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Detained & imprisoned in publishing

Entry Victim’s Name Chinese name ID no. About the Testifier Relation About the Victim Assumed Location When Detention Took Place Detention Reason Victim’s Status How Testifier Learned of Status Additional Info About the Testifier (Translated/Edited) Relation (Translated/Edited) About the Victim (Translated/Edited) Assumed Location (Translated/Edited) When Detention Took Place (Translated/Edited) Detention Reason (Translated/Edited) Victim’s Status (Translated/Edited) How Testifier Learned of Status (Translated/Edited) Additional Info (Translated/Edited) Prison Term (Years) Age Gender Ethnicity Location Detention type Detention time Detention reason Official detention reason (1) Official detention reason (2) Official detention reason (3) Health status Profession
275 Abdurahman Ebey 65????195???????O? Justine, French citizen No relation, information is publicly available in the press. Abdurahman Abey, approximately 65. "Had a 40-year career in writing and publishing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), serving as director of the official Xinhua Bookstore, and from 2005-2015 as director and Communist Party deputy secretary of the Xinjiang People’s Publishing House. In Chinese media he had been portrayed as an “energetic publisher” who won national awards in the field every year from 2003-13 (…) Local websites said Abey left his position as director of Xinjiang People’s Publishing House in January 2015, and was appointed as the manager of the History Research Office of the Xinjiang Autonomous Political Expansion Committee. He left that post in January 2017".
Apparently started to come under suspicion by Chinese authorities at the beginning of 2015.
"His current whereabouts and the status of his case are not known" Arrested in july 2018. According to a staff member at the Xinjiang Youth Publishing House, interviewed by RFA : