in which camp is not clear) there were repeated disciplinary issues ("qapirlargha boysunmidi"), upon which he was sentenced to 7 years in prison. It is not clear when the sentencing took place, but his sister learnt about it in 2020
Likely (or given) reason for detention originally detained to be taken to "education" (öginish), no criminal accusation, later sentenced for disciplinary issues in the camp
Victim's status in prison (Shinha Prison in Aksu), health status unknown
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? from relatives in China Additional information
Shortly after the parents were evicted from their house in Ürümchi, the father suffered a heart attack and died. When the victim heard of this he was very upset and reportedly showed resistance in the camp. This was one of the reasons for his later sentencing.
Supplementary materials
Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/14371_1.png
Entry created: 2021-04-06 Last updated: 2021-04-06 Latest status update: 2021-03-30 14372. Ma Yinglong (马英龙)
Chinese ID: 65412119790920??O? (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: other Likely current location: --- Status: unclear (hard) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" literature|"terrorism", "extremism" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
Testimony 2: Sulaiman Gu, as reported by Radio Free Asia Mandarin. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Ma Yinglong (马英龙) is originally from Ghulja county in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. DOB: September 20, 1979. He came to Beijing for work in 2004. In 2012, he opened the Halal Publishing House in Beijing’s Haidian District. In 2014, he registered the business as Mektep Bookstore (麦克图布图书中心), while retaining the Halal Publishing House brand in his online store at www.islambook.net The business was registered under the name of his acquaintance Ma [presumably Ma Junmei], since Ma Yinglong did not have a middle school diploma.
Testimony 2: According to an overseas source that was interviewed by Radio Free Asia, Ma is an ethnic Dongxiang.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Xinjiang, but unclear where.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 1: Detained on August 17, 2016. An official arrest warrant was issued on September 23. He was sentenced to a year and one month (and a 1000 yuan fine) on September 1, 2017.
Testimony 2: After serving his sentence at the Beijing First Detention Center (he was released on September 16, 2017, as time in pre-trial detention already passed one year), he was detained again on October 6, 2017 and handed over to the Xinjiang police [and presumably taken to Xinjiang, as that is where his registration was].
Likely (or given) reason for detention “Promoting terrorism and extremism” (Article 120 of China’s Penal Code): he reportedly purchased and resold Sayyid Qutb’s “Milestones”, which is in the list of banned literature in the PRC due to its supposed extremist content. According to the court verdict, he sold six copies of the book since 2012, with three buyers from 2015 testifying before court.
Victim's status
[Presumably detained in Xinjiang.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: this is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Testimony 2: not stated, though Sulaiman presented a recording of his phone conversation with someone from the bookshop, where the second detention was confirmed.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 2): https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shaoshuminzu/ql1-10102017104908.html
Testimony 2: An overseas source informed Radio Free Asia that Ma’s bookstore had been closed, which is confirmed by its business listing (https://archive.ph/dO0sn).
Original verdict (Testimony 1): https://shahit.biz/supp/wenshu/2eff736791a74519aa32a96200119f0a.pdf
Entry created: 2021-04-15 Last updated: 2021-07-17 Latest status update: 2017-10-10 14466. Lu Hongxia (逯红霞)
Chinese ID: 65900119750813??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Lu Hongxia (逯红霞) is a member of the Church of Almighty God. DOB: August 13, 1975. Registered in Shihezi city.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on April 12, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, with the official arrest taking place on May 17. The indictment against her was filed on January 4, 2019. On March 29, 2019, she was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months, and fined 3000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
She was accused of being a "key member" of the No. 7 Church based at the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps. In court, she said she had joined the organization in 2003 and would go on to host some gatherings in her home next to a printing factory at the No. 147 Corps. Unlike the majority of other Church of Almighty God members tried in this case, Lu admitted to being guilty in court and cooperated with the prosecution in identifying pictures of other group members.
Victim's status
Sentenced. (She was given a more lenient sentence for cooperating with the prosecution.) How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials original verdict: https://shahit.biz/supp/14466_1.pdf
Entry created: 2021-04-28 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-03-29 14467. Wang Jinxiang (王金香)
Chinese ID: 65900119580610??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 60 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Jinxiang (王金香) is a member of the Church of Almighty God. DOB: June 10, 1958. Registered in Shihezi city.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Pre-Trial Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
She was detained on April 12, 2018 by the Mosuowan Public Security Bureau, with the official arrest taking place on May 17. The indictment against her was filed on January 4, 2019. On March 29, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years and fined 5000RMB.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
She was accused of being a "key member" of the No. 7 Church based at the No. 147 Bingtuan Corps. She told the court that she started believing in the Church’s doctrine in March 2016, and was responsible for distributing materials in Shihezi. According to Lu Hongxia’s testimony, Wang’s home served as a hub for the Church members. Unlike the majority of other Church of Almighty God members in this case, Wang admitted to being guilty in court.
Victim's status
Sentenced. (Because of her cooperation during the trial, Lu was given a lighter sentence than others.) How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials original verdict: https://shahit.biz/supp/14467_1.pdf
Entry created: 2021-04-28 Last updated: 2021-05-13 Latest status update: 2019-03-29 14468. Jiang Chunhua (姜春花)
Chinese ID: 65900119641001??E? (Shihezi)
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Jiang Chunhua (姜春花). DOB: October 1, 1964. Registered in Shihezi city. Presumably lives in Company 13, No. 149, Production Corps Division 9 (this is the address given for her husband).
Victim's location
First Detention Center, Shihezi city.
When victim was detained
Her house was raided on April 19, 2018, and she was arrested one day later. Official arrest warrant issued on May 25. The prosecution filed charges against Jiang on December 26. She was sentenced on March 20, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Illegally using heterodox groups to undermine the rule of law" (犯利用邪教组织破坏法律实施).
She was accused of being a “key Church of Almighty God member” at the No. 9 Church at No. 149, Division 8, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, acting as the Church’s manager. She reportedly joined the No. 9 Church in 2011 and sometimes would host gatherings in her home.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 3 years in prison (to expire on April 19, 2021) and given a fine of 5.000 yuan.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? The court verdict comes from the authorities themselves.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/sSAyp
Entry created: 2021-04-27 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2019-03-20 14469. Zhang Fengying (张凤英)
Chinese ID: 65422319650730??E? (Shawan)
Basic info
Age: 53 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Fengying (张凤英). DOB: July 30, 1965. Registered in Shawan county.
Victim's location
First Detention Center, Shihezi city.
When victim was detained
Her house was raided on March 11, 2018. One day later, she was arrested by the Mosuowan PSB in Shihezi. Official arrest warrant issued on April 16. Prosecution filed charges against Zhang on December 26. She was sentenced on March 20, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Illegally using heterodox groups to undermine the rule of law" (犯利用邪教组织破坏法律实施).
She was accused of being a “key Church of Almighty God member” at the No. 9 Church at No. 149, Division 8, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. She reportedly joined the No. 9 Church in 2012, and would go on to be responsible for transporting things between members of different Churches.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 2 years in prison (to expire on March 23, 2020) and given a fine of 4.000 yuan.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict comes from the authorities themselves. Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/sSAyp
Entry created: 2021-04-27 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2019-03-20 14645. Rusul Haliq (热苏里·哈力克)
Chinese ID: 6522??19681028??O? (---)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hotan Status: sentenced (10 years) When problems started: Apr. 2018 - June 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"abuse of power", "taking bribes", assisting "criminals" Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Rusul Haliq (热苏里•哈力克), also known as Abdurusul Haliq (阿不都•若苏里•哈力克) was born on October 28, 1968 in Hami. He has a bachelor’s degree and has worked as Chief of the Bureau of Civil Affairs in Kunyu city, Division 14, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
Victim's location
Division 14 Detention Center (新疆生产建设兵团第十四师看守所).
When victim was detained
Detained on April 14, 2018. Arrest warrant was issued on July 8. His sentence was announced on September 9, after which Rusul appealed. The definitive hearing took place on November 6, 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was accused of breaching Articles 383 ("graft and bribery"), 385 and 388 ("taking advantage of the office") and 386 ("accepting bribes") of China's Penal Code. He was also accused of providing an "umbrella" for the "three-evil forces" in his attempts to interfere with the "strike-hard" campaign and get lighter sentences for those accused of separatist or extremist activity.
Rusul was accused of accepting bribes in exchange for assistance in legal and labour cases. The court presented the following accusations: 1) Rusul accepted bribes from a worker in Guma Farm named Ablikim Abliz between December 2014 and March 2015. Ablikim received the money from Ablimit Eli, who in turn was solicited by Aziz Abdurehim, the brother of a suspect whose name begins with “Nur”. Aziz wanted a lighter sentence in court for his brother. Ablikim gave a total of 114.200 yuan to Rusul, 89.600 of which were direct cash payments. Rusul then contacted a judge in the criminal court “Nur” was on trial at and asked for him to be lenient, but did not give any bribes. In March 2015, “Nur” was sentenced to 3 years in prison, which Rusul deemed to be a light enough sentence for the crime of “gathering a crowd to disturb social order”. However, the said judge and a Han judge by the name of Li testified that Rusul’s interference had no influence on the panel’s decision. 2) Rusul accepted a total of 140.000 yuan (137.000 yuan in cash) in bribes from Ablikim Abliz yet again in the period between August 2015 and March 2016. This time, Ablikim was entrusted by Ilham Nizamidin, who in turn took money from his father-in-law, Memut Metsup. Memut Metsup is the father of a suspect whose name begins with “A” and who was on trial for splitting the state. In the end, “A” was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Rusul thought that the judges had not acted in accordance with his request. The judges in the case of “A” testified in court and said Rusul’s interference had no influence on the panel’s decision. 3) In August 2016, Rusul acted as a representative of the Kunyu authorities in their contract with Hotan Prefecture Land and Resources Survey Programme Bureau, who won the bid for the project of installing administrative boundary markers in Kunyu. The Bureau chief Mahmuteli Imin gave a total of 20.000 yuan to Rusul as a gesture of gratitude after local authorities had already made the payment for the project. 4) In February 2018, Rusul accepted a total of 9.000 in cash from Abduqeyyum Abliz. Abduqeyyum was entrusted by Ablitip Abdurahman, the cousin of A**. A** had been taken to a camp in Urumqi and Ablitip hoped Rusul could help him be released sooner. Rusul then sent A**’s details via Wechat to An Zhenzhu (安珍珠), an acquaintance in the Urumqi PSB. He also sent an additional 15.000 as payment to An: this was also provided by Abduqeyyum and Ablitip. 5)In June 2016, a man named Abduweli Elmerdan gave 50.000 yuan to Ablikim Abliz (who is his relative) in hopes that he could find a job for Abduweli’s son, who had been fired from a government job in Karakax county. Ablikim then told Rusul about the case, but said Abduweli had only given 40.000 yuan. Ablikim also told Rusul that the family of Ababekri Mamut had been unhappy about Ababekri’s sentence and asked for money back. Rusul gave 40.000 yuan to Ablikim, but Ablikim never transferred the money to Ababekri’s family.
Victim's status
Rusul admitted to being guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison with a fine of 200.000 yuan. Rusul’s lawyer appealed the sentence, but the court dismissed the arguments.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: http://archive.is/VlK9D
Entry created: 2021-05-03 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2018-11-06 14647. Memetimin Mettursun
Chinese ID: 65320119????????O? (Hotan City)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hotan Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: farmwork, herding
Testifying party
Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
About the victim
Memetimin Mettursun (买麦提明•买吐松), a farmer from Garzun village, Ilchi township, Hotan municipality (伊里其乡嘎宗村) [there is no such village in Ilchi, however].
Victim's location
Hotan City Detention Center
When victim was detained
Sentenced in September 2017
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Illegal religious activity"
Victim's status
Sentenced to 4 years in prison. Preliminary release date: April - May 2021 [presumably the initial detention was then in April-May 2017]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
Mention in list of victims collated by Rights Protection Network: https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/08/201983147-1040_48.html (The blog post writes that the victim is an ethnic Kazakh, but this is unlikely due to his name and locality.)
Entry created: 2021-05-06 Last updated: 2021-05-20 Latest status update: 2019-08-31 14649. Ning Huirong (宁惠荣)
Chinese ID: 652201194610282518 (Kumul)
Basic info
Age: 71 Gender: M Ethnicity: other Likely current location: Hami Status: house/town arrest When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): challenging authority|"picking quarrels" Health status: has problems Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|3: Rights Protection Network (维权网), a Chinese blog covering rights abuses in China.
Testimony 2: Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, a Chinese human rights news website.
Testimony 4: Cai Chu, a Chinese human rights activist and citizen journalist.
Testimony 5: Boxun.com, an aggregation website, which focuses on alleged political scandals in China.
About the victim
Ning Huirong (宁惠荣), an ethnic Manchu. Born in Beijing in October 1946. Assigned to Xinjiang in 1966. Worked in a salinification plant in Hami. He became an activist after after resisting abusive police in 2003. He began writing appeals to Beijing authorities in 2007.
Registration address: Dayingfang, Iwirghol District, Hami City, XUAR (新疆维吾尔自治区哈密市伊州区大营房).
Residential address: No. 3 Single-Story House, Yard 59, North Youth Road, West Stream District, Hami City, XUAR (新疆哈密市西河区青年北路59院平3号).
Testimony 3: He is a Christian.
Testimony 5: Ning has two phone numbers: 13999445771 and 18399842370 (the latter seems to have been turned off).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Hami.]
When victim was detained
Detained in September 2009 after writing a request for a street demonstration to the Beijing PSB. In January 2010, he received a 3 year sentence, which he served in Turpan Prison. He was released in March 2013. On September 2, 2016, he was abducted from a No. 102 tram in Beijing at the Yongdingmen Coach Station and sent to Hami the next day, to be detained in the Hami PSB office. On September 5, 2016, he was taken to the Hami City hospital, reportedly to be held in detention under pretext of treatment: two people were assigned to watch him at daytime and three at night.
Testimony 2: sent to house arrest on November 13, 2017.
Testimony 2: Detained on September 14, 2009 by the Shuangyushu (双榆树) police office in Haidian District, Beijing, after which he was transferred back to Xinjiang. He was sentenced on January 22, 2010. He was detained again, for one month, in Shandong on June 15, 2015 after taking part in the "Weifang Incident".
Testimony 3: During his first prison tenure, he refused to admit guilt, which resulted in authorities not shortening his sentence. During his detention in the Hami PSB, his phone, laptop and wallet were all confiscated.
Testimony 2: During the years in Turpan prison, he had to use cold showers, was subjected to forced labour, sleep prevention, had to sleep on the floor for months and his relatives were prevented from seeing him.
Testimony 5: According to Ning’s own account, the appeal procedures had already reached the People’s Highest Procuratorate before his arrest in 2016. After getting taken back to Hami, he spent 48 hours in Hami’s Dayingfang (大营房) police office before being transferred to the hospital.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
“Picking quarrels and provoking trouble" - refers to him writing appeals to authorities.
Victim's status
Under house arrest.
Testimony 2: He was injured during the arrest in 2016 in many places, with swelling and bleeding reported. He was prevented from seeing a doctor and using a bathroom. Nurses hung a plate on his chest that said “a patient with high risk of falling down, please be careful”, but both he and his wife are reported to have been “pushed and shoved” by the hospital staff. He was also allowed a shower once in a year and a barber’s service only twice.
Testimony 5: Ning’s medical records indicate him having various cardiovascular, cerebral and respiratory issues. Ning received emergency treatment twice during his detention in the hospital. However, no further checks were done after November 18, and by December 13, he was transferred from the city hospital to the Liyuan Community Wellness Center (丽园社区卫生服务中心) and stayed there under 24-hour surveillance in a less-than 10 m2 ward. Ning claims there had been no chief doctor in the center, and his treatment was limited to simple pills every two days. Once, after the blood pressure had gone dangerously high (up to 220 mm), he was given blood pressure medication. When the blood pressure went back up, he was promised a doctor’s visit, but this never materialized. At the time of the Lunar New Year, his wife contacted the local PSB to arrange a shower for Ning, but her requests were refused. Ning was then allowed to go for a shower by inspection workers, but only under the supervision of guards. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 5: some information came from Ning directly.
Additional information
Mention in list of victims collated by Rights Protection Network (Testimony 1): https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2019/08/201983147-1040_48.html
Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch coverage (Testimony 2): https://www.msguancha.com/a/lanmu5/2020/0303/19470.html
Additional coverage from Rights Protection Network (Testimony 3): https://wqw2010.blogspot.com/2018/10/759.html
Boxun coverage (Testimony 5): https://blog.bnn.co/hero/201701/ngdebokelvqianro/16_1.shtml
Testimony 4: The hospital address he was held in is North Qingnian Road (青年北路59--3号), Hami.
Testimony 2:
His son Tian Luping was accused for stealing a mobile phone from his former workplace, a communications company. The company had contacted the Xihequ police office, which then searched Ning’s family and demanded a payment. Ning refused to pay as the police would not provide a receipt. He was then threatened by the police, and later informed the Procuratorate about the fact.
Later, Ning spotted Tian stealing and handed him over to the police station. Tian was sentenced to 3 years in prison. The police officer who handled Tian’s case was the same one who Ning had reported on before, and Ning believed the heavy sentence handed to his son was out of a “personal vendetta”, therefore started writing appeals to Beijing in June 2017.
[There is a good likelihood that Ning was subjected to forced labor at the Turpan Prison, as the Donghu Cement Factory is based there.]
Supplementary materials
Testimony 4: https://twitter.com/caichu88/status/1355003715573452801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/14649_1.png
Entry created: 2021-05-06 Last updated: 2021-06-30 Latest status update: 2018-10-01 14657. Abdusalam Pettar (阿不都沙拉木·帕塔尔)
Chinese ID: 650103198707150611 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"untrustworthy person", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Abdusalam Pettar.
Registration address [also his wife's residential address]: Apt. 1008, Building No. 16, Shanshui Lande Residential Area, Longrui Street 889, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号山水兰德小区16号楼1008号).
Victim's location
Shuimogou District Vocational Education Center (水磨沟区职教中心).
When victim was detained
Arrested on September 26, 2017 and taken for "education through transformation". On November 13, 2018, Abdusalam's wife attended her husband's "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp, where he was given a provisional sentence of 3 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Arrested for being a "suspected untrustworthy person". Sentenced for "participating in illegal religious activity".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 13, 2018, now with a provisional 3-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-05-21 Last updated: 2021-05-21 Latest status update: 2018-11-13 14658. Gheyret Memet (艾热提·买买提)
Chinese ID: 652829198703151012 (Baghrash)
Basic info
Age: 31 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Gheyret Memet.
Registration address: House No. 173, Group No. 8, Utinghol Village, Chaghannur Township, Baghrash County (博湖县查干诺尔乡乌腾郭勒村8组173号). [However, his wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, making it more likely that this is Gheyret's residential address as well, especially seeing as how he was taken to camp in Urumqi.]
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Arrested on September 6, 2017, and transferred to a re-education camp in December of the same year. On November 9, 2018, Gheyret's wife attended her husband's "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp, where he was given a provisional sentence of 2 years of camp study.
(Police records note him being added to the iTap database on September 20, 2017.)
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Arrested and sentenced for "being suspected of procuring fake documents".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 9, 2018, now with a provisional 2-year sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-05-21 Last updated: 2021-06-01 Latest status update: 2018-11-09 14662. Memetsalih Metqasim (麦麦提萨力·麦提喀斯木)
Chinese ID: 653222197708040636 (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|assisting "criminals", "violating birth policies" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Memetsalih Metqasim.
Registration address: Apt. 203, Entrance No. 1, Building No. 2, 3 Henan Alley, Saybagh District, Urumqi (沙依巴克区河南巷3号2号楼1单元203号). [However, his wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, making it more likely that this is Memetsalih's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Skills Training Center (达坂城职业技能培训中心).
When victim was detained
Arrested on December 5, 2017 and sent to camp on January 3, 2018. In December 2018, Memetsalih's wife attended her husband's "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp, where he was given a provisional sentence of 5 years of camp study.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Arrested for "gathering a crowd to disturb social order". Sentenced for "harboring others and violating the birth policy by having too many children".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of December 3, 2018, and now with a provisional 5-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-05-22 Last updated: 2021-05-22 Latest status update: 2018-12-03 14665. Shakir Turghun (夏克雅尔·吐尔洪)
Chinese ID: 650103199312045512 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 25 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (9 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|past "transgressions", other Health status: --- Profession: security/police
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Shakir Turghun was a public security People's policeman (公安民警).
First registration address: 900-333 Second East Alley, Liudaowan Road, Urumqi (六道湾路东二巷900号附333号).
Second registration address: Apt. 202, Entrance No. 4, Building No. 27, 19 Second East Alley, Liudaowan Road (六道湾路东二巷19号27号楼4单元202号).
Residential address: Apt. 1304, Building No. 6, Shanshui Lande Residential Area, 889 Longrui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号山水兰德6-1304).
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Previously arrested for marijuana consumption on April 11, 2015 and held in a detention center for 15 days.
On March 5, 2018, he was sent to re-education camp for having a record of drug use. On July 30-31 of that year, he was released and transferred to community supervision.
After failing to find work (he did not pass political screening because of having been in a camp), he was arrested again in September 2018 and charged with "forging state documents". On February 14, 2019, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison. (Both of his parents were also sentenced to 9 years.) Likely (or given) reason for detention
He was sent to camp for having a history of drug use. Sentenced for "forging state documents".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/14665_1.jpg
Entry created: 2021-05-22 Last updated: 2021-06-13 Latest status update: 2019-02-19 14669. Muhemmed Ablehet (木哈买提·阿不拉哈提)
Chinese ID: 654125198405012311 (Kunes)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|past "transgressions", related to religion, "violating birth policies" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Muhemmed Ablehet.
Registration address: 007 Eighth Alley, Koktobe Street, Koktobe Village, Kensu Township, Kunes County (新源县坎苏乡阔克托别村阔克托别街八巷007号). [However, his wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, making it more likely that this is Muhemmed's residential address as well, especially seeing as how he was taken to camp in Urumqi.]
Victim's location
Shuimogou District Vocational Education Center (水磨沟区职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to re-education camp on April 16, 2017. On November 14, 2018, his wife attended his "twice inform and once announce" session, where a provisional sentence of 3 years of camp study was announced.
He was also previously detained following the July 5 incident.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "being considered a focus person by national security and being suspected of involvement in the July 5 incident". Sentenced for "illegal religious activities and violating the birth policy by having too many children".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 15, 2018, and now with a provisional 3-year sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-05-22 Last updated: 2021-05-22 Latest status update: 2018-11-15 14673. Mewlan Memetimin (买吾拉尼·买买提依明)
Chinese ID: 650102198906284018 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 29 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|phone/computer, "disturbing public order", "terrorism" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Mewlan Memetimin.
Registration address: Apt. 503, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 7, Porcelain Factory Alley, 599 Unity Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (天山区团结路599号7号楼2单元503号/天山区瓷厂巷7-2-503). [However, his wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, making it more likely that this is Mewlan's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
Tianshan District No. 2 Vocational Education Training Center (天山区第二职业教育培训中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to re-education camp on March 14, 2017. On November 8, 2018, during his "twice inform and once announce" session, a provisional sentence of 5 years of camp study was announced. [The report mentions the Shuimogou District Vocational Education Center (水磨沟区职教中心) as being responsible for this procedure, and so it isn't completely clear if this is an error or if Mewlan was transferred from the Tianshan camp to this one.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "downloading Zapya". Sentenced for "disturbing social order and illegally downloading and logging into a terrorist website based outside China".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 9, 2018, and now with a provisional 5-year sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-05-22 Last updated: 2021-05-22 Latest status update: 2018-11-09 14674. Almire Muhter (阿丽米然·木合旦)
Chinese ID: 65????19????????E? (---)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (23 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"extremism", "murder", other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
CGTN, an international English-language news channel based in Beijing and owned by China Central Television.
About the victim
The victim's name is Almira Muhter.
Her father's name is Muhter Kadir, and she has at least one brother.
Victim's location
In prison, but unclear where.
When victim was detained
In 2012, Almira was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for "inciting 'jihad' and extremism online" amongst other alleged crimes.
CGTN attempt to convey Almira as someone who was gradually influenced by "extremist" teachings.
In 2018, Almira was convicted (within prison) of "conspiracy to commit murder and arson in the prison" and her sentence was extended until 2035.
Almira has apparently been allowed at least one video call to her family, but her mother was not present at the time of the call.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The victim was first convicted of "inciting 'jihad' and extremism online" amongst other unspecified offences. Later on, she was convicted of "conspiracy to commit murder and arson in the prison", and her sentence was extended. Victim's status
The victim is currently in prison. Her current prison sentence ends at some point in 2035.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
CGTN put the victim on camera.
Additional information
---
State-media report(s)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlzunwilGM
Almira Muhter: "It was terrifying."
Kadir Memet: "Not an isolated attack."
Reporter: "Not a lone-wolf?"
Kadir Memet: "No."
Adil (Police Officer): "They're in the shadows."
Reporter: "The recruits?"
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "Young people."
Abdul Tursuntohti: "I'm proud of my deeds."
Kadir Memet: "If we didn't, Urumqi would be..."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I'm a 'two-faced' man."
Murat Sheripjan: "Get rid of the 'two-faced'."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "Get them on the right track."
Dilnur Eziz: "I've grown up."
Kadir Memet: "The cost is high."
[Identity unclear]: "A battle without smoke."
=== The War in the Shadows.
A CGTN Production 2021. ===
=== WARNING
The following documentary contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing. Some footage is released to the public for the first time. Viewer discretion is advised. The terrorist attacks in the documentary are only a small part of the archives.
All interviewees have given permission to use their images. At the request of certain counter-terrorism organizations, the identity of some interviewees has been obscured for security reasons. ===
=== Part One The Networks ===
=== Urumqi ===
Yang Shaoheng (Victim's Family Member): "You see this little courtyard. My father-in-law was always working here... You can see all the tomatoes and peppers he planted."
Reporter: "He really loved life."
Yang Shaoheng: "Yes, he really loved life."
Reporter: "Did he spend a lot of time here every day?"
Yang Shaoheng: "Yes, every day, the whole morning, working in the garden."
Yang Shaoheng: "Whenever I enter the courtyard, I think of him. He left on the morning of May 22nd and never came back..."
[On-screen]: "May 22, 2014, Urumqi. 39 civilians killed, 94 injured."
Yang Shaoheng: "His face was unrecognizable."
Yang Shaoheng: "We'd been together for so long, but I couldn't recognize him."
Narrator: "Police officer 'Adil' says whenever he thinks of the victims, it's hard to take."
[On-screen]: "North Park Street, Urumqi"
Narrator: "This incident keeps torturing him."
Adil (Police Officer): "There were fire engines, ambulances and SWAT teams... Many people were lying on the ground. Smoke was rising from two SUVs." Yang Shaoheng: "There was a morning market on the street, with fresh produce at reasonable prices."
Adil: "I questioned the main suspect. He said they had surveyed the area many times. They thought more deaths guaranteed entering Paradise."
Kadir Memet (Fmr. Deputy Chief, Urumqi Public Security Bureau): "Two off-road vehicles had exploded. Four of the bodies we confirmed to be the suspects."
Kadir Memet: "Look at the aftermath. 39 people died, and over 90 were wounded. It was still very dangerous. There might be a second explosion. Once I arrived, I sensed it must be a terrorist attack."
Reporter: "So it wasn't a lone wolf attack?"
Kadir Memet: "No. Because there were many explosives, one or two persons couldn't have built them. After the Urumqi attack, they had planned something similar in Hotan's Pishan county."
Reporter: "Where did they get the materials?"
Kadir Memet: "They bought potassium permanganate and other chemicals on the internet and produced them. They learned on the internet.”
Reporter: "Was there other evidence?"
Kadir Memet: "Yes, his cellphone. He used a chat app to contact terrorist groups outside China and to download videos. The flags were also taken from Hotan. They hung the flags on top of the vehicles beforehand."
Reporter: "What did this mean?"
Kadir Memet: "It's a statement of their 'jihad'. It was a suicide mission."
---
Reporter: "What stands out in your memory?"
Yang Shaoheng: "They are also human beings, those terrorists. Well... I don't know what they were thinking, either. Didn't they have parents and children at home? How could they be so brutal?"
---
Adil (Police Officer): "We soon caught the main suspect, about six or seven hours later."
Kadir Memet: "After the interrogation, we had a clear picture of the case. The terrorist group headed by Abliz orchestrated the incident."
Adil: "He was so resistant. We explained the state's policies and laws, he just wouldn't listen. I tried to explain it from a religious perspective. He just sat there and looked at me. 'If there had been someone who explained to me about Islam and the Quran like you, I wouldn't have taken part in the terrorist attack'."
Kadir Memet: "They are also victims. Why? Their minds were poisoned by the 'Three Evil Forces'. None of the masterminds committed suicide. They just took control of their minds and instructed them to (undertake suicide attacks) like a death squad. The significance was that it prevented similar incidents from happening."
Narrator: "Kadir Memet is a highly respected veteran of the Public Security Bureau of Urumqi. He has solved numerous cases. He figured out the attacks were part of a region-wide network."
Kadir Memet: "We've come to see the pattern that so many cases of violent terrorism were not isolated. They had unified command and planning. And they had very specific targets."
[On-screen]: "June 21, 2014, Yecheng County. 13 terrorists killed, 3 policemen injured."
Narrator: "Years of investigation have shown Kadir Memet the big picture."
[On-screen]: "February 25, 1997, Urumqi. 9 civilians killed, 68 injured."
Narrator: "He says the terrorists are working in the shadows, forming a vast network."
[On-screen]: "April 30, 2014. 3 killed, 79 injured."
Narrator: "His job is to bring them to light. Extremism ruins lives. Young people are radicalized in various ways."
Almira Muhter: "At first it didn't leave much of an impression on me. There're instructions like 'Only satisfying your mother's wishes ensures a place in Paradise'... Then it gradually moved to 'jihad', martyring oneself to enter Paradise. It was terrifying."
Muhter Kadir (Father of Almira): "She was a very hardworking student, first in her school."
Almira Muhter: "I came to believe the teachings, such as women should stay at home. Then I figured that continued education in college would be the wrong direction, and that I should give up. So I refused to go to college."
Muhter Kadir: "I was so angry. The extremist ideas ruined her."
Almira Muhter: "Back then I longed to live in another country and thought about moving there for the 'jihad'."
Narrator: "In 2012, Almira Muhter was convicted of inciting 'jihad' and extremism online, and other crimes. She was sentenced to 10 years."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "She thought she was correct. She was eager to sacrifice her youth to the so-called 'jihad'."
Almira Muhter: "I thought I was doing the right thing and it didn't count as breaking the law. I'd considered the consequences, but I thought my goal was to wage 'jihad' and I must carry it to the very end. After I entered prison, I was still influenced by such ideas. So I committed more crimes."
Narrator: "In 2018, Almira was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and arson in the prison. Her sentence was extended to 2035. Radicalized individuals can be a hard case. Abdul Tursuntohti is serving 9 years for inciting terrorism and other crimes." Reporter: "Do you still believe you've done nothing wrong or illegal?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "I committed no crime, I'm proud of what I did."
Reporter: "You're willing to kill for Allah?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "If Allah orders, I will even kill my son, to say nothing of infidels."
Reporter: "What is your biggest wish?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "To do Allah's bidding, of course, and enter Paradise to fulfill myself."
Reporter: "What's Paradise like?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "Paradise is a beautiful garden, broader than Heaven and Earth. There are 72 houris for the faithful. There're divine delicacies mortals have never seen, never really appreciated and never heard of. There're double the amount of rewards ever imagined by humans. And it's eternal."
Reporter: "If Paradise is so great, why not go there now?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "The days in prison are the highest test Allah has given me. And it's the best life Allah has given me."
Reporter: "You don't think you're being deceived?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "Rather than regret, I'd leap into fire and burn to death."
Reporter: "Will you change your mind some day?"
Abdul Tursuntohti: "When I wake up each morning, I pray 100 times to Allah that I will never change."
=== Urumqi ===
Narrator: "Dilnur Guanfengbao is a police officer. She is also a prison psychological consultant. She says she studies why some young people become easy targets for extremists, and how to bring them back to normal."
Dilnur Guanfengbao (Psychologist): "We find some of the convicts are very obstinate. They fit the anti-social personality profile. It's hard for them to change... Their minds are like alkaline soil, hardened alkaline soil. You can't grow anything there. This group of people craves help but pushes you away at the same time. Their religious fervor pursuit is a psychological distortion. So during the counseling, we keep them company to find the reasons. I will keep bringing him back to reality. He might insist what he's been pursuing was what he needed. We aim to offer them a link. So the counselors offer warmth, which will be internalized. They would learn for the first time that 'I've actually never known myself'."
Reporter: "What are we doing to prevent recidivism?"
Dilnur Guanfengbao: "After he returns to society, his family has to re-understand him and accept him as someone new. Society might have to provide him all kinds of opportunities, in terms of employment, education, and skill training. Our efforts in prison are far from enough for them."
---
Almira Muhter: "Now I truly realize that I had really been an ignorant fool."
Bai Fengjie (Prison Instructor): "I keep having heart-to-heart talks with her. I try to approach it in terms of feelings and understanding of the law."
Almira Muhter: "I used to think that law was a word far removed from our life."
Bai Fengjie: "I hope even more they will truly transform on the inside."
Almira Muhter: "The Paradise I used to yearn for is a fiction. It's a cancer."
Bai Fengjie: "I think it's necessary to crack down on the dissemination of such misleading information."
Almira Muhter: "I think I failed my mother the most. She had such great expectations of me. I just want to be a good daughter."
Bai Fengjie: "I'm a police officer. But I'm more like a teacher. I want to help these straying children, these students, back on the right track. We shouldn't be afraid that one or two heart-to-heart talks have no effects. We mustn't give up on them. We have to believe they will eventually change."
---
Bai Fengjie: "How's your health recently?"
Almira Muhter: "Really good."
Bai Fengjie: "Did you make the video call?"
Almira Muhter: "Dad was busy. Mom and my brother came. They are both well.
Bai Fengjie: “Keep your confidence up."
Almira Muhter: "Thank you, instructor."
---
Kadir Memet: "Urumqi is the political, economic and cultural center of the autonomous region. The enemy aims their destruction at Urumqi."
Narrator: "Some of the cases have never been made public before."
Kadir Memet: "This is the foiled December 11 terror plot in 2014. They had planned explosions and knife attacks around Urumqi. If it hadn't been stopped, Urumqi could've been... This is a violent terrorist group. It was controlled by a family. Two daughters joined. The father was the leader. Both sons-in-law were part of it. They recruited a dozen more people. They were going to convert a gas cylinder into a bomb. They were going to drive the car into a shopping center." Reporter: "What is the priority of the crackdown?"
Kadir Memet: "Foiling their plans would be..."
Adil (Police Officer): "This is the most difficult."
Reporter: "We've paid such a high price."
Adil: "The biggest challenge is that they're hidden in the dark. They can see our operations. But we can't see their plans. If we go soft, there might be more deaths and suffering."
[On-screen]: "April 23, 2013, Seriqbuya. 15 police officers & community staff killed."
Adil: "So this is a lesson learned from blood."
[On-screen]: "2020 Counter-terrorism Drills. Urumqi Public Security Bureau"
[Footage of counter-terrorism drills plays.]
Kadir Memet: "Urumqi is such a beautiful place. Solidarity and prosperity, that's an Urumqi I'd like to see."
=== Part Two The Enemies Within ===
=== Hotan ===
Narrator: "Hotan was one of the hardest hit by terrorism in Xinjiang. Murat Sheripjan showed us the weaponry seized. He said many young people had been brainwashed. Insiders, dubbed the 'two-faced persons', were able to exploit the system."
Murat Sheripjan (Deputy Director, Hotan Public Security Department): "The infiltration of extremism had taken root. Also, some 'two-faced people' among us were secretly collaborating with them and facilitating their activities. This presentation lists a number of 'two-faced people' once occupying our key positions. A case in point is Shirzat Bawudun. He had been long hidden buried deep in our system as a 'two-faced person'. He created many obstacles in our work. He used to be one of us, and he protected many separatist forces. He finally became an agent for ethnic separatists and terrorists from outside China. He helped them expand their influence."
Shirzat Bawudun (Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Political & Legal Committee, Xinjiang): "All this now feels like a nightmare. It's like a bottomless pit, in which I kept sinking."
=== Shirzat Bawudun Fmr. Director, Public Security Bureau, Moyu County Fmr. Director, United Front Work Department, Urumqi Fmr. Director General, Department of Justice, Xinjiang Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Political & Legal Committee, Xinjiang ===
Narrator: "Shirzat Bawudun became a teacher at the Xinjiang Police College in Urumqi after graduating in 1988. But he applied to return to his hometown in Hotan. Even then he had certain ambitions."
Shirzat Bawudun: "Veteran separatists vigorously promoted their ethnic separatism and religious extremism, which began to spread and take hold. So I decided to go back and see what I could use to do something big."
Narrator: "During a crackdown on terrorists, Shirzat Bawudun was wounded and commended as a 'Counter-terrorism Hero'. For this, in 2001 he became the head of the Moyu County Public Security."
Shirzat Bawudun: "Then I got the position and the power. I had long considered the so-called dream of a country of our own. So I began to get in touch with prominent figures in religious extremism."
Narrator: "Shirzat Bawudun chose Ablajan Bakri."
[On-screen diagram: A photograph of Shirzat Bawudun is shown connected to a photograph of Ablajan Bakri. The word "Egypt" is displayed below the diagram.]
=== Ablajan Bakri Fmr. Imam, Moyu Mosque Fmr. President, Islamic Association, Moyu County Fmr. CPPCC Member, Xinjiang Fmr. Member, China Islamic Association ===
Shirzat Bawudun: "His words and theories all contained religious extremism. I knew many things about it."
Ablajan Bakri: [sic] "I was promoted to the Iman of the Grand Mosque in 2005. At the same time, people started to gossip behind my back. As the Moyu county chief, Shirzat Bawudun used all means to suppress those people to remove the negative comments about me."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I regarded him as an instrument to draw believers to our cause."
Memet Memetimin (Imam, Moyu Mosque): "Ablajan Bakri was the mosque's imam. He used the religious platform to promote extremism. To achieve his own ends, he was distorting the teachings of Islam. I remember when I was small, religious extremism in Moyu was very deep. They said dancing was not allowed; weeping was not allowed at funerals. They even forbade living in government-built housing and using IDs and RMB. Some of the preachers had their own motives. They had parents send their kids to underground madrasas to be indoctrinated. Many young people strayed and became criminals."
Murat Sheripjan: "That kind of fallacy confuses them and drives them to engage in terrorist activities."
Ablajan Bakri: "I believe Shirzat Bawudun had a role in this change."
[On-screen diagram: The photos of Shirzat Bawudun and Ablajan Bakri are connected to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas. The word "Egypt" is displayed below the diagram.]
Narrator: "In 2003, Ablajan Bakri introduced Shirzat Bawudun to Tayir Abbas, a key member of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, or ETIM."
=== Tayir Abbas East Turkistan Islamic Movement (Islamic Party of Turkistan) ===
Narrator: "It's been listed as a terrorist organization by the UN since 2002."
=== United Nations Security Council Since 2002, the ETIM has been listed as a terrorist organization by the UN. In 2004, the ETIM changed its name to the Islamic Party of Turkistan, or TIP. ===
Narrator: "In 2004, the ETIM changed its name to the Islamic Party of Turkistan, or TIP."
Shirzat Bawudun: "He said he mainly worked in tourism over there. And he was in touch with an ETIM (TIP) Egypt branch. I was thinking of Uygurs having a country of our own. I was muddle-headed and stupid."
Narrator: "Connecting with the ETIM (TIP), Shirzat Bawudun took action."
Shirzat Bawudun: "To accomplish anything, you need an economic base."
[On-screen diagram: The photo of Shirzat Bawudun is connected to Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri.]
Shirzat Bawudun: "So I thought about the Ablimit family and recruited the two brothers."
=== Ablimit Ababakri ETIM (TIP) Member ===
=== Abduehet Ababakri ETIM (TIP) Member ===
Abduehet Ababakri: "Shirzat Bawudun told my elder brother he was born in Moyu county. He urged us to invest here. He asked us whether we had any projects needing his support and help."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Now I realized that while he seemed to push us to do business in Moyu, he actually had some other motive, which we weren't aware of."
Narrator: "With the help of Shirzat Bawudun, the two brothers soon made money and their business began to thrive."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Of the four companies with which he had financial connections, these three -- real estate, road transport and gas stations, in each firm, Shirzat had a half-million shares. All did good business and paid dividends every year. He could draw funds as needed. That's how it was for a long time."
Narrator: "In 2011, Shirzat Bawudun was appointed Director of the United Front Work Department of Urumqi. Police say he secretly supported the spread of extremism. The same year, he encouraged the brothers to go to Egypt and meet with Tayir Abbas."
[On-screen diagram: A photo of Shirzat Bawudun is linked to photos of Ablajan Bakri, Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri. The latter three photos are linked to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas, next to which the word "Egypt" is displayed.]
Ablimit Ababakri: "In September 2012, my brother told me his wife had a baby there and asked me to come over. Nearly 30 people were there, including Tayir Abbas. One of them said, 'Let us work for Xinjiang's independence, for founding the Islamic Caliphate.' While talking with Abduehet, I found he was on good terms with some members of the group. They were key members of the ETIM (TIP). He wanted to join their organization. I said Tayir Abbas knew Shirzat Bawudun, who knew about the organization. After all, he was a police officer, we should ask Shirzat Bawudun when we got back."
Shirzat Bawudun: [sic] "From what they said, I thought they had found the right people or that organization."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Shirzat said, 'That's right. You should join the organization.'"
Shirzat Bawudun: "They had given more than 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) to the ETIM (TIP) people."
Ablimit Ababakri: "Then Shirzat asked how much his half-million shares in the transport firm were worth. I said the shares plus dividends were worth some 1.2 million yuan. He said, 'You give all 1.2 million to Tayir Abbas and the ETIM (TIP) people as operation funding.'"
Shirzat Bawudun: "The two brothers told me they bought a 200-square-meter apartment for me in Cairo. I said I couldn't go and had to wait until I retired, and Tayir Abbas and his people could use it for the time being."
Ablimit Ababakri: "After saying this, he stressed three times, 'What I told you must not be told to a second person and must be kept secret."
Narrator: "In 2013, the ETIM (TIP) had a meeting and brought together some Uygur students. They were planning to send some to join the IS and work for 'jihad'. They were supposed to train for war. When they were ready to return, they could make greater contributions for the next step."
Abduehet Ababakri: "They had to do the ETIM (TIP) 'jihad' training. The aim was to turn these trainees into future successors of the ETIM (TIP)."
[On-screen diagram: A photo of Shirzat Bawudun is linked to photos of Ablajan Bakri, Ablimit Ababakri and Abduehet Ababakri. The latter three photos are linked to a silhouette representing Tayir Abbas, next to which the word "Egypt" is displayed.] Narrator: "Police investigation shows that over 60 Uygur teenagers aged 14-18, have been sent overseas by the two brothers - Ablimit and Abduehet."
[On-screen: "Some joined ISIL"]
Narrator: "Some of them have joined the so-called Islamic State group, some have come back to Xinjiang."
[On-screen: "Some came back to Xinjiang"]
Ablimit Ababakri: "They said once Xinjiang was liberated, Shirzat would become the national leader of East Turkistan."
Shirzat Bawudun: "They appointed me the leader of ETIM (TIP) in Xinjiang and after nationhood, I'd be the leader. I was so excited and happy. I was muddle-headed."
Ablimit Ababakri: [sic] "He told us, 'When you work outside China, in China you must keep a low profile and work secretly. Don't draw the attention of public security and learn to be patient. You should wait for the chance.'"
Narrator: "Police say in 2015, during an official visit overseas, Shirzat Bawudun secretly met with key members of the ETIM (TIP) twice. He revealed anti-terrorism information in Xinjiang. And Shirzat Bawudun had his own strategy."
Shirzat Bawudun: "So I only rooted out those units already exposed and left alone those only suspected and being groomed. On the one hand, once they were ready, I'd have targets to strike. On the other hand, I could protect some of them. So the result was repeated strikes which just missed, and the ashes could burn again. After the strike, it's like chive roots. Prune the stalks and leaves, and fresh sprouts grow."
Murat Sheripjan: "Such arrangements gave terrorists an advantage. While we struggled to discover, the terrorists already knew. There was one of their own in our ranks. That's why they could act so boldly."
Ablajan Bakri: "Now I realize that Shirzat Bawudun had been using me all along. He was trying to use me as a front in Moyu to control the local clergy."
Ablimit Ababakri: "We were in a trap. We didn't clearly see Shirzat's true intentions. I should have seen through him earlier, but I didn't, and I didn't have the guts to do it."
Shirzat Bawudun: "I believe I kept it rather clandestine and well concealed. It's not easy to see through these. But one must wake from a dream."
=== Shirzat Bawudun Two-year Suspended Death Sentence Deprived of Political Rights for Life ===
Murat Sheripjan: "We have to first remove the 'two-faced persons' in our ranks. Otherwise, we can never remove the soil for terrorism."
Narrator: "Murat Sheripjan says even the term 'two-faced' doesn't properly describe such persons. They are the enemy, the enemy in the shadows."
=== Part Three The Textbooks ===
=== Urumqi ===
Narrator: "In 2016, there were reports of errors in the 2003 and 2009 editions of the Uygur-language textbooks for primary and middle schools. An investigation followed. Shehide Yusup, who worked on these textbooks, showed us the problems."
Shehide Yusup (Art Editor, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "These are textbooks published by our company. They contain many errors. I worked on the 2003 editions of the primary school textbooks, mainly in cover design and illustration coloring. Take this graphic for example. The national emblem is that of East Turkistan. It shouldn't appear in textbooks at all. This is the legend of seven heroic Uygur girls. It's all fabricated. Han Chinese soldiers trapped them at a cliff and they jumped to their death to defend their homeland. It's meant to incite ethnic hatred and it will misinform the students."
Shehide Yusup: "That's unimaginable. The mere thought of this would scare me."
=== Sattar Sawut Fmr. Deputy Secretary, Education & Work Committee, Xinjiang Fmr. Director General, Education Department, Xinjiang Fmr. Leader, Basic Education Curriculum Reform Group, Xinjiang ===
Narrator: "An investigation shows that starting in 2002, the then Director General of the Xinjiang Education Department, Sattar Sawut, set up a special group, as a front for criminal activities."
[On-screen diagram: A photograph of Sattar Sawut is shown connected to photographs of Alimjan Memtimin, Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir. The latter two are connected to photos of Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman.]
Narrator: "It included the Deputy Director General of the Education Department, the two consecutive presidents of the Xinjiang Education Publishing House, as well as two editors with radical separatist thoughts."
Sattar Sawut: "The idea was to use the power given by the Party and the people to spread our ethnic chauvinist sentiments and extremist errors among more Uygurs. It was meant to control their minds, influence them in childhood in order to turn them into separatists. In 2003, new Uygur-language textbooks were scheduled to be compiled for primary and middle schools. I was head of the Xinjiang Basic Education Curriculum Reform Group. So I saw an opportunity. I assigned Alimjan Memtimin and Abdurazaq Sayim to the project."
[Photographs of Alimjan Memtimin, Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir are displayed on-screen.] Sattar Sawut: "I had several meetings with them and instructed them about compiling the textbooks."
Abdurazaq Sayim (Fmr. President, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "He said the textbooks were an excellent opportunity and it should proceed as we meant it to. It could help groom our 'successors'. So I picked Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman, who were quite persuasive, to join the committee. I instructed them to include more content on 'ethnic oppression' in the textbooks, mainly 'woeful tales' about the past. I asked them to add more Turkic heroes, especially those revolting against the state for independence."
[Photographs of Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman are displayed on-screen.]
Alimjan Memtimin (Fmr. Deputy Director General, Xinjiang Education Department): "Such textbooks would be approved and issued to all schools and allow many teachers to elaborate and incite ethnic hatred and such thoughts."
Narrator: "When Tahir Nasir succeeded Abdurazaq Sayim as president of the publishing house, he continued the editorial policy."
[Photographs of Abdurazaq Sayim and Tahir Nasir are displayed on-screen.]
Tahir Nasir (Fmr. President, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "When Sattar and Alimjan approached me and proposed that the new textbooks should push religious extremism, my mind was excited and clear about the meaning."
Shehide Yusup: "The art director is supposed to handle all the visuals. But in making the 2003 and 2009 textbooks, the editors intervened quite a lot."
Suriya Mirhadam (Editor, Xinjiang Education Publishing House): "For the 2003 and 2009 textbooks, Wahitjan Osman and Yalqun Rozi were responsible for text content. They simultaneously served as text editors, publishing editors, and initial and final proofreaders. Exercising such authority violates publishing protocol. Their superiors arranged it. They put it into practice."
Narrator: "Police say Sattar Sawut acted unilaterally to determine textbook content. Yalqun Rozi and Wahitjan Osman were instructed to fabricate separatist material for the 2003 and 2009 textbooks."
Alimjan Memtimin: "The primary school Uygur textbooks are full of 'Pan-Islamism' and 'Pan-Turkism'. The historical figures in them were meant to encourage the kids to seek their cultural origins and roots from outside China."
Suriya Mirhadam: "The 2003 and 2009 textbooks contain a lot of gore, violence, terrorism and separatism. By distorting historical facts, they wanted to instill separatism in students and incite ethnic hatred, with the end of splitting the motherland."
Shehide Yusup: "As guidance for students, such textbooks would obscure and undermine their sense of national identity; also the students would be exposed to 'Pan-Islamism' and 'Pan-Turkism'."
Suriya Mirhadam: "Textbooks should include the national flag, emblem and anthem. But these textbooks had none."
Narrator: "Investigation found a large quantity of material inciting extremism was included in the textbooks. From 2004, these textbooks were used region-wide for 13 years." Shehide Yusup: "They were using such textbooks from primary school through junior high. So the insidious effects must be enduring. Some might be led astray and even led to commit crimes."
Sattar Sawut: "Many participants in the July 5 Incident and following terrorist attacks had used our textbooks. I think we had ruined these children."
=== Atikem Rozi Born: April 1991 Four-year sentence ===
Atikem Rozi: "When I was in junior high school, I learned some things from the textbooks. I also got the idea of doing something, too."
Kadir Memet: "The 'Three Evil Forces' have been trying to infiltrate our ideological sectors such as education, culture and religion. They've never given up. The sustained increase in terrorism in recent years is closely linked to such efforts."
Narrator: "Kadir Memet says the greatest danger often comes from the enemy within."
Alimjan Memtimin: "I am a double-dealing 'two-faced man'."
=== Sattar Sawut Two-year Suspended Death Sentence Deprived of Political Rights for Life ===
=== Alimjan Memtimin Life Sentence ===
=== Abdurazaq Sayim Life Sentence ===
=== Tahir Nasir Life Sentence ===
Narrator: "The war in the shadows is being fought on many fronts. Kadir Memet says ideology is only one of the battlegrounds. Suriya Mirhadam was responsible for editing part of the new editions of the 2019 and 2020 textbooks."
Suriya Mirhadam: "This is Part One of the first grade's Uygur-language textbook. Here's the national emblem, and the national flag, and the statement 'We are Chinese'. Here is the flag-raising ceremony." Narrator: "Suriya Mirhadam says the Kazak- and Kirgiz-language textbooks have the same content."
Reporter: "What are we telling the students with these pictures?"
Suriya Mirhadam: "They should know that they are citizens of the People's Republic of China, that Xinjiang is an inalienable part of the motherland. The textbooks are meant to keep students from separatism and ensure they have a sound mind so they can serve their family, their society and their nation."
=== Part Four The Black Hands ===
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "The internet is truly a battlefield without the smoke. I'm a special ops soldier. I identify and neutralize the threats, so youngsters won't be misled. I wipe the propaganda from the internet. I think our work is very meaningful. The violent ETIM (TIP) audios and videos have a domestic target, especially in Xinjiang, with specific purposes. The groups they try to recruit are mainly young people. Terrorist audios and videos are often well-concealed. They use special packaging, like encryption. And they use covert channels to transfer and share the content. Some are camouflaged, so to say. It looks like a regular video, but when it reaches a specific point, it will switch to terrorist content."
Narrator: "'Abduweli' has been working at the Xinjiang Internet Information Office since it was established in 2013. From his experience, the online materials are categorized as preaching, training, making weaponry, and specific groups like women and students."
Abduweli: "For a time after 2008, about ten each year on average. Since 2012, there has been an increase, with 200 to 300 each year."
Mirzat (Police Officer): "The terrorist audios and videos actually serve as their initial approach. It resembles a pyramid scheme in a way. It tries to brainwash its audience repeatedly. If the brainwashing succeeds, people will join the violent terrorist activities. Such activities aim to cause maximal impact at minimal cost, that is, maximal destruction. That's their aim."
Narrator: "The fight against the criminal activities to spread radicalization materials has been going on for some 20 years. Police officer 'Mirzat' says nearly 90 percent of young people participating in terror attacks have watched such products. The main sources are from outside of China, mostly from the ETIM (TIP)."
Mirzat: "The terrorist content often wraps itself in religion and conceals its ulterior motive through such pretense. The observation and analysis in recent years indicate that the content has been produced by professional teams. They used to distribute the content at specific websites. But now they are using regular social media apps and point-to-point messaging apps. The storage devices are mostly hard disks. Other common devices are flash drives, storage cards, smartphones, tablets and so on."
Mirzat: "Here are the storage devices we seized in 2014 and 2015; they were all used to store terrorist audio and video."
Reporter: "Where did the content come from?" Mirzat: "They were all downloaded from outside China."
Mirzat: "These are some CD-ROMs. All the content promotes violent terrorism."
Narrator: "Young people have always been the key recruitment targets."
Abduweli Heber: "They showed us ETIM (TIP) members doing physical training and making explosive devices. They asked us to join the ETIM (TIP). And they urged us to learn the skills so that we could use them some day. That is, after returning to Xinjiang, we could carry out 'jihad' and 'hejiras'."
Narrator: "Dolqun Yalqun went abroad for an advanced degree. While there, he became involved with a terrorist organization, the ETIM (TIP). In 2019, Dolqun was sentenced to 7 years for inciting terrorism and other crimes."
Dolqun Yalqun: "My thinking was gradually eaten away. I began to regard people with no religious faith as infidels. I now think the ideological damage is even greater. The philosophical influence can be gradual and subtle. Once I was taken in by such religious extremism, the pursuit of my life goals shifted to those of religious faith. I began to seek self-fulfillment in this regard. I felt all I'd done was worthless."
Reporter: "How can you help them change?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "I can explain my current thinking to them, and this will inspire them to think for themselves. Through these lessons and examples, people can re-establish their hopes for a future life."
Narrator: "Girls were also recruited."
Dilnur Eziz: "They were all like me. At first it's just curiosity, and then only going to the Quran lectures. It was a steady trickle of indoctrination. At first I thought nothing of it, but just felt the inside atmosphere was off, everyone wearing black. Watching videos, then training, then going to do stuff in some countries, like this, like that."
Mother of Dilnur: "I never regret she came back."
Reporter: "And if you hadn't come back?"
Dilnur Eziz: "I don't know where I would be."
Mother of Dilnur: "She was quite a handful, but very smart and sweet."
Dilnur Eziz: "At first I hated myself for going there. Then I came to learn enough to conclude that they had ulterior motives. Otherwise it wouldn't be free. At first they sweet-talked me, then they told me you must wear this and must do that. I think if I had stayed there for a long time, I could possibly become like those others."
Mother of Dilnur: "I hate them. They led my daughter astray."
Dilnur Eziz: "I feel deceived and used. I hate them so much."
Mother of Dilnur: "Whenever she could call, she said 'Mom, I miss you and want to go home soon.'"
Dilnur Eziz: "I regret it very much." ---
Reporter: "What's the greatest meaning in life?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "It is to walk the right path and realize one's value. I think this is also what the Quran says. People should do good works, deal with others harmoniously."
Reporter: "Do you dare face this matter (when made public)?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "I can totally face this. I've made mistakes, and I don't want to see more people follow my example."
Reporter: "You're not afraid this will have a negative influence on you?"
Dolqun Yalqun: "I'm not afraid."
---
Abduweli Heber: "When I sleep at night, I always dream about them. I dream about dinner with my family and a happy life. I dream about playing with my younger brothers. I really miss hearing them call me 'Brother, Brother'. I also want to go back to study and have fun with my friends. Although I want all this very much, I've committed a crime and these chances can never come back."
Mother of Dilnur: "I hate those who took her away. If they hadn't done that, we would be having a normal life."
Dilnur Eziz: "I'm sorry for them."
Mother of Dilnur: "[She could be at home] helping me and talking with me."
Dilnur Eziz: "Her beloved daughter has grown up. I know I was wrong."
Narrator: "Lawmakers also grapple with cause and effect."
Li Juan (Chairperson, Legal Affairs Committee, People's Congress of Xinjiang): "Among the Measures for Implementation of the Counter-Terrorism Law for Xinjiang, Section 7 is about educational management. Articles 38 and 39 provide for the establishment of vocational training centers and their training content and methods. They serve as a solid legal basis."
Li Juan: "These are common practices in many other countries. We've seen such measures adopted in Singapore and Britain. They all use such practices in educating people misled by extremist thinking, including vocational training centers. It's an international practice. It's about how to educate and rectify."
Li Juan: "The Autonomous Region also enacted the Internet Security Regulations. Online dissemination of violent content, especially incitement, are our crackdown priority."
Reporter: "What if some internet companies don't follow the rules?"
Li Juan: [sic] "Then we will hold them accountable. When we saw some young people carry out violent crimes and being charged, we felt they were actually victims. They were victims of those who incited them. They themselves didn't commit terrorism but they incited others. So it was based on the harm to society, China's Criminal Law stipulates that we hold you responsible for the making and dissemination of violent terrorist audio and video materials. Even if we block violent terrorist content, terrorism and extremism will not cease and they will try to find new ways. Terrorism is one of their methods. So I believe the challenge will remain for a long time."
Mirzat (Police Officer): "The challenges are more likely from outside China. The invisible hand of incitement from outside China has always been trying to mislead our people."
Abduweli (Xinjiang Internet Information Office): "Now we're focusing on identifying the source of terrorist content and taking targeted measures. When such content appears on internet platforms, we can find it as early as possible and then block it."
Mirzat: "We used to watch a number of spots, but now we're covering the whole picture. We have to cut off the paths by which terrorist content enters our country."
Abduweli: "We should work with other countries regarding the sources, including national security cooperation. Through such cooperation we can curb the terrorist organizations' living space. As long as terrorist organizations are out there, we can't relent in cracking down on such audio and video content."
Mirzat: "The ultimate goal is to uproot extremism and leave it no soil to grow back. That is the way to solve the problem effectively."
Kadir Memet: "Four years without violent terrorism. This is a preliminary victory of our previous work. It's hard won."
Adil (Police Officer): "I have two kids. But in a year, I have to be away for some 300 days. Why? Because the duty on our shoulders is so heavy. I hope more police officers' kids can have more time with their fathers."
Narrator: "'Adil's' greatest hope is to walk out of the War in the Shadows... in a safe and secure Xinjiang."
[Credits begin. A propaganda song about Xinjiang plays to clips from various state media documentaries.]
=== Special thanks to: The China Society for Human Rights Studies The Xinjiang Development Research Center The Public Security Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region ===
Supplementary materials
CGTN film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqlzunwilGM propaganda still: https://shahit.biz/supp/14674_2.png
Entry created: 2021-05-22 Last updated: 2021-05-22 Latest status update: 2021-04-01 14820. Elijan Tursun (艾力江·吐尔逊)
Chinese ID: 650105199512180017 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 22 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|phone/computer, "problematic" association, "theft" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Elijan Tursun.
First registration address: Apt. 5, Building No. 44, 568 Liudaowan Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区八道湾路568号44栋5号).
Second registration address: Apt. 103, Entrance No. 1, Building No. 20, 478 Shuimogou Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区水磨沟路478号20栋1单元103号).
Third registration address: Apt. 1503, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 1, 195 East Wenquan Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区温泉东路195号1号楼2单元1503号). [The first address is also the address of another victim, Guzelnur Eli.]
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Skills Training Center (达坂城职业技能培训中心). [In one report, he is mentioned as being at a camp in Shuimogou, but this is likely a mistake as both reports chronologically before and after say that he is at Dabancheng.]
When victim was detained
Sent to re-education camp on September 25, 2017. On November 4, 2018, his mother attended his "twice inform and once announce" session, where a provisional sentence of 4 years of camp study was announced.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for “downloading Zapya, having been in close contact with people in pre-trial detention, and theft”. Sentenced for "theft". Victim's status
Still in camp as of December 17, 2018, and now with a provisional 4-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-05-25 Last updated: 2021-05-25 Latest status update: 2018-12-17 14903. Song Jun (宋军)
Chinese ID: ??????19690306??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Song Jun (宋军). Female, DOB: 6, March, 1969. [Presumably Han Chinese.] Before the arrest, she lived in Karamay city. She is one of 34 members of the Kuytun branch of the Church of Almighty God movement in Xinjiang who were sentenced for "using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement".
Victim's location
Kuytun city Detention Center
When victim was detained
Official arrest warrant was issued by the Kuytun city PSB on December 26, 2018 [but seeing as she led a policeman into a Church gathering on October 15, the exact arrest must have happened prior to that]. The prosecution brought official charges forward on June 25, 2019. She was sentenced on September 10, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the investigation, Song used the alias Zhang Min (张敏) and was among the leading members of the Kuytun branch, which was founded in 2006. She was the Gospel deacon at the L9 Church. After the arrest of Xiang Caihua and Cui Jing in the summer of 2018, Song and He Chun assumed leadership positions for the entire Kuytun community. While searching Song's computer, the PSB found a list of 596 names that attended the Church during Song's tenure as leader of the Kuytun community. In her testimony, Song said that in August 2018, she collected donations from each sub-branch of the Kuytun Church, as well as from communities in Wusu, Fuyun, Karamay, Dorbiljin and the Production Corps, to be given to the greater Xinjiang branch. Song also said she had exchanged cash donations worth 4 148 000 yuan into gold plates in China's Bank of Construction in 2012. Song has assisted the PSB in tracking down other members of the Kuytun branch, leading a policeman into the group's gathering place on October 15, 2018, which led to the arrests of 6 group members. In court, her lawyer argued for a lighter sentence based on Song's cooperation, and the document indicates these factors having been taken into consideration at least in part, resulting in a comparatively short sentence. Song did not object to the accusations in court and admitted to being guilty. She also formally expressed her withdrawal from the Church of Almighty God activities.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 5 years in prison (release due on 2023-12-25) and given a fine of 20 000 yuan (to be paid within 30 days of the sentence taking effect).
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/AHIUx
Entry created: 2021-05-15 Last updated: 2021-05-26 Latest status update: 2019-09-10 14909. Luo Chuanmei (罗传梅)
Chinese ID: 6501??19561109??E? (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups", "inciting subversion" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Luo Chuanmei (罗传梅), female, ethnic Han, "no set profession". Born on November 9, 1956 in Urumqi. Residential address: No. 202, Entrance 2, Building No. 45, North Friendship Road, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市友好北路4号45号楼2单元202室).
Victim's location
Shuimogou Detention Center. [Presumably this is the Liudaowan detention center, which is the detention center for Shuimogou.]
When victim was detained
She was first sentenced to three years in prison and a one-year deprivation of political rights for “state subversion” on November 2, 2006. She was released on March 7, 2009. Luo was then officially arrested for the second time on January 10, 2013, with the arrest warrant issued on February 7. Sentenced to 5 years on December 12 the same year. Luo appealed the sentence, and a second hearing on January 27 rejected the appeal.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Organizing and using an "evil cult" to undermine law enforcement". The jury describes that in the early morning hours of January 10, 2013, Luo met a fellow Falun Gong member named Jia outside the Baodi Hotel in Urumqi’s Friendship Road (友好路“宝地宾馆”). The couple then went to Baoshan Road 75 (宝山路75号), and as Jia was standing guard, Luo stamped 5 Falun Gong slogans on a notice wall, which read “Heaven destroy the evil cult of the CCP, safety to those that quit the CCP!” (天灭中共邪教，退党团队保平安). They then continued onto Backend West October Street (十月街西后路), where Luo put two copies of the “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party” on the windows of parked cars, as well as a Falun Gong magazine and four leaflets. At 7 am on Yangzijiang Road (扬子江路), they handed copies of Falun Gong material and a CD with VPN various software to a person named Zhang, who immediately called the police. Half an hour later, Luo and Jia were apprehended by a police officer outside the No. 22 primary school at Yangzijiang Road. The police identified that the stamp used by Luo had been used in disseminating Falun Gong material previously in 2012. In court, Luo refused to admit guilt, arguing that believing in Falun Gong did not constitute a crime.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court decision is an official document from the Xinjiang judicial system.
Additional information
Official court decision: https://archive.ph/fe2xX
Entry created: 2021-05-17 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2014-01-28 14911. Lu Ling (芦玲)
Chinese ID: 62062119840412??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 30 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (7 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Lu Ling (芦玲), female, ethnic Han, born on April 12, 1984, in Gansu's Minqin county, but residing in Xinjiang.
Victim's location
Xinjiang Women's Prison
When victim was detained
Arrested on March 13, 2008. On February 12 next year, the People's Court of Tianshan District in Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region convicted Lu of "organizing and using cult organizations to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced her to eight years in prison. On July 8. 2014, her sentence was reduced by 10 months based on Lu's “admittance of guilt” and "repentant performance", the receiving of 3 awards in prison and being labelled as a “reform-through-labour enthusiast” as well as receiving a total of 7 awards for her work in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status
Serving her sentence.
[It is likely that she's been subjected to forced labor while at the women's prison, as the Xinjiang Qixin Clothing LLC (新疆启新服装有限责任公司) has its factory there and as her own verdict mentions her "completing production tasks".] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: http://archive.ph/GXGYH
Entry created: 2021-05-17 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2014-08-05 14912. Li Yi (李毅)
Chinese ID: ??????19700406??O? (---)
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Yi (李毅), male, Han. Born on April 6, 1970. Resided in Aksu.
Victim's location
Xinjiang Prison No. 5
When victim was detained
Arrested on July 31, 2011. On January 8 next year, the People's Court of Tianshan District in Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region convicted Li Yi of "organizing and using cult organizations to undermine law enforcement" and sentenced him to four years in prison.
On July 8. 2014, his sentence was reduced by 6 months, based on Li's “admittance of guilt” and "repentant performance", the receiving of 4 awards in prison and being labelled as a “reform-through-labour enthusiast”.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status
Serving his sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system. Additional information
Official verdict: http://archive.ph/UO1b4
Entry created: 2021-05-17 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2014-12-12 14913. Chen Ming (陈明)
Chinese ID: 6502??19540307??O? (Karamay)
Basic info
Age: 60 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Chen Ming (陈明), male, ethnic Han. Born on March 7, 1954. From Karamay.
Victim's location
Xinjiang No. 5 Prison.
When victim was detained
Arrested on March 30, 2012. Sentenced to 3 years in prison (counting from the arrest date) by the Karamay Intermediate People's Court on March 20, 2013. On November 20, 2014, based on him receiving 3 awards in prison and being labelled as a “reform-through-labour enthusiast”, his sentence was reduced by two months.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
Victim's status
Serving his sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information Original verdict: http://archive.ph/J5F0M
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2014-12-12 14914. Du Guobiao (杜国彪)
Chinese ID: 62072419690908??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Hami Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: engineer
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Du Guobiao (杜国彪), male, ethnic Han. Born on September 8, 1969 in Gansu’s Gaotai county. Former Vice-Chairman of the Yiwu Project at Xinjiang Shuangge Construction & Installation Engineering Co., Ltd. His home address: Apartment 601, Entrance 1, Building No. 30, Ronghe Road, Hami city (哈密市融合路30号楼1栋1单元601室).
Victim's location
Hami Railway PSB branch Detention Center (哈密铁路公安处看守所).
When victim was detained
Accused of disseminating Falun Gong material, Du served a sentence in a reform-through education camp in Zhangye Prefecture, Gansu, between November 21, 2000 and August 15, 2001. On December 12, 2013, he was arrested at the construction site for the Zhuomao Lake Yuanhe Hotel (淖毛湖元和酒店) in Araturk county by the Hami branch of the Urumqi Railway PSB. Official arrest warrant was issued on January 16 the next year. He awaited his sentence at the Hami Railway PSB branch Detention Center (哈密铁路公安处看守所). Prosecution brought forward the charges of “using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement” on March 31, 2014. On September 22, 2014, Du was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison (to be released on June 11, 2018).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
Hami city People’s Procuratorate claims that Du Guobiao started practicing Falun Gong in 1996. He continued to practice even after his release from the reform-through-education camp in 2001, downloading religious material from a computer in the office of the construction site in Araturk county and disseminating some of the printed material via mail. In court, Du expressed regret over his actions. His lawyer argued that Du’s spirituality was mostly limited to self-cultivation and he did not actively seek to propagate the movement.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: http://archive.ph/0UJZv
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-27 Latest status update: 2014-09-22 14915. Fan Lianjun (范连军)
Chinese ID: 65270119731207??O? (Bortala)
Basic info
Age: 42 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bortala Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Fan Lianjun (范连军), male, ethnic Han. Born on December 7, 1973 in Bortala city, still resides there.
Victim's location
Bortala City Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Arrested on April 23, 2016 by Alashankou City PSB. Official arrest warrant was issued one month later. The procuratorate brought charges of “using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement” against Fan on September 9, 2016. He awaited trial at the Bortala City Detention Center. The court hearing on September 26, 2016, concluded that Fan’s repentance and descriptions of his “criminal activity” allowed for a lighter punishment. He was sentenced to 7 months of imprisonment (to be released on November 22, 2016) and given a 2000 yuan fine (to be paid within 5 days of the sentence taking effect).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The prosecution accused Fan of posting Falun Gong-related media on his QQ platform “with full knowledge” of the movement’s illegality in China. He was also accused of disseminating Falun Gong and anti-CCP material in various locations in Bortala.
(Fan was accused of using two separate QQ accounts to publish Falun Gong-related material, which received a total of 698 shares and 636 likes since Fan began posting in July 2014. He reportedly began disseminating paper material in Bortala in October 2015. Multiple witnesses in court testified that Fan had urged them to quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations.) Victim's status
Serving out his sentence [presumably at the Bortala City Detention Center, as there was only 2 months left in the sentence when he was sentenced].
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/hShLR (it appears that a redacted version was re-uploaded later: https://archive.ph/cZtfQ)
His father is ill and is being treated in a hospital.
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2016-09-26 14962. Wu Shengmin (吴生民)
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups", challenging authority Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wu Shengmin (吴生民), a Falun Gong practitioner. Has no stable employment.
Victim's location
Shihezi City No. 1 Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
Initially detained for 10 days on October 4, 1999, for practicing Falun Gong in a square in Shihezi. Detained for 15 days again on November 2 after lodging a complaint to Beijing authorities. Detained for a third time on December 17 and sentenced to 3 years in a reform-through-labour camp. Later, sentenced to seven years in prison for "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" on May 11, 2004. Released on January 4, 2011. Detained during a home raid in Shihezi on the same charges on July 21, 2014, with the official arrest warrant issued on August 26.
In a December 2014 hearing, Wu was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months (Testimony 2: 6 years) in prison (release date due January 20, 2021).
Testimony 2: He appealed, but the original decision was upheld on February 26, 2015.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement".
The prosecution accused Wu of registering to various Falun Gong groups in the QQ social media platform in April 2012. Wu was also accused of disseminating Falun Gong material and VPN software online, sharing the password used to access the files in a Baidu Cloud software. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict (Testimony 1): https://archive.ph/GuIDC
Subsequent appeal (Testimony 2): https://archive.is/roIFJ
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2015-02-26 14963. Xiao Fengying (肖风英)
Chinese ID: ??????19550815??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 59 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Xiao Fengying (肖风英). DOB: August 15, 1955. She is the wife of Yan Zhenhua.
Likely address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili.]
When victim was detained
Kuytun police conducted the search and seized religious material in the home of Xiao and Yan on August 15, 2014. The Kuytun city Procuratorate brought charges of “using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement” against Xiao on February 13, 2015. The court document from the hearing on March 30, 2015, states that due to the defendant’s repentant behaviour and assurances of not participating in the organization again, a lighter sentence may be adopted. As a consequence, she was given a sentence of 2 years in prison with a 3 year probation period.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". The prosecution accused Xiao of attending Church meetings at the No. 19 Church in Kuytun (19教会) and disseminating Church of Almighty God materials. She was also accused of recruiting her husband to the movement and having him deliver secret notes to Shihezi and Shawan almost 100 times.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 2 years, but with a 3-year probation period. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/xQHtI
Victims among relatives
Yan Zhenhua (14964)
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2015-03-30 14964. Yan Zhenhua (严振华)
Chinese ID: ??????19480225??O? (---)
Basic info
Age: 67 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yan Zhenhua (严振华). DOB: February 25, 1948. He is the husband of Xiao Fengying.
Likely address: Kuytun City.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Ili.]
When victim was detained
Kuytun police conducted the search and seized religious material in the home of Xiao and Yan on August 15, 2014. The Kuytun city Procuratorate brought charges of “using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement” against Yan on February 13, 2015. The court document from the hearing on March 30, 2015 states that due to the defendant’s repentant behaviour and assurances of not participating in the organization again, a lighter sentence may be adopted. As a consequence, he was given a sentence of 2 years in prison with a 3 year probation period.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". The prosecution accused Yan of attending the No. 19 Church in Kuytun (19教会), disseminating Church of Almighty God material and of delivering secret notes to Shihezi and Shawan almost 100 times in 2013 and 2014.
Victim's status
Sentenced, but with a probation period. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/xQHtI
Victims among relatives
Xiao Fengying (14963)
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2015-03-30 14965. Shi Cuizhen (师翠珍)
Chinese ID: ??????19660219??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Shi Cuizhen (师翠珍), female, Han ethnicity. DOB: February 19, 1966. Lives in Ghulja city.
Victim's location
Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
Detained by the Ghulja city PSB on the night between September 12 and 13, 2014. She was held in a police office at Huancheng North Road (伊宁市环城北路伊犁州交警支队招待所) for 3 days, and was transferred for criminal detention to the Ghulja Detention Center on September 18. An official arrest warrant was issued on October 24. The prosecution brought charges of “organizing superstitious cults, secret societies and heterodox groups and using superstition to undermine law enforcement” against Shi on April 30, 2015. At the May 20 hearing, she was sentenced to 4 years in prison (release due September 9, 2018).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". According to the Ghulja City Procuratorate, Shi was the chief of the West Bridge Church (西桥教会) of the Church of Almighty God from September 2009 to August 2010, organizing and attending gatherings, bringing in new recruits and disseminating the movement’s ideology. In court, Shi admitted guilt, but said she did not believe the Church of Almighty God to be a “heterodox group”.
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/yTmup
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2015-05-20 14966. Yan Yu (严宇)
Chinese ID: ??????19691002??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yan Yu (严宇), female, Han ethnicity. DOB: October 2, 1969. Lives in Ghulja city.
Victim's location
Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
Detained by the Ghulja city PSB on the night between September 12 and 13, 2014. She was held in a police office at Huancheng North Road (伊宁市环城北路伊犁州交警支队招待所) for 3 days, and was transferred for criminal detention to the Ghulja Detention Center on September 18. Official arrest warrant was issued on October 24. The prosecution brought charges of “organizing superstitious cults, secret societies and heterodox groups and using superstition to undermine law enforcement” against Yan on April 30, 2015. At the May 20 hearing, she was sentenced to 4 years in prison (release due September 9, 2018).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". According to the Ghulja City Procuratorate, Liao used the apartment she was renting to organize Church of Almighty God gatherings, while also attending other meetings, bringing in new recruits and disseminating the movement’s ideology. In court, Yan said she did not believe the Church of Almighty God to be a “heterodox group”. Her lawyer argued that Yan had not displayed any motives of breaking the law and therefore should be deemed innocent, but this was dismissed.
Victim's status Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/yTmup
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2015-05-20 14967. Liao Ying (廖英)
Chinese ID: ??????19680725??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 46 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liao Ying (廖英), female, Han ethnicity. DOB: July 25, 1968. Lives in Ghulja city.
Victim's location
Ghulja City Detention Center (伊宁市看守所).
When victim was detained
Detained by the Ghulja city PSB on the night between September 12 and 13, 2014. She was held in a police office at Huancheng North Road (伊宁市环城北路伊犁州交警支队招待所) for 3 days and was transferred for criminal detention to the Ghulja Detention Center on September 18. An official arrest warrant was issued on October 24. The prosecution brought charges of “organizing superstitious cults, secret societies and heterodox groups and using superstition to undermine law enforcement” against Liao on April 30, 2015. At the May 20 hearing, she was sentenced to 4 years in prison (release due September 9, 2018).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". According to the Ghulja City Procuratorate, Liao used her home for Church of Almighty God gatherings, while also attending other meetings, bringing in new recruits, safekeeping the group’s financial assets and disseminating the movement’s ideology. In court, Liao said she did not know the Church of Almighty God to be a “heterodox group”.
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/yTmup
Entry created: 2021-05-18 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2015-05-20 14973. Cui Xinfeng (崔新凤)
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: --- Ethnicity: --- Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: has problems Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Cui Xinfeng (崔新凤), a Falun Gong practitioner.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
Cui was arrested on September 3, 2014 in Cui's home in Urumqi's Red October neighborhood in Second West Alley, Yangtze River Road (扬子江路西二巷红十月小区). The prosecution brought charges of "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" against Cui on May 4, 2015. At the hearing on June 15, 2015, Cui was sentenced to 3 years in prison (release due September 2, 2017). The document states that due to Cui's honest account of the "crime" and repentance, the punishment was less severe.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
According to the prosecution, just before noon on September 3, 2014, Cui stuck various Falun Gong slogans and CDs on the doors of residents in Urumqi‘s Red October neighborhood and in the Huayuan neighborhood of South Yangtze River Road (长江南路花园小区). In court, Cui claimed to have practiced Falun Gong to treat illness.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: http://archive.ph/bll6r
Entry created: 2021-05-19 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2015-06-15 14974. Liu Chunqiong (刘春琼)
Chinese ID: ??????19680517??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Chunqiong (刘春琼), female, Han ethnicity. DOB: May 17, 1968. Resided in Ghulja city.
Victim's location
Ghulja City Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Detained on September 5, 2015. An official arrest warrant was issued by the Ghulja Procuratorate on October 9. The prosecution brought charges of "using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement" against Liu on March 29, 2016. Liu awaited her trial at Ghulja City Detention Center. At the July 2 hearing in 2016, Liu admitted guilt and publicly announced quitting the Church of Almighty God, which the document states influenced the jury to give her a lighter sentence: 1 year in prison and a fine of 2000 yuan.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
According to the prosecution, Liu joined the Church of Almighty God movement in 2007, going on to organize and attend secret Church gatherings and bring in new recruits.Between July and September 2008, she was the chief of the Tianjiao Church in Ghulja (伊犁小区天骄教会). She was appointed as a supporting Gospel maestro in the Ghulja branch on July 2009, before being transferred to the main preaching choir on October 2010, being active there until December 2012. From June 2013 to July 2014, Liu served as the main priest in the Ghulja branch.
Victim's status Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/z4viJ
Entry created: 2021-05-19 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2016-06-02 14975. Li Jia (李甲)
Chinese ID: ??????195503????E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 61 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups", challenging authority Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Jia (李甲), female, Han ethnicity. DOB: March 1955. Resides in Urumqi.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
First sentenced to 3 years in prison for „using heterodox groups to underimine law enforcement“ by the Tianshan District court on May 29, 2002. She was released on June 10, 2004. On August 3, 2006, she was sentenced to 18 months in a reform-through-labour camp for disseminating Falun Gong material. She was then detained again on October 22, 2015, one day after the Toutunhe District PSB conducted a search in her home and seized Falun Gong-related material. As she was under a 15-day detention, the police conducted an additional search in her home, confiscating her computer, printer and other property. The Urumqi Toutunhe District Procuratorate brought charges of „using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement“ against Li on February 29, 2016. At the May 5, 2016 hearing, Li was sentenced to 2 years in prison (release due October 21, 2017) and given a 30 000 yuan fine (to be paid within 30 days of the sentence taking effect).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement"
According to the prosecution, Li has practiced Falun Gong since 1996. In 2014-2015 she disseminated Falun Gong material to at least two people, asking them to write texts describing their spiritual experience. In August 2015, she wrote a complaint which the court deemed was “attacking the country’s leadership” and sent it to the People’s Highest Procuratorate. In court, Li refused to label Falun Gong as an “evil cult” and said spreading Falun Gong material was not a crime. She also said the actions taken against her by the PSB violated the law.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/NVPv6
Entry created: 2021-05-19 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2016-05-05 14976. Liu Wenbiao (刘文标)
Chinese ID: 34162319650708??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Wenbiao (刘文标), male [presumably Han]. Born on July 8, 1965, in Lixin county, Anhui. Registered and resided in Onsu county, Aksu prefecture.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Was briefly detained in Kuytun in 2014. Detained again by the Kuytun city PSB on March 18, 2017, after the Kuytun PSB discovered an underground Church being held at Apartment No. 157, Baihua Skyscraper B, Kuytun (百花高层B座157室). The official arrest warrant issued on April 21. He awaited trial at the Kuytun city Detention Center. The prosecution brought charges of "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" against Liu on September 20. Due to Liu's repentance and a pledge to quit the Christian organization, the court hearing on October 11, 2017, decided on a lighter sentence: 10 months in prison (released due January 17, 2018) and a 10 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
" “Organizing superstitious cults, secret societies and heterodox groups and using superstition to undermine law enforcement”. The Kuytun city People‘s Procuratorate accused Liu and 3 other men of spreading the ideology of Witness Lee, a man Chinese authorities accuse of leading a Christian group called „the Shouters“. The men were accused of establishing a group called „Kuytun Recall“ (奎屯召会), where they organized readings of the Bible as edited by Witness Lee and assigned people to safeguard the religious books used by the group. Liu also helped in establishing other ""recall"" Christian groups in Wusu and the 127 Bingtuan Brigade. In July 2017, he sent Wang Jigang and an underage girl to study the Bible in Suzhou, Jiangsu." Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/itJUz
Entry created: 2021-05-19 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2017-10-11 14977. Wang Jigang (王继刚)
Chinese ID: 65400319720101??O? (Kuytun)
Basic info
Age: 45 Gender: M Ethnicity: --- Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Jigang (王继刚), male. Born on January 1, 1972, in Division 7 of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Registered and resides in Kuytun city.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Was briefly detained in Kuytun in 2014. Detained again by the Kuytun city PSB on March 15, 2017, after the Kuytun PSB discovered an underground Church being held at Apartment No. 157, Baihua Skyscraper B, Kuytun (百花高层B座157室). The official arrest warrant issued on April 21. He awaited trial at the Kuytun city Detention Center. The prosecution brought charges of "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" against Wang on September 20. Due to Wang's repentance and a pledge to quit the Christian organization, the court hearing on October 11, 2017, decided on a lighter sentence: 10 months in prison (released due January 14, 2018) and a 10 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
" “Organizing superstitious cults, secret societies and heterodox groups and using superstition to undermine law enforcement”. The Kuytun city People‘s Procuratorate accused Wang and 3 other men of spreading the ideology of Witness Lee, a man Chinese authorities accuse of leading a Christian group called „the Shouters“. The men were accused of establishing a group called „Kuytun Recall“ (奎屯召会), where they organized readings of the Bible as edited by Witness Lee and assigned people to safeguard the religious books used by the group. Wang also helped in establishing other ""recall"" Christian groups in Wusu and the 127 Bingtuan Brigade. In July 2017, he accompanied an underage girl to study the Bible in Suzhou, Jiangsu." Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/itJUz
Entry created: 2021-05-19 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2017-10-11 14978. Mei Hongsheng (梅洪生)
Chinese ID: 41032819541108??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 62 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Mei Hongsheng (梅洪生), male [presumably Han]. Born on November 8, 1954, in Luoning county, Henan. Registered and resides in Kuytun city
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Detained by the Kuytun city PSB on March 15, 2017, after the Kuytun PSB discovered an underground Church being held at Apartment No. 157, Baihua Skyscraper B, Kuytun (百花高层B座157室).The official arrest warrant issued on April 21. He awaited trial at the Kuytun city Detention Center. The prosecution brought charges of "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" against Mei on September 20. Due to Mei's repentance and a pledge to quit the Christian organization, the court hearing on October 11, 2017, decided on a lighter sentence: 10 months in prison (released due January 14, 2018) and a 10 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Organizing superstitious cults, secret societies and heterodox groups and using superstition to undermine law enforcement". The Kuytun city People‘s Procuratorate accused Mei and 3 other men of spreading the ideology of Witness Lee, a man Chinese authorities accuse of leading a Christian group called „the Shouters“. The men were accused of establishing a group called „Kuytun Recall“ (奎屯召会), where they organized readings of the Bible as edited by Witness Lee and assigned people to safeguard the religious books used by the group.
Victim's status Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/itJUz
Entry created: 2021-05-19 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2017-10-11 14979. Han Shaofeng (韩少峰)
Chinese ID: 41042319520410??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 65 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Han Shaofeng (韩少峰), male [presumably Han]. Born on April 10, 1952 in Lushan county, Henan. Registered in Lushan, but resides in Kuytun.
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Detained by the Kuytun city PSB on March 15, 2017, after the Kuytun PSB discovered an underground Church being held at Apartment No. 157, Baihua Skyscraper B, Kuytun (百花高层B座157室). The official arrest warrant issued on April 21. He awaited trial at the Kuytun city Detention Center. The prosecution brought charges of "using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" against Han on September 20. Due to Han's repentance and a pledge to quit the Christian organization, the court hearing on October 11, 2017, decided on a lighter sentence: 10 months in prison (released due January 14, 2018) and a 10 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
" “Organizing superstitious cults, secret societies and heterodox groups and using superstition to undermine law enforcement”. The Kuytun city People‘s Procuratorate accused Han and 3 other men of spreading the ideology of Witness Lee, a man Chinese authorities accuse of leading a Christian group called „the Shouters“. The men were accused of establishing a group called „Kuytun Recall“ (奎屯召会), where they organized readings of the Bible as edited by Witness Lee and assigned people to safeguard the religious books used by the group. Han also helped in establishing other ""recall"" Christian groups in Wusu and the 127 Bingtuan Brigade." Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/itJUz
Entry created: 2021-05-19 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2017-10-11 14980. Liu Guixin (刘贵新)
Chinese ID: 65282219530324??E? (Bugur)
Basic info
Age: 64 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Guixin (刘贵新), female, Han ethnicity. Born on March 24, 1953, in Bugur (Luntai) county, Bayingolin. Resides in Apartment 202, Entrance 2, Building No. 11, Yuexiu Neighborhood, Altay Road, Saybagh District, Urumqi (沙依巴克区阿勒泰路越秀小区11号楼2单元202室). She is retired.
Victim's location
Urumqi No. 2 Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Arrested on March 25, 2017, in Saybagh District. Official arrest warrant issued on April 27. She awaited her trial at Urumqi’s Second Detention Center. On July 20, the Saybagh District Procuratorate brought charges of “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement” against Liu. At the October 11, 2017 hearing, Liu Guixin was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison (release due September 25, 2020) and given a fine of 5000 yuan (to be paid within 10 days of the sentence taking effect). The court document stated Liu’s failure to exchange all of her banknotes as a mitigating circumstance.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
“Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement” The prosecution claimed the following: At around 5 pm on March 9, 2017, Liu prepared around 700 banknotes worth 1 yuan with “Falun Gong counter-revolutionary propaganda”. She then went to three street vendors outside Diwang Hotel (地王酒店) in Saybagh District to exchange these banknotes. Later, on March 25, she exchanged more banknotes with another fruit vendor in the same location, who then called the police. While arresting Liu, the police found Liu having a total of 1134 banknotes with Falun Gong notes on them. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/ky3VX
Entry created: 2021-05-20 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2017-10-11 14981. Liu Guangfeng (刘光峰)
Chinese ID: 65282919731006??O? (Baghrash)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2017 - Mar. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liu Guangfeng (刘光峰), male, Han ethnicity. DOB: October 6, 1973. He owns an electric scooter repair business in Bagrax county. Registered address: No. 072, Group 4, Ulan Jekisin village, Ulan Jekisin township, Bagrax (博湖县乌兰再格森乡乌兰再格森村四组072号). Residential address: Apartment 302, Entrance 5, Building No. 5, Jiaoyuan Neighborhood, Bagrax (教园小区5号楼5单元302).
Victim's location
Bagrax Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Arrested on February 11, 2017. After three days, his investigative detention period was extended to February 18 due to “complicated circumstances”. An official arrest warrant was issued on February 21. He awaited trial at the Bagrax Detention Center. On May 17, the Bagrax county Procuratorate brought charges of “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement” against Liu. At the hearing on September 22, 2017, Liu was sentenced to 3 years in prison (release due February 10, 2020). His good behaviour, and repentance were cited as mitigating factors. Additionally, the court dismissed parts of the prosecution’s arguments due to insufficient or questionable evidence.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
“Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement” The Bagrax County Procuratorate alleged that Liu Guangfeng has practiced Falun Gong since 1999 and has kept Falun Gong material on his hard drive. After meeting another practitioner in 2014, Liu received leaflets and CDs from that person, part of which he disseminated in Bagrax county. He also exchanged around a dozen 1 yuan and 5 yuan banknotes with the words “Falun Dafa is Good”. Liu also sent out Falun Gong-related “illegal content” in personal and group messages in WeChat, including content about the Tiananmen self-immolation incident, the Hidden character stone in Guizhou, criticism of Jiang Zemin etc. The Bagrax PSB also found Falun Gong leaflets and books in Liu’s basement. One testifier said that Liu actively tried to persuade him to quit the CCP and sent him lots of anti-CCP articles, as well as those praising Falun Gong philosophy.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/8M3JY
Translation of Liu’s account, obtained by the PSB during one of the interrogations:
“I started practising Falun Gong in 1999, and in 2004 I’ve put the books in my basement. In the spring of 1999, one elderly lady gave me a copy of “Zhuan Falun”, and then I started reading it. After one month, the lady gave me another book, I’ve forgotten its name. The second book had “Five Exercises”, and I’ve started practising them, my stomach had a turn for the better, and after practising for more than a month I’ve cured my gastric ulcer. Falun Gong is being treated unjustly, I did not endanger society, Falun Gong teaches people how to be benevolent, Falun Gong is the correct philosophy. It stresses “true benevolent restraint”, Falun Gong belongs to the Buddhist doctrine, and whether the government is legitimate or not does not directly concern Falun Gong. The CCP cannot suppress Falun Gong, any true religion teaches people to be benevolent. I do not follow the news anymore, I’ve slowly come to realize that the news does not report the truth, it reports only the good and not the bad, good people are oppressed. If you are sick, you can go to the hospital, Falun Gong does not have a ruling that says you cannot do that. From this, I’ve understood that the news is not true, how many of those whom the CCP built memorials for have actually sacrificed fighting against the Japanese? How many wars have the Japanese fought against the Chinese? The self-immolation incident is also not true, you can take a look at the pictures: the person’s hair is not on fire, and the extinguisher was brought in so quickly!”
His business entry in Qichacha: https://archive.ph/0aLxF
Entry created: 2021-05-20 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2017-09-22 14982. Tao Hui (陶辉)
Chinese ID: 652827196810113634 (Hejing)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Bayingolin Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: driver
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Tao Hui (陶辉), male, Han ethnicity. Husband of Zhang Liping. Works as a taxi driver at Korla Lucky Automobile Company (库尔勒市祥云汽车公司). Residential/registered address: Apartment 401, Entrance 3, Building No. 20, Fourth South Alley 8, West Tianshan Road, Korla (库尔勒市天山西路南四巷8号20号楼3单元401室).
Victim's location
Korla detention center.
When victim was detained
In his testimony, Tao said that he had started practising Falun Gong in 1997, and had been sent to a reform-through-labour camp in 2000. He was arrested for the second time by the Korla city PSB on October 29, 2016. An official arrest warrant was issued on December 3. The prosecution brought charges of “using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement” against Tao on March 1, 2017. He awaited trial at the Korla detention center. Court hearings commenced on April 1. On June 20, 2017, taking into account Tao admitting and detailing his actions, as well as arguments by his lawyer, the court sentenced Tao to 18 months in prison (release due April 28, 2018) with a fine of 5000 yuan (to be paid within 10 days of the sentence taking effect).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". The prosecution alleged that between 2010 and 2016, Tao downloaded large quantities of Falun Gong material from the organization’s Mingui website, including criticism of the CCP, Jiang Zemin and the coverage of the Tiananmen self-immolation incident, the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, accusations of organ harvesting etc. While waiting for passengers, Tao also left at least 32 Falun Gong leaflets on the windscreens of vehicles parked in the Hongxing Meilinge Neighborhood (宏兴美林阁小区). He also attached Falun Gong slogans to building entrances in Tianyu and Tianli North City neighborhoods in Korla. In his testimony, Tao said that after his release from the reform-through-labour camp, he had felt to have started doing “bad things” again, and once again started practicing Falun Gong. Tao registered at the Minghui website and used the account name Pigeon of Peace (和平鸽). He also said he had distributed over 600 Falun Gong leaflets in Korla. Tao’s lawyer disputed some of the prosecution’s accusations, arguing that Tao’s actions did not constitute a “dissemination of heterodox group propaganda”. The lawyer also mentioned that during his time in detention, Tao would urge fellow inmates who were held under charges of terrorism to “give up extremist ideology”. The lawyer argued that these mitigating circumstances warrant a re-education program at most, and criminal punishment should be minimal.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/MhImH
Victims among relatives
Zhang Liping (14983)
Entry created: 2021-05-20 Last updated: 2021-05-28 Latest status update: 2017-06-20 14985. Zhang Fuqing (张福庆)
Chinese ID: unknown
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: --- Ethnicity: --- Likely current location: Turpan Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: corporate work
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Fuqing (张福庆).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Turpan, as that's where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
Arrested on January 18, 2016. Charges were brought against Zhang on August 5 later that year. At the September 8, 2016 hearing, due to refusal to admit guilt, Zhang was given a heavy sentence of 6 years in prison (release due January 17, 2022) and a 5000 yuan fine (to be paid within 10 days of the sentence taking effect).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". The Toksun County Procuratorate alleges that Zhang arrived at Toksun county on a business trip (for inspecting a factory at Toksun Industrial Park) on January 13, 2016. After checking into the Nine Dragons Hotel (九龙大酒店), Zhang reportedly left the hotel at around 9 pm and "disseminated" Falun Gong content from a USB-drive.
According to the prosecution, Zhang began practising Falun Gong in 1996 and was first detained in Jilin province in May 2002, after which Zhang was assigned for re-education by the 610 Office, an extrajudicial body responsible for cracking down on Falun Gong.
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/56hzS
Entry created: 2021-05-20 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2016-09-08 14986. Wang Xiaoying (王晓莺)
Chinese ID: ??????19780306??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups", "inciting subversion", challenging authority Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Xiaoying (王晓莺), female, Han ethnicity. DOB: March 6, 1978.
Victim's location
First Detention Center, Shihezi.
When victim was detained
On February 27, 2001, she was sentenced to 2 years in a reform-through-labour camp for “using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement”. On August 13, 2009, she was given an identical sentence by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Division 7 authorities for distributing Falun Gong material. On November 12, 2014, she was arrested by the Shihezi PSB outside the Shihezi No. 5 Middle School on charges of “inciting subversion of state power”, with the police confiscating Wang’s Freegate software barcodes, banknotes with Falun Gong-related notes and Falun Gong DVD’s. Wang was released on parole after two weeks. On November 26, 2015, Wang was arrested at a glasses store in the Shihezi University campus. The police then conducted a search in Wang’s home, confiscated various Falun Gong material, including pictures of Li Hongzhi, the movement’s founder. Wang awaited her trial at First Detention Center, Shihezi. At the hearing on July 11, 2016, she was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison and given a 20 000 yuan fine for “using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement”. Wang appealed the sentence, but it was upheld at the final hearing on September 7
Likely (or given) reason for detention
“Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement” Wang’s first two terms in prison were served for disseminating Falun Gong material. For the third, the court determined the following: On the evening of October 17, 2014, Wang approached her daughter’s teacher in Shihezi’s No. 5 Middle School and gave her a DVD about the Tiananmen self-immolation incident, asking her to “take a look immediately”. On July 22, 2015, Wang sent an accusation letter detailing Jiang Zemin’s crackdown on Falun Gong to the Highest People’s Court and Highest People’s Procuratorate.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Official verdict: https://archive.ph/fVrx6
Entry created: 2021-05-20 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2016-09-07 15048. Liang Yan (梁岩)
Chinese ID: 1408??19521124??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 65 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Wujiaqu Status: sentenced (1 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Liang Yan (梁岩), female, Han ethnicity. Born on November 24, 1952, in Yuncheng, Shanxi province. Currently resides in Yangguang Decent Dwellings, Erqi neighbourhood, Wujiaqu city (阳光康居二期小区). Has no permanent job.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Wujiaqu, as that's where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
On December 5, 2000, Liang was charged with “undermining law enforcement” and sentenced to 30 months in a reform-through-labour camp by authorities in Changji. On February 13, 2007, she was accused of “leading and guiding others to practice and spreading Falun Gong”, and was sentenced to 5 years in prison on charges of “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement”. Liang was released on August 3, 2011. On October 8, 2017, she was detained on the same charges again, with the arrest warrant issued 9 days later. On January 5, 2018, Liang was sentenced to 10 months in prison and given a 2000 yuan fine (the court deemed Liang’s actions to not have caused “serious ramifications”). Liang appealed the sentence, arguing that sufficient evidence was not present and labelling Falun Gong as an “evil cult” had no basis in the legal framework, but the original decision was upheld at a subsequent hearing on February 27, 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement: In her testimony, Liang said she had started practising Falun Gong in 1996. According to the verdict, in the period between 2015 and April 2017, Liang frequently visited the homes of residents in Wujiaqu's East City Community, People's Road Residential District (人民路街道东城社区), propagating that Falun Gong was not an “evil cult” and that its cultivation helps one’s health. On September 24, 2017, an East City community worker reported Liang Yan’s actions to the PSB, saying she was “shaming the country’s leadership, complaining about Falun Gong being repressed and spreading Falun Gong propaganda”. Witness testimonies described Liang having been subject to community re-education, which had been unsuccessful due to Liang Yan’s “stubbornness”. In one described incident, Liang quickly ran away from community workers as they came to inspect a hotel. The hotel manager said Liang had been talking about Falun Gong in the hotel prior to their arrival. Other witnesses also described how Liang Yan had always argued that Falun Gong was not an “evil cult” and blamed Jiang Zemin for cracking down on the movement.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/7hqoc
Entry created: 2021-05-21 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2018-02-27 15049. Hou Qingrong (侯青容)
Chinese ID: 51138119790920??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 39 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Hou Qingrong (侯青容), female, Han ethnicity. Born on September 20, 1979, in Langzhong, Sichuan province. Registered and resides in Shihezi city. Has no permanent job.
Victim's location
Shihezi First Detention Center.
When victim was detained
Arrested by the Mosuowan District PSB on March 17, 2018. An official arrest warrant was issued a month later. She awaited trial at the Shihezi First Detention Center. The prosecution brought charges of “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement” against Hou on February 11, 2018. At a hearing on April 29, 2019, Hou’s side argued that the prosecution’s account of her appointing Mi as the leader of the 148th Brigade’s Church was based on a sole testifier, and further evidence was needed to proclaim guilt. The court document indicates that the jury agreed with the defense on these grounds. However, Hou was still sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison (release due September 16, 2023) and given a fine of 8000 yuan (to be paid within 10 days of the sentence taking effect).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement". According to the investigation, Hou joined the Church of Almighty god ranks in April-May of 2014, and used the alias Xiao Jie and Xiao Qin (小洁/小琴). She reportedly was a “key member” of a Church of Almighty God organization called “One Heart Community” (一心小区) which was based in Shihezi. The group acted as the upper layer of a broader organization called “No. 8 Church”, based in the 148th Brigade of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The prosecution accused Hou of participating in multiple Church gatherings, appointing a person named Mi as the leader of the No. 8 Church at the beginning of 2017, and of attending Church gatherings at Company 1 of the 150th Brigade the same year, taking pictures with the group’s members in a cotton field. In court, Hou denied appointing Mi as the leader, she also denied attending multiple gatherings at the 148th brigade (although her testimony record contradicts this).
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/MRo2j
Entry created: 2021-05-21 Last updated: 2021-05-29 Latest status update: 2019-04-29 15050. Ban Guoyun (班国云)
Chinese ID: 65900219620220??E? (Aral)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Ban Guoyun (班国云), female, Han ethnicity. Born on February 20, 1962, in Division 10 of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. She worked at Company 6, Regiment 14 of Division 10, and has since retired. Has no permanent living place.
Victim's location
Kashgar Reclamation Area PSB Detention Center.
When victim was detained
According to the investigation, Ban started practicing Falun Gong in March 1998, and was sentenced to 3 years in a reform-through-labour camp by authorities in Aksu on November 29, 2000. In July 25, 2013, she was held in detention in Alar city for 15 days and fined 1000 yuan. Her most recent arrest date is given as April 30, 2014, though it is likely Ban was detained a couple of days earlier, as the Artux City PSB conducted a search in her home on April 28-29, 2014. An arrest warrant was issued on June 7. She awaited trial at the Kashgar Reclamation Area PSB Detention Center. At the October 24 hearing, Ban was sentenced to 5 years in prison. She appealed the sentence, but a second hearing on November 19 upheld it.
Testimony 2: The prosecution brought the charges of “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement” against Ban on August 26, 2014. In the first hearing, Ban maintained that she was innocent and said Falun Gong was not an “evil cult”.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement". The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps’ Kashgar Reclamation Area Procuratorate accused Ban of spreading “Falun Gong’s counter-revolutionary propaganda” to Mou Jiman, Zhao Guilan, Guo Jiangwe, Zhang Jingyou and others while picking cotton at Zhang Jingyou’s property in Division 3, Red Flag Farm. Ban reportedly urged the aforementioned individuals to quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. This prompted Mou Jiman and Zhang Jingyou to watch Falun Gong video material, and for Mou Jiman to further spread the ideas.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict (second instance, Testimony 1): https://archive.ph/ql3E2
Original verdict (first instance, Testimony 2): http://archive.is/V46RP
Entry created: 2021-05-21 Last updated: 2021-05-31 Latest status update: 2014-11-19 15054. Gao Huizhu (高惠珠)
Chinese ID: ??????19580206??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 59 Gender: F Ethnicity: --- Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Gao Huizhu (高惠珠), female. DOB: February 6, 1958. Address: Apartment No. 1501, Entrance 1, Building No. 1, Division 12 Family Estate 12, South Beijing Road, Xinshi District, Urumqi (新市区北京南路十二师家属院12号楼1栋1单元1501室).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
Was held in a reform-through-labour camp between June 21, 2011 and June 20, 2012 for “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement”. Gao was detained again by the Urumqi Reclamation Area PSB on March 16, 2017, with an official arrest warrant issued on April 20. The prosecution brought charges of “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement” against Gao on August 8, and court hearings commenced on August 24. At the hearing on October 8, 2017, Gao was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison (release due September 15, 2020) and given a 10 000 yuan fine (to be paid within 10 days of the sentence taking effect).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" According to the prosecution, Gao met fellow Falun Gong practitioner Jin Jingzhi in Urumqi’s Balou Expo Hall (八楼展览馆). On March 15, 2017, Gao and Jin Jingzhi practiced Falun Gong at Jin’s home. Jin gave 679 banknotes with Falun Gong commentary (urging people to quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations) to Gao. The same day, a search was conducted in the homes of both women, with the PSB seizing various Falun Gong material. In court, both women disputed the labelling of their activity as criminal, as well as the exact number of Falun Gong materials they had in possession. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/BdSDX
Entry created: 2021-05-22 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2017-10-08 15055. Jin Jingzhi (金景芝)
Chinese ID: ??????19460613??E? (---)
Basic info
Age: 71 Gender: F Ethnicity: --- Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Jin Jingzhi (金景芝), female. DOB: June 13, 1946. Address: Apartment 302, Zhonghao Runyuan Neighborhood, Xishan Road, Urumqi (西山路中豪润园小区15号楼1单元302室).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi, as this is where the trial was held.]
When victim was detained
She served two terms in a reform-through-labour camp for “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement”: once between March 14, 2005 and March 13, 2006, the second time between November 20, 2006 and November 19, 2007. Jin was detained again by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps’ Urumqi Reclamation Area PSB on March 16, 2017, with an official arrest warrant issued on April 20. The prosecution brought charges of “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement” against Jin on August 8, and court hearings commenced on August 24. At the hearing on October 8, 2017, Jin was sentenced to 3 years in prison (release due March 15, 2020) and given a 10 000 yuan fine (to be paid within 10 days of the sentence taking effect).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using heterodox groups to undermine law enforcement" According to the prosecution, Jin met fellow Falun Gong practitioner Gao Huizhu in Urumqi’s Balou Expo Hall (八楼展览馆). On March 14, 2017, she unsuccessfully tried exchanging three 20-yuan denomination banknotes with Falun Gong commentary at an electronics shop in Saybagh District. The next day, she and Gao Huizhu practiced Falun Gong at Jin’s home. Jin gave 679 banknotes with Falun Gong commentary (urging people to quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations) to Gao. The same day, a search was conducted in the homes of both women, with the PSB seizing various Falun Gong material. In court, both women disputed the labelling of their activity as criminal, as well as the exact number of Falun Gong material they had in possession.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/BdSDX
Entry created: 2021-05-22 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2017-10-08 15056. Wang Hongjun (王红军)
Chinese ID: 65900319770806??O? (Tumshuq)
Basic info
Age: 38 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Kashgar Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Hongjun (王红军), previously known as Li Xin (李鑫) and Li Wei (李伟), male, Han ethnicity. Born on August 6, 1977, in Xiaohaizi Water Management Office, Division 3, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (第三师小海子水管处). Before the arrest, he lived in Urumqi’s Saybagh District.
Victim's location
Kashgar Reclamation Area Detention Center (喀什垦区公安局看守所).
When victim was detained
On July 3, 2002, he was sentenced to 1 year in a reform-through-labour camp for “hiding Falun Gong propaganda material“. On June 3, 2015, he was detained by the Urumqi PSB on charges of “using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement”. During his detention, he refused to provide the police with his full name. After the investigators obtained his name, he was transferred to the PSB at Division 3 on December 11 later that year, with the Division 3 Procuratorate issuing an arrest warrant on January 6, 2016. He awaited trial at the Kashgar Reclamation Area Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges against Wang Hongjun on March 25, and court hearings started on May 6. At the May 12 hearing, Wang was sentenced to 5 years in prison (release due June 2, 2020).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement" According to the prosecution, Wang began practising Falun Gong in 1996. In October 2004, he was introduced to Hui Fang and Liang Dexiang by Liang Lanying (all three of them are said to have been prosecuted as part of a “November 29, 2004” case). Later, Wang gave some Falun Gong material to Hui Fang, who then took them to Brigade 45 in Division 3 for distribution. In August 2005, Wang and Liang Lanying invested in a photocopier, to be used in multiplying Falun Gong material. In court, Wang said he believed he was innocent, and that Falun Gong was not an “evil cult”. Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is official information from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/gu8dI
Entry created: 2021-05-22 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2016-05-12 15057. Magauia Ezhiken
Chinese ID: 6523231977??????E? (Kutubi)
Basic info
Age: 43-44 Gender: F Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: July 2019 - Sep. 2019 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Zhuman Ezhiken, now a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother)
About the victim
Magauia Ezhiken was born in 1977.
She's from Qutubi county, Sanzhi Hui Autonomous Prefecture.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Taken to a camp in July 2019 by the police of Koktogay county, Altay region, and was later sentenced to six years in prison.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status sentenced to 6 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not mentioned
Additional information ---
Supplementary materials video testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_uJWgSidks
Entry created: 2021-05-26 Last updated: 2021-05-30 Latest status update: 2021-02-23 15071. Hamut Abdureyim (阿木提·阿布杜热依木)
Chinese ID: 653223197502230019 (Guma)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"untrustworthy person", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Hamut Abdureyim.
Registration address: House No. 12, Seyit'eriq Village, Guma Municipality, Guma County (皮山县固玛镇色提日克村12号). [However, his wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, making it more likely that this is Hamut's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
A camp in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
Sent to re-education camp on May 3, 2017. On October 31, 2018, he was given a provisional sentence of 2 years during his "twice inform and once announce" session.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for being a "special subject in the strike hard campaign" and an "untrustworthy person". Sentenced for "illegally expounding scripture".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 1, 2018, and now with a provisional 2-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-06-01 Last updated: 2021-06-01 Latest status update: 2018-11-01 15072. Hakim Alim (阿克木·阿力木)
Chinese ID: 654101197508110517 (Ghulja City)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"disturbing public order", past "transgressions", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Hakim Alim.
Registration address: 6 Twelfth Alley, Gongren Street, Ghulja City (伊宁市工人街12巷6号). [However, his wife resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood portion of the Shanshui Lande Residential Area in the Shuimogou District, making it more likely that this is Hakim's residential address as well.]
Victim's location
A camp in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
Sent to re-education camp on May 30, 2017. On November 1, 2018, he was given a provisional 2-year sentence at a "twice inform and once announce" session.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for “gathering a crowd to disturb social order (July 5 incident)". Sentenced for "illegally expounding scripture".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 2, 2018, and now with a provisional 2-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-06-01 Last updated: 2021-06-01 Latest status update: 2018-11-02 15073. Memet Niyaz (买买提·尼亚孜)
Chinese ID: 650102196404272616 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|phone/computer Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Memet Niyaz.
Registration address: Apt. 402, 8 Xinshi Road, Saybagh District, Urumqi (沙依巴克区新市路8号402室).
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on March 13, 2018. On November 3, 2018, he was given a provisional sentence of 3 years during his "twice inform and once announce" session.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "downloading Zapya". Sentenced for "downloading illegal software".
Victim's status
In camp as of March 19, 2019, and now with a 3-year provisional sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information ---
Entry created: 2021-06-01 Last updated: 2021-06-01 Latest status update: 2019-03-19 15335. Memet Qadir (麦麦提·喀迪尔)
Chinese ID: 653122197408170898 (Shule)
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"endangering state security", other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Memet Qadir.
Probable registration address [his sister's]: Apt. 1, Building No. 52, No. 1 Single-Story Area, 13 Liudaowan Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区六道湾路13号一区平52栋1号). [His sister resides in the Shanrun Neighborhood.]
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to re-education camp on September 15, 2017. On November 6, 2018, his sister attended his "twice inform and once announce" session, where he was given a provisional sentence of 3 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "being an out-of-contact person endangering security".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 8, 2018, and now with a provisional 3-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi. Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-06-16 Last updated: 2021-06-16 Latest status update: 2018-11-08 15336. Tuniyaz Emet (吐尼亚孜·艾麦提)
Chinese ID: 652926196804152070 (Bay)
Basic info
Age: 50 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"endangering state security", "untrustworthy person", challenging authority Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Tuniyaz Emet.
Registration address: Apt. 401, Entrance No. 1, Building No. 1, 71 First Alley, South Peace Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (天山区和平南路一巷71号1号楼1单元401号). [However, both his wife and daughter reside in the Shanrun Neighborhood, making this his likely residential address as well.]
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to re-education camp on July 13, 2017. On November 7, 2018, his wife and daughter attended his "twice inform and once announce" session, where he was given a provisional sentence of 3 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "being an untrustworthy person endangering security". Sentenced for "disobeying grassroots-level management".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 12, 2018, and now with a provisional 3-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-06-16 Last updated: 2021-06-16 Latest status update: 2018-11-12 15337. Hanzadem Ela (哈尼扎旦木·艾拉)
Chinese ID: 652922196603073821 (Onsu)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|relative(s), assisting "criminals" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Hanzadem Ela.
Registration address: Group No. 2, Chaghraq Village, Chaghraq Township, Onsu County (温宿县恰格拉克乡恰格拉克村2组). [However, it is somewhat likely that she resides in Urumqi, as her daughter lives in the Shanrun Neighborhood and as she was taken to camp in Urumqi.]
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on October 17, 2017. On November 11, 2018, her daughter attended Hanzadem's "twice inform and once announce" session, where the latter was given a provisional 2-year sentence.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "being a relative of someone in pre-trial detention". Sentenced for "being a relative of someone in pre-trial detention and protecting and harboring criminals".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 15, 2018, and now with a provisional 2-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi. Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-06-16 Last updated: 2021-06-16 Latest status update: 2018-11-15 15341. Reyhangul Imam
Chinese ID: 65300119????????E? (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 18-35 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (12 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): "problematic" association|--- Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
About the victim
Reyhangul Imam was 33 years old as of 8 May 2021.
She graduated from Xinjiang University and worked as a history teacher at Kizilsu No. 1 High School.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was arrested in October 2017 and sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment in March 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
The reason for her arrest and subsequent sentence was that she received a book from Erkin Sidiq 10 years ago (approximately 2011) when she was at Xinjiang University.
Victim's status
The victim was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment and is presumably still in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information ---
Supplementary materials original testimony: https://twitter.com/AbduwelA/status/1391302532119601160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/15341_2.jpg
Entry created: 2021-06-15 Last updated: 2021-06-16 Latest status update: 2021-05-09 15345. Yaqup Yunus (牙克甫·尤努斯)
Chinese ID: 650102198210234012 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 36 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"registration issues", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Yaqup Yunus.
Registration address: Apt. 802, Entrance No. 1, Building No. 14, Shanshui Lande Residential Area, 889 Longrui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号山水兰德小区14号楼一单元802室). (However, his family have since cancelled this address in Urumqi and moved to Turpan, to Group No. 5, Lemjin'astane Village, Lemjin Municipality, Pichan County (鄯善县连木沁镇连木沁阿斯提村5组).)
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp in October 2017. A "twice inform and once announce" session was held for him on November 11, 2018, with him being given a provisional sentence of 4 years.
A separate police record notes that he underwent a police check at the Tianshan Pre-Trial Detention Center on July 24, 2017, with his status noted as "completely normal" (一切正常). [It is not clear if this means that he was already detained then, or that he was visiting the detention center on other business.]
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "having a double household registration". Sentenced for "violating household registration rules and illegally studying religion".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 15, 2018, and now with a provisional sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-06-19 Last updated: 2021-06-19 Latest status update: 2018-11-15 15346. Eziz Tursun (艾则孜·吐尔荪)
Chinese ID: 652825197312060017 (Cherchen)
Basic info
Age: 44 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"illegal business", "disturbing public order" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Eziz Tursun.
Residential and registration address: Apt. 1507, Building No. 16, Shanshui Lande Residential Area, 889 Longrui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区龙瑞街889号山水兰德小区16号楼1507号).
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp in September 2017. On November 11, 2018, he was given a provisional sentence of 3 years during his "twice inform and once announce" session.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "illegal operations" [reported as 非法运用, but likely a typo with 非法运营 intended]. Sentenced for "illegal business operations and disturbing communal order".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 15, 2018, and now with a provisional sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi. Additional information
Everyone from Eziz's family lives in Korla.
Entry created: 2021-06-19 Last updated: 2021-06-19 Latest status update: 2018-11-15 15701. Rehmutulla Semet (热合木提拉·赛买提)
Chinese ID: 653021196209250215 (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 58 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (18 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): nationalism, patriotism|--- Health status: --- Profession: private business
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway.
Testimony 2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
Testimony 3: Local court employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 4: Uyghur Hjelp, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur.
About the victim
Rehmitulla Semet is the owner of the Tengge Tagh Hotel and a real estate company.
ID address: Apt. 201, Entrance No. 1, Building No. 5, Xinzeyuan Residential Area, 358 Victory Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区胜利路358号新泽园小区5号楼1单元201号).
RFA report: He once served as Vice President of the Autonomous Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
The victim was arrested in 2018 and subsequently sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment.
Testimony 2: Police records mention him going through two police checks on November 23 and 24, 2017 in Urumqi, being deemed "completely normal" (一切正常), and allowed to move on (放行).
Testimony 3: he and his brother had their trial "last month" (as of June 2021). Likely (or given) reason for detention
Testimony 4: because of the Uyghur style of his buildings.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information
RFA coverage (Testimony 3-4): https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghur-karxanichi-06032021134035.html
His business listings: https://archive.ph/eh04G https://archive.ph/YlmPV
His shareholder profile: https://archive.ph/uYBfM
He and his company are listed by the Peyziwat Tax Bureau as owing taxes in 2021: https://web.archive.org/web/20210813171205/http://www.xjjsx.gov.cn/Item/25353.aspx
Victims among relatives
Abdusopur Semet (16174), Abduhelil Semet (16175)
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://twitter.com/AbduwelA/status/1393518892652269568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/15701_1.jpeg
Entry created: 2021-06-27 Last updated: 2021-08-13 Latest status update: 2021-06-03 15702. Patigul Memet (帕提古丽·买买提)
Chinese ID: 650103197706034024 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 41 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion, "registration issues" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Patigul Memet.
Registration address: Apt. 201, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 1, 19 South Xinhua Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (天山区新华南路19号1号楼2单元201).
Residence: Shanrun Neighborhood.
Victim's location
Badaowan Vocational Education Center (八道湾职教中心).
When victim was detained
Arrested on May 11, 2017, and transferred to a re-education camp on July 16 of the same year. On November 12, 2018, she was given a 4-year provisional sentence during her "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Arrested for "having a double household registration and being suspected of illegal religious activities". Sentenced for "violating household registration rules and illegally teaching scripture".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 15, 2018, and now with a 4-year provisional sentence.
[There is a good likelihood of her being subjected to forced labor at the factories surrounding the camp facility, as this practice has been reported here.] How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-07-03 Last updated: 2021-07-03 Latest status update: 2018-11-15 15703. Qeyserjan Kerim (凯沙尔江·克里木)
Chinese ID: 650103199506145511 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 23 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|phone/computer, other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Qeyserjan Kerim.
Registration address: Apt. 103, Standalone Building No. 48, First South Alley, West Xihong Road, Saybagh District, Urumqi (沙区西虹西路南一巷48号独楼103号). [However, his wife is a resident of the Shanrun Neighborhood, making it likely that this is Qeyserjan's residence as well.]
Victim's location
Shuimogou District Vocational Education Center (水磨沟区职教中心).
When victim was detained
Police records mention him going through a police check on May 12, 2017 in Urumqi, being deemed "completely normal" (一切正常), and allowed to move on (放行). On June 29, 2017, however, he was sent to re-education camp.
On November 12, 2018, he was given a 3-year provisional sentence during his "twice inform and once announce" session at the camp.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sent to camp for "downloading Zapya". Sentenced for "downloading Zapya" and "possessing illegal objects".
Victim's status
Still in camp as of November 15, 2018, and now with a 3-year provisional sentence. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-07-03 Last updated: 2021-07-03 Latest status update: 2018-11-15 15971. Deng Yonghua (邓永华)
Chinese ID: 51????19????????E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 35-55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Wujiaqu Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Deng Yonghua (邓永华), originally from Sichuan, is a member of the Church of Almighty God movement. She is 44 years old.
Victim's location
Sixth Division Pre-Trial Detention Center (第六师看守所) in Wujiaqu City.
When victim was detained
According to the prosecution, on August 18, 2014, Deng fell off a motorbike while travelling to a meeting point at First Company, Xinhu Farm, carrying items related to the Church of Almighty God. The materials were discovered by a local policeman, who presumably took her to the Fangcaohu police station for a standard 15-day detention. During the next two days the police conducted searches in her home, seizing religious material. Deng was officially detained on August 30, 2014 by the Fangcaohu PSB. A criminal investigation was begun on September 10, and an official arrest order was issued on October 15. She awaited her trial at the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps' 6th Division Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges forward on March 30, 2015. She was sentenced to 4 years in prison on June 1, 2015 (release date due on August 29, 2018).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Official charges: "using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement". According to the prosecution, Deng joined the Church of Almighty God organization in Shihezi in 2008, before to moving to its Manas county branch in Xinhu Farm (新湖农场) in September 2013. She then taught the faith to other individuals and organized religious gatherings. In court, Deng agreed to have breached the law, but disputed to have "endangered national security" or "undermined national security". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://archive.ph/IdMEs
Entry created: 2021-07-12 Last updated: 2021-07-12 Latest status update: 2015-06-01 16100. Jiang Yanghua (江秧花)
Chinese ID: 43052419730407??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 47 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Aksu Status: sentenced (15 years) When problems started: July 2019 - Sep. 2019 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Jiang Yanghua (江秧花), ethnic Han. Born on April 7, 1973, in Hunan’s Longhui county. Currently resides in Aksu.
Her presumed address is Apartment 403, Entrance 5, Building 5, Dongfang Garden Estate, Minzhu Road, Aksu city (阿克苏市民主路东方花园小区5 号楼5单元403室) since this is where she was arrested.
Victim's location
Aksu City Pre-Trial Detention Center (阿克苏市看守所).
When victim was detained
The Aksu PSB had received a tip-off about Jiang on August 17, 2019, and informed the Xincheng police station about it. Jiang was then arrested in her home four days later. An official arrest order was issued on September 26. She awaited trial at the Aksu Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges against Jiang on April 13, 2020.
At the court hearing on June 9, 2020, Jiang was sentenced to 15 years in prison (release due August 20, 2034) with a further 5-year deprivation of political rights. She was also given a fine of 100 000 yuan.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
“Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement” – participating in Church of Almighty God activities between 2008 and 2019 by organizing gatherings, collecting donations, spreading religious material, etc. According to the prosecution, Jiang began participating in Church of Almighty God activities in 2008 when she was living in Korla. She was appointed leader of the Church’s branch in one of the counties in September 2016 (according to one of the testifiers, this included 6 churches in the Aksu area). 6 months later, she was appointed a member of a workgroup responsible for religious activities in Aksu city, Bay, Kucha and Shayar counties, as well as Bingtuan Division One Farm. The prosecution claimed that Jiang shared materials from her laptop and memory card with other members of the Church. Jiang admitted to participating in the Church’s activities, saying she had used the alias Jiang Xianghua. She said that she had been held in custody in Korla for distributing Church of Almighty God leaflets between May 2008 and January 2009. Before her transfer to Aksu city in September 2016, she served as a member of a different church, from which she was expelled after the PSB arrested several members. From March to October 2018, Jiang worked in a textile factory and lived together with another member of the Church. When pressed to admit guilt, Jiang refused and challenged the criminal nature of the accusations.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
This is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
---
Supplementary materials official verdict: https://shahit.biz/supp/16100_1.pdf
Entry created: 2021-07-18 Last updated: 2021-07-19 Latest status update: 2020-06-09 16101. Reyhangul Abdughopur
Chinese ID: 652201199311283222 (Kumul)
Basic info
Age: 27 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Melike Ehmet, as reported by East Turkistan Human Rights Watch. (relative)
About the victim
Reyhangul was born in Qaradove village [town] in Qumul. Her birthdate is November 28, 1993. She finished high school in 2010 and then studied Quran for only 15-20 days in her own village. She got married in 2012 and had two children from this marriage. According to the report, her older daughter was five, her younger daughter was two years old when Reyhangul was detained in 2018.
Victim's location
Unknown
When victim was detained
She was allegedly first sent to a camp in 2018 and then she was sentenced to 14 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Learning to read Quran
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Not stated.
Additional information ETHRW report: https://www.ethrw.org/cinin-dogu-turkistanda-kadinlara-yonelik-uyguladigi-insan-haklari-ihlalleri/
Victims among relatives
Heyrigul Talip (16102)
Supplementary materials photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/16101_1.jpeg
Entry created: 2021-07-18 Last updated: 2021-07-20 Latest status update: 2021-07-13 16106. Song Kaicai (宋开才)
Chinese ID: 653021196911240252 (Atush)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Kizilsu Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"abuse of power", "taking bribes", "corruption" Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Song Kaicai (宋开才), former Secretary of the Atush Political and Legal Affairs Commission and member of Atush People's Committee. Born in Tancheng, Shandong province on November 24, 1969.
Victim's location
Akchi County Pre-Trial Detention Center (阿合奇县看守所).
When victim was detained
He was "retained" [留置: a special form of extralegal detention when investigating cadres and other government workers] on October 9, 2018. He was criminally detained on January 6, with an official arrest order issued 13 days later. The prosecution brought the charges forward on February 21, with the verdict announced on March 26. Song then appealed some of the charges, but every single one of them was upheld in a subsequent hearing on June 26, 2019.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Corruption", "misusing official duties", "accepting bribes", "neglecting official duties".
"Misusing official duties": Song was accused of breaching the Detention Center Management System by arranging longer than allowed meetings with several inmates held in Atush's detention facilities.
"Neglecting official duties": According to the prosecuting bodies, in May 2017, as Abidin Ayup, a respected imam from Atush, was held in strict surveillance in a hospital, Song assigned Abidin’s son to be responsible for his father’s supervision. This, according to the court, resulted in Abidin Ayup “slipping out of the surveillance range” for over 50 days, during which Ayup established communications with people labeled as “focus individuals suspected of undermining national security”, including individuals abroad. "Accepting bribes": Song was accused of taking a total of 1 516 659 yuan in direct bribes during his 15-year tenure as Secretary (including bribes from other victims Nizahun Ulugh and Turdi Hudedi).
"Corruption": Song was accused of misappropriating a total of 926 236 yuan worth of assets originally allocated as agricultural allowances during his tenure as Agriculture Secretary of Atush and Chief of Rural Work.
Victim's status
Sentenced to 17 years in prison (4 years and 6 months for "corruption", 3 years for "abusing power" and 11 years for "accepting bribes") and given a fine of 700 000 yuan (500 000 yuan for "accepting bribes" and 200 000 yuan for "corruption"). The court made clear that the assets achieved via illegal means, amounting to a total of 3 240 784 yuan, will continue being recovered.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1-2: these are official verdicts from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdicts (Testimony 1-2): https://archive.is/uGNjj https://archive.is/mNrdp
A post confirming that he was under investigation: https://archive.ph/v8ULO
Mention of him speaking at an event in 2015: https://archive.ph/tjEN5
His "speaking out and brandishing one's sword" speech (2018): https://archive.ph/9u5AU
Mention of him speaking at a funeral for late police chief Peng Yuming: https://archive.ph/i4HS7
Court verdict
Original: https://shahit.biz/supp/verori_45.pdf Translation: https://shahit.biz/supp/vertran_45.pdf Side-by-side: https://shahit.biz/verview.php?no=45
Supplementary materials speaking at funeral: https://shahit.biz/supp/16106_1.jpeg judgment-enforcement record (1): https://shahit.biz/supp/16106_2.png judgment-enforcement record (2): https://shahit.biz/supp/16106_3.png
Entry created: 2021-07-21 Last updated: 2021-07-23 Latest status update: 2019-06-26 16115. Cheng Hui (程辉)
Chinese ID: 65020319700331??E? (Karamay)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (6 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: corporate work
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Cheng Hui (程辉), female, ethnic Han. Born on March 31, 1970, in Company 1, Regiment 129, Seventh Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Works at the local branch of the China Life Property and Casualty Insurance Company. Address: Apartment 111, Building 17, Huai'an Neighborhood, Regiment 129, Division 7 (第七师129团淮安小区17幢111室).
Victim's location
Seventh Division Detention Center (第七师看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on October 30, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. She awaited trial at the Division 7 Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 6 years in prison (release due on January 29, 2025) and given a 12 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Cheng was accused of leading the Church of Almighty God underground branch ("L8 Church") of the bigger Kuytun Church in periods between August 2013 and September 2016, April 2017 till June 2018 and August 2018 until arrest. The court determined the victim to have played a "key role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16116. Zhang Xiaomin (张晓敏)
Chinese ID: 65420219640412??E? (Wusu)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Zhang Xiaomin (张晓敏), female, ethnic Han. Born on April 12, 1964, in Company 4, Regiment 123, Seventh Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Worked at Regiment 129, has since retired. Address: Apartment 241, Building 30, First Shuguang Li Project, Regiment 123 (第七师123团曙光里一期30幢241室).
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on October 30, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Awaited trial at the Kuitun City Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison (release due on July 29, 2024) and given a 10 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Zhang was accused of being the manager of the Church of Almighty God Regiment 123 branch under the bigger "L8 Church". The court determined the victim to have played a "key role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Zhang refused to admit guilt in court, saying there was nothing wrong with her participating in Church of Almighty God activities.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16117. Jiao Hongying (焦红英)
Chinese ID: 65420219701025??E? (Wusu)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Tacheng Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Jiao Hongying (焦红英), female, ethnic Han. Born on October 25, 1970, in Infrastructure Company, Regiment 128, Seventh Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Lives in the same corps at Apartment 323, Building No. 25, Kangsheng Li (康盛里25幢323室).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Tacheng.]
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on October 30, 2018. Released on bail on January 30, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison and given a 10000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Jiao was accused of leading the Church of Almighty God Regiment 128 branch under the bigger "L8 Church". According to the prosecution, in 2017 the branch received "orders from abroad" [possibly implying Bitter Winter] to gather photos of detention facilities and of demolished mosques. Yang Junlian was assigned to the task, sending the pictures to Jiao Hongying, who would later transfer them to higher Church authorities. The court determined the victim to have played a "key role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Jiao did not challenge any of the prosecution's accusations in court.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16118. Wang Yan (王燕)
Chinese ID: 65020319711027??E? (Karamay)
Basic info
Age: 48 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (5 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Yan (王燕), female, ethnic Han. Born on October 27, 1971, at Fifty Five Alcohol Plant Family Estate, Regiment 129, Seventh Division, Xinjiang Production and Costruction Corps. An unemployed person of Company 2 (第七师129团2连无业人员). Lives at Apartment 251, Building no. 38, Tengfei Li, Regiment 129 (腾飞里38幢251室).
Victim's location
Seventh Division Detention Center (第七师看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on October 15, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Awaited trial at the Division 7 Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years in prison and given a 9 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Wang was accused of managing and leading a Church of Almighty God movement "Church L8". The court determined the victim to have played a "key role in the criminal activity". However, due to her cooperation with the prosecution, it was decided that her sentence would be lighter. Wang described in detail the religious processes and roles of each member of the group throughout its active history.
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Wang did not challenge any of the prosecution's accusations in court.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16119. Yu Huanlan (于焕兰)
Chinese ID: 32128319570506??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 62 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: manual work
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yu Huanlan (于焕兰), female, ethnic Han. Born on May 6, 1957, in Taixing, Jiangsu. Until her retirement, she worked at a cotton processing factory in Regiment 129, Seventh Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Lived at Apartment 522, Building No. 57, Tengfei li (腾飞里57幢522室) of the same regiment.
Victim's location
Seventh Division Detention Center (第七师看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on October 30, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Awaited trial at the Division 7 Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison (release due on July 29, 2023) and given an 8 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Yu was accused of performing the baptist's duties in the Church of Almighty God organization "Church L8". The court determined the victim to have played a "key role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Yu did not challenge any of the prosecution's accusations in court.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16120. Li Mei (李梅)
Chinese ID: 41160319620816??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 57 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Li Mei (李梅), female, ethnic Han. Born on August 16, 1962, in Huaiyang county, Henan. Until her retirement, she worked in Company 9, Regiment 128, Seventh Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Lives at Apartment 141, Building No. 10, Tengfei Li (腾飞里10幢141室) "of the same corps" [likely this is in reference to the No. 129 corps, however, as this is where Tengfei Li is].
Victim's location
Kuytun City Detention Center (奎屯市看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on November 12, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Awaited trial at the Kuitun City Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison (release due on July 29, 2023) and given an 8 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Li was accused of performing the preacher's duties in the Church of Almighty God organization "Church L8". The court determined the victim to have played a "key role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Li did not challenge any of the prosecution's accusations in court.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16121. Huang Xiaoping (黄晓平)
Chinese ID: 34182519480420??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 71 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Karamay Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Huang Xiaoping (黄晓平), previously known as Huang Xiaojiu (黄小九), female, ethnic Han. Born on April 20, 1948, in Jingde County, Anhui. Until her retirement, she worked in a construction company at Regiment 129, Seventh Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Lives at Apartment 221, Building No. 9, Ju'an li (居安里9幢221室) of the same regiment.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Karamay.]
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on November 7, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Released on bail on March 7. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison and given an 8 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members, collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Huang was accused of performing the duties of general manager and librarian in the Church of Almighty God organization "Church L8". The court determined the victim to have played a "key role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Huang refused to admit guilt in court, saying there was nothing wrong with her participating in Church of Almighty God activity.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16122. Yang Junlian (杨俊莲)
Chinese ID: 65020319650321??E? (Karamay)
Basic info
Age: 54 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (4 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yang Junlian (杨俊莲), female, ethnic Han. Born on March 21, 1965, in Company 9, Regiment 129, Division 7 of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Until her retirement, she worked in Company 7, Regiment 129. Lives at Apartment 402, Entrance 3, Building No. 42, Huai'an Estate (淮安小区42幢3单元402室) of the same regiment.
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on November 30, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Awaited trial at the Shihezi city First Detention Center, Division 8. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 4 years in prison (release due on January 29, 2023) and given a 6 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Yang was accused of performing the duties of general manager in the Church of Almighty God organization "Church L8". According to the prosecution, in 2017 the branch received "orders from abroad" [possibly implying Bitter Winter] to gather photos of detention facilities and of demolished mosques. Yang was assigned to the task, sending the pictures to Jiao Hongying, who would later transfer them to higher Church authorities. The court determined the victim to have played a "key role in the criminal activity". Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Yang did not challenge any of the prosecution's accusations in court.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16123. You Shaofu (尤绍富)
Chinese ID: 51132119591201??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 60 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
You Shaofu (尤绍富), previously known as Zou Shaofu (邹绍富), male, ethnic Han. Born on December 1, 1959, in Nanbu county, Sichuan. A worker of the No. 3 Company of the No. 129 Corps (129团3连职工). Lives in Apartment 122, Building No. 3, Ju'an li (居安里3幢122室).
Victim's location
Seventh Division Detention Center (第七师看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on November 8, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Awaited trial at the Division 7 Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison (release due on July 29, 2022) and given a 5 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. You was accused of performing the duties of manager and correspondent in the Regiment 129 branch of the Church of Almighty God organization "Church L8". The court determined the victim to have played a "secondary role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
You Shaofu did not challenge any of the prosecution's accusations in court.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16124. Wang Yuhua (王玉华)
Chinese ID: 51062319551212??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 64 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Shihezi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Wang Yuhua (王玉华), female, ethnic Han. Born on December 12, 1955, in Zhongjiang county, Sichuan. She is an industrial worker of the No. 3 Company of the No. 129 Corps (129团3连五七工). She lives in Apartment 122, Building No. 21, Xinhua Estate (新华苑21幢122室).
Victim's location
Shihezi No. 1 Detention Center (石河子市第一看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on November 7, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Awaited trial at the Shihezi city First Detention Center, Division 8. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison (release due on July 29, 2022) and given a 5 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Wang was accused of performing the duties of librarian, food stock manager and liaison in the Church of Almighty God organization "Church L8". The court determined the victim to have played a "secondary role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Wang did not challenge any of the prosecution's accusations in court.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16125. Yang Yuzhen (杨玉珍)
Chinese ID: 51132119530721??E? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 66 Gender: F Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Karamay Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"heterodox groups" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Yang Yuzhen (杨玉珍), female, ethniс Han. Born on July 21, 1953, in Nanbu county, Sichuan. She is an unemployed person of the No. 16 Company of the No. 129 Corps (129团16连无业人员). She lives in Apartment 222, Building No. 9, Ju'an Li, (居安里9幢222室).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Karamay.]
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on November 22, 2018. Released on bail on January 30, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison and given a 3 000 yuan fine.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using a heterodox group to undermine law enforcement", including organizing religious gatherings, popularizing the movement, attracting new members collecting donations, spreading "misinformation" and cooperating with foreign forces. Yang was accused of performing the duties of librarian in the Church of Almighty God organization "Church L8". The court determined the victim to have played a "secondary role in the criminal activity".
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Yang did not challenge the prosecution's accusations in court, but her lawyer asked for leniency, arguing that Yang openly admitted her guilt.
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16126. Hu Liancai (胡连彩)
Chinese ID: 41162419640318??O? (inner China)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Han Likely current location: Ili Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: Oct. 2018 - Dec. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Official court document, as used in court proceedings in the People's Republic of China.
About the victim
Hu Liancai (胡连彩), previously known as Hu Haizhou (胡海洲), male, ethnic Han. Born on March 18, 1964, in Shenqiu county, Henan. Holds contracted land in the No. 126 Corps (126团土地承包户), and resides at Apartment 111, Building No. 28, Xingfu Li, Regiment 129 (幸福里28幢111室).
Victim's location
Seventh Division Detention Center (第七师看守所).
When victim was detained
Placed under strict surveillance on November 29, 2018. Arrested on January 30, 2019. Awaited trial at the Division 7 Detention Center. The prosecution brought the charges forward on September 6, 2019. At a court hearing on December 18, 2019, he was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison (release due on July 29, 2021).
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Insulting the national anthem". According to the prosecution, Hu incorporated the lyrics of a famous Church of Almighty God hymn "Vanquishing the Satan" (得胜撒旦之歌) into the Chinese national anthem and would silently recite it during the Monday flag-raising ceremonies in Company 5, Regiment 126. Hu's rendition of the Chinese national anthem then found its way to the higher Church authorities, who spread its electronic version. Hu supposedly adapted the lyrics after the Church of Almighty God authorities asked its members to come up with texts promoting the faith.
Victim's status
Sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The court verdict is an official document from the Xinjiang court system.
Additional information
Original verdict: https://shahit.biz/shared/xiejiao1.pdf
Entry created: 2021-07-28 Last updated: 2021-07-29 Latest status update: 2019-12-18 16142. Parhat Baidilhan (帕尔哈提·拜迪力汗)
Chinese ID: 654121198809053499 (Ghulja County)
Basic info
Age: 32 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: Apr. 2017 - June 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|"using superstition to undermine law enforcement", "disturbing public order", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Baqargul Nurlan, born in 1975, is now a Kazakhstan citizen. (aunt)
Testimony 2: Training center graduation certificate, a document confirming that a given individual studied at and graduated from a "training center" (camp).
About the victim
Parhat Baidilhan (帕尔哈提·拜迪力汗) ID address: 174 Koterme village, Arosten township, Qulzha County 新疆伊宁县阿热吾斯塘乡库台曼村174号
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
According to his course-completion certificate given by the Education Training Center of Qulzha County Justice Bureau (伊宁县司法局教育培训中心): he started his training on April 7, 2017, and completed it on May 21, 2017. According to the testifier he was detained for praying at that time. Later on February 10, 2018, he was arrested again and on June 1, 2018, he was sentenced to 16 years and 10 months.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Using superstition to disturb social order" and "illegally learning religion".
Victim's status
Sentenced to 16 years and 10 months in prison How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
-
Additional information
He studied religion for a month in Kazakhstan and after returning to China he took some religious courses from an Uyghur person. The Uyghur guy allegedly was also arrested.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3jpuqBnCnI Chinese ID: https://shahit.biz/supp/16142_2.png Testimony 2: https://shahit.biz/supp/16142_3.png
Entry created: 2021-08-04 Last updated: 2021-08-09 Latest status update: 2020-10-07 16157. Tolqyn Sogysai
Chinese ID: 652623196806010011 (Koktokay)
Basic info
Age: 52 Gender: M Ethnicity: Kazakh Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: Oct. 2017 - Dec. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): relative(s)|--- Health status: has problems Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Nurhan Sultanbai Samenbet, a citizen of Kazakhstan. (nephew)
Testimony 2: Qadilbek Tuimebai, born in 1962, is a citizen of Kazakhstan. (brother-in-law)
Testimony 3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Tolqyn Sogysai used to be the head of Shingil and Koktogay counties.
Testimony 2: He had worked as a teacher at Number 1 Middle school in Koktogay county since 1990.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
Testimony 2: Arrested in December 2017 "for no reason". He was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 10, 2020.
Testimony 3: Police records from Urumqi note him going through a check on November 24, 2017, registering as "completely normal" (一切正常), and being allowed to go (放行).
Likely (or given) reason for detention being relative of Ospan Batyr
Victim's status life imprisonment How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? not mentioned
Additional information
Testimony 2: He has been tortured and broke his legs and arms. The authorities haven't provided any official documents.
Supplementary materials
Testimony 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiAPkEdLm5M Testimony 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeFYE9zyHVI photo: https://shahit.biz/supp/16157_2.png
Entry created: 2021-08-09 Last updated: 2021-08-10 Latest status update: 2021-03-01 16185. Reyhan Musa
Chinese ID: 65430119????????E? (Altay)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (life) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): challenging authority|"extremism" Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Muhter Abdurahman, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
About the victim
Her name is Reyhan Musa. She was geography teacher in No. 5 School in Altay City.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
She was detained in 2017 and was sentenced to life at the end of 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Allegedly for speaking against the bilingual education and on charges of religious extremism as the victim made her husband gave up alcohol.
Victim's status
She was sentenced to life in prison.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The testifier learnt it from his acquaintances in Altay City.
Additional information
The victim's husband Ekber, a Russian teacher at the No. 5 Middle school in Altay City, was also sentenced 17 years in prison as he gave up the alcohol and started doing Namaz. RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-lager-06232021101513.html
Entry created: 2021-08-12 Last updated: 2021-08-14 Latest status update: 2021-06-23 16186. Alim Yasin
Chinese ID: 65430119????????O? (Altay)
Basic info
Age: --- Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: --- Status: sentenced (17 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): challenging authority|--- Health status: --- Profession: education
Testifying party
Muhter Abdurahman, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (relation unclear)
About the victim
His name is Alim Yasin. He was a computer teacher in No. 5 School in Altay City.
Victim's location
[Unclear, as sentenced.]
When victim was detained
He was detained in 2017 and was sentenced at the end of 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Allegedly for expressing his opinion of opposition to the bilingual education.
Victim's status
The victim was sentenced 17 years in prison
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
The testifier learnt it from his acquaintances in Altay City.
Additional information
RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-lager-06232021101513.html
Victims among relatives Obulqasim Yasin (16187)
Entry created: 2021-08-12 Last updated: 2021-08-14 Latest status update: 2021-06-23 16188. Qeyyum Meshrep
Chinese ID: 65322219????????O? (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hotan Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): related to religion|--- Health status: has problems Profession: education
Testifying party
Testimony 1: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
Testimony 2: Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
His name is Qeyyum Meshrep. He was about 67 years old (when he was sentenced) and he is from Qaraqash County. He has four children and his health condition has been not very well. He has been a teacher in Yawa Township, Qaraqash County for 37 years and retired in 2010.
Victim's location
Testimony 2: In "Bostankol Prison" in Qaraqash. [This is presumably the Bostankol Village Detention Center, as there is no known prison in Bostankol.]
When victim was detained
He was detained in around February 2018. Then he was sentenced to 14 years in the end of 2018.
Likely (or given) reason for detention participating in "illegal Tebligh preaching"
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
Testimony 1: not stated. Testimony 2: this is a local government official, with presumably relatively direct knowledge of the case.
Additional information
Testimony 2: According to the local village official, after his retirement, the victim fully involved in community activities such as weddings and funeral gatherings and funeral prayers.
RFA coverage (Testimony 1-2): https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/uyghurda-lager-07052021154423.html
Victims among relatives
Patigul Qeyyum (16189)
Entry created: 2021-08-13 Last updated: 2021-08-14 Latest status update: 2021-07-05 16195. Mensur Seyit
Chinese ID: 65322219????????O? (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hotan Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: government
Testifying party
Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
His name is Mensur Seyit. He is from Yawa Tonwship, Qaraqash County, Hoten Prefecture. He is about in his 60s. He worked as the head of Yawa Township Family Plannining Committee for about 30 years and has retired.
Victim's location
In Bostankol Prison in Qaraqash County. [This is presumably the Bostankol Village Pre-Trial Detention Center, as there is no known prison in Bostankol.]
When victim was detained
He was reportedly detained in March 2018 and sentenced to 14 years in fall of the same year.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Reportedly attending a funeral prayer and listening to the so-called "illegal preaching(Tebligh)" there.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
A verdict was read to the testifier and other attendances in village meeting and the testifier confirmed it when she was interviewed by RFA.
Additional information RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/karakash-07092021162449.html
Entry created: 2021-08-14 Last updated: 2021-08-15 Latest status update: 2021-07-09 16196. Turdibaqi Rejep
Chinese ID: 65322219????????O? (Karakash)
Basic info
Age: 55+ Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Hotan Status: sentenced (14 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: --- Profession: security/police
Testifying party
Local government employee, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (from same town/region)
About the victim
His name is Turdibaqi Rijep and he is 70 years old. He is from Yawa Township, Qaraqash County, Hoten Prefecture. He was a village security director.
Victim's location
In Bostankol Prison in Qaraqash County. [This is presumably the Bostankol Village Pre-Trial Detention Center, as there is no known prison in Bostankol.]
When victim was detained
He was reportedly detained in March 2018 and sentenced to 14 years in fall of the same year.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Reportedly attending a funeral prayer and listening to the so-called "illegal preaching(Tebligh)" there.
Victim's status
Sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
A verdict was read to the testifier and other attendances in village meeting and the testifier confirmed it when she was interviewed by RFA.
Additional information RFA coverage: https://www.rfa.org/uyghur/xewerler/karakash-07092021162449.html
Entry created: 2021-08-14 Last updated: 2021-08-15 Latest status update: 2021-07-09 16516. Tajigul Abla (塔吉古丽·阿不拉)
Chinese ID: 650102196906152681 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 49 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"endangering state security" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3|4: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Tajigul Abla.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi.]
When victim was detained
As of 2017-2018, the victim was listed, together with approximately 8000 other people, as belonging to the WASFRY group (危安释放人员, or "endangering (state) security released persons"). [It is assumed that the victim was initially detained at some point before 2017, as the seriousness of the charge makes it very unlikely that she was both detained and released in 2017 or later.]
At some point, she was taken to a re-education camp, with it being reported on November 15, 2018 that she had been "provisionally sentenced" to 3 years of study by the camp.
(She is also marked as being processed by the Xinjiang Provincial Public Security Department (新疆省公安厅) on June 6, 2017.)
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[The previous detention was presumably for "endangering state security", given the victim's membership in the WASFRY list.]
Victim's status
Still in camp, and now provisionally sentenced. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from the Xinjiang police.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-08-18 Last updated: 2021-09-29 Latest status update: 2018-11-15 16524. Guljamal Obul (古丽加玛丽·吾布力)
Chinese ID: 65010219840519302X (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 34 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (2 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"endangering state security" Health status: has problems Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Guljamal Obul.
Residential address: Apt. 501, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 9, 98 Shiqihu Road, Tianshan District (天山区十七户路98号9号楼2单元501室).
Registration address: 5 Heijiashan Back Street, Tianshan District (天山区黑甲山后街5号).
Victim's location
No. 6 Transformation-Through-Education Center (in Urumqi).
When victim was detained
As of 2017-2018, the victim was listed, together with approximately 8000 other people, as belonging to the WASFRY group (危安释放人员, or "endangering (state) security released persons"). [It is assumed that the victim was initially detained at some point before 2017, as the seriousness of the charge makes it very unlikely that she was both detained and released in 2017 or later.]
On September 28, 2017, she was detained again, by the Heijiashan Police Station, to be transferred to camp at some point in time. In early November 2018, it was reported that she had been given a 2-year provisional sentence by the No. 6 Transformation-Through-Education Center.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
[The initial detention was presumably for "endangering state security", given the victim's membership in the WASFRY list.] Victim's status
In camp, but now provisionally sentenced.
She suffers from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from the Xinjiang police.
Additional information
---
Entry created: 2021-08-18 Last updated: 2021-10-01 Latest status update: 2018-11-08 16557. Zahidem Ekber (扎依旦·艾可帕尔)
Chinese ID: 650105198311040021 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 35 Gender: F Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: before 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|"endangering state security", related to religion Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2|3: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Zahidem Ekber.
Registration address: Apt. 101, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 1, Area B, 145 Yanhe Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市水磨沟区沿河路145号B区1号楼2单元101号).
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi.]
When victim was detained
Given her label as a WASFRY (危安释放人员, or "endangering (state) security released person"), it is presumed that she had been previously detained (prior to 2017), and then released later.
More recently, she was taken into custody on April 21, 2017 and placed in the Urumqi No. 4 Pre-Trial Detention Center. She was transferred to camp on July 16 of the same year. At some later point [presumably in late 2018], she was given a "provisional sentence" (预判) of 3 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
"Participating in Hizb ut-Tahrir activities" (参加伊扎布特).
Victim's status
Provisionally sentenced [presumably still in camp].
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status? These data come directly from the Xinjiang police.
Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Ekber Tursun (24268), Rizwangul Omer (24269), Zulnurem Ekber (24270)
Entry created: 2021-08-18 Last updated: 2021-09-03 Latest status update: 2019-02-25 24099. Abla Tursun (阿不拉·吐尔逊)
Chinese ID: 650121195411200412 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 64 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|related to religion Health status: has problems Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Abla Tursun.
Residential address: Apt. 1209, Entrance No. 1, Building No. 7, 76 Fourth Linqing Alley, Shuimogou District (水磨沟区林青四巷76号7幢1单元1209号).
Registration address: 900-73 North Eighth Alley, East Nanhu Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区南湖东路北八巷900号附73号).
Victim's location
Shuimogou No. 4 Vocational Education Center (水区职教中心四中心). [This is the camp in Badaowan.]
When victim was detained
He was initially taken into custody on September 4, 2017.
On September 16, 2018, his daughter, Meryemgul, reported to the community police a rumor about Abla being spotted by someone at the Shuimogou District Vocational Education Center. The police, however, told Meryemgul that they had received no information about Abla being transferred, and that he was still marked as being in custody in their online platform. On November 9, and again on November 28, Meryemgul was told that her father was in custody. On December 5, 2018, Meryemgul received a phone call from Abla, who turned out to be calling from a camp teacher's number. Abla complained about his old age and his legs hurting, and expressed a wish for his family to bring some clothes to the camp. After the conversation, the community clerk called the teacher's number, but did not get through.
On December 7, Meryemgul, the clerk, and some of Abla's other relatives went to the Shuimogou No. 4 Vocational Education Center to attend Abla's "twice inform and once announce" session, during which he was "provisionally sentenced" (预判) to 3 years. Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for "praying at a non-religious venue" (在非宗教场所做礼拜).
Victim's status
In camp as of December 23, 2018, and now with a provisional sentence.
He is elderly and has complained of leg pains.
[There is also some likelihood of his being subjected to forced labor at the factories surrounding the camp facility, as this practice has been reported here.]
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
The authorities have not told Abla that his wife passed away during his time in detention, and Meryemgul said that she was afraid to do so because it might "affect his studying". Abla's son, Abliz, has been drinking heavily and frequently getting involved in fights - during one visit, he was reported to have swollen skin and blood stains on his clothes. He also told the community clerks that he missed his father and mother.
Entry created: 2021-08-20 Last updated: 2021-08-20 Latest status update: 2018-12-23 24100. Anayit Abliz (阿纳依提·阿布力孜)
Chinese ID: 653127199901210938 (Mekit)
Basic info
Age: 19 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|phone/computer Health status: has problems Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Anayit Abliz.
Residential address (of entire family): No. 02, Renda Residential Area, 220 East Xihong Road, West Xinmin Street Neighborhood, Urumqi (新民西街社区西虹东路二百二十号人大小区02).
Victim's location
A re-education camp in Urumqi.
When victim was detained
Unclear when first detained. His "twice inform and once announce" session took place on November 11, 2018, where he accepted the charge of "using the Zapya application", but denied ever using a VPN, and stated that no evidence had been presented to support this claim. He reluctantly signed his name on the 3-year sentence only after his family urged him to do so. His father and brother reportedly listened to the authorities and did not reveal to Anayit that his mother, Ayshem, had also been taken to camp.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Sentenced for using the Zapya application and using a VPN.
Victim's status
Serving a 3-year sentence [presumably at the camp].
While at camp, he has suffered repeated injuries, and on January 1, 2019 was taken to a camp hospital after falling and sustaining injury. The doctors said that the injury should not have any lasting effects. How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
His family is subject to repeated visits from community clerks, who disseminate Party propaganda and record what kind of content the family is watching on TV.
Victims among relatives
Ayshem Osman (24101)
Entry created: 2021-08-20 Last updated: 2021-08-20 Latest status update: 2019-01-04 24181. Abdu Wayit (阿不都·瓦依提)
Chinese ID: 650105197412132211 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 43 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: July 2017 - Sep. 2017 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|--- Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Abdu Wayit.
Registered address [it is noted that this is a "fake registration", or 空挂户, indicating that he doesn't actually live there]: Apt. 301, Entrance No. 1, Building No. 4, 28 West Second Alley, North Wuxing Road, Shuimogou District (五星北路西二巷28号4号楼1单元301号空挂户).
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Taken into custody by the Xinxing Street Police Station on August 11, 2017. Transferred to a camp on March 8, 2018. On November 11, 2018, his sister Gulshen attended his "twice inform and once announce" session, during which he was sentenced to 3 years of "transformation through education".
Likely (or given) reason for detention
---
Victim's status
In camp as of November 16, 2018, and now with a provisional 3-year sentence.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi. Additional information
---
Victims among relatives
Gulperi Eli (24182), Sulayman Eli (24183)
Entry created: 2021-08-26 Last updated: 2021-08-26 Latest status update: 2018-11-16 24268. Ekber Tursun (艾可帕尔·吐尔逊)
Chinese ID: 650105196308200056 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 55 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: Jan. 2018 - Mar. 2018 Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|other Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Testimony 1|2: Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Ekber Tursun has three daughters with Rizwangul Omer (another victim), but the couple has been divorced since 2014.
Residential address: Xinfang Neighborhood, Urumqi.
Registration address: Apt. 101, Entrance No. 2, Building No. 1, Area B, 145 Yanhe Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi (水磨沟区沿河路145号B区1-2-101).
Victim's location
The Dabancheng Vocational Education Center (达坂城职教中心).
When victim was detained
Sent to camp on March 10, 2018. As of late December 2018, he had been "provisionally sentenced" (预判) to 3 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
As stated in a March 19, 2019 report: "After divorcing his wife in 2014, he has always worked outside (of Urumqi) and changed his phone number many times, making it impossible to reach him. On March 8, 2018, he returned to Urumqi. The neighborhood administration council determined that this person should be sent to transformation through education as he: did not have a permanent living place, did not have a stable source of income, and was difficult to monitor" (自2014年与妻子离婚后,一直在外地做生意,电话也多次更改，无法联系，2018年3月8日回到乌市,经社区园桌 会议研判,因此人居无定所,无固定收入,不易管控，2018年3月10日教育转化). Victim's status
Still in camp as of March 18, 2019, and now provisionally sentenced.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
Ekber's brother would use Ekber's car after the latter's detention. During vehicle inspection, the mechanic noticed that Ekber's license had expired and refused to issue a new inspection certificate. Authorities have reported that without Ekber's presence, a new license cannot be issued.
Victims among relatives
Rizwangul Omer (24269), Zulnurem Ekber (24270), Zahidem Ekber (16557)
Entry created: 2021-09-03 Last updated: 2021-09-03 Latest status update: 2019-03-18 24343. Rustem Tursunjan (肉斯旦木·吐尔逊江)
Chinese ID: 650105199502250018 (Urumqi)
Basic info
Age: 23 Gender: M Ethnicity: Uyghur Likely current location: Urumqi Status: sentenced (3 years) When problems started: --- Detention reason (suspected|official): ---|past "transgressions" Health status: --- Profession: ---
Testifying party
Urumqi police records, as reported by Yael Grauer.
About the victim
Rustem Tursunjan.
Possible residential address [his mother's]: Xinfang Neighborhood, Shuimogou District, Urumqi.
Victim's location
[Presumably in Urumqi.]
When victim was detained
He was taken to camp [date unclear], then later "provisionally sentenced" (预判) to 3 years.
Likely (or given) reason for detention
Being suspected of July 5 involvement (涉嫌7.5).
Victim's status
Provisionally sentenced to 3 years while in camp.
How did the testifier learn about the victim's status?
These data come directly from police databases in Urumqi.
Additional information
--- Entry created: 2021-09-14 Last updated: 2021-09-14 Latest status update: 2019-02-18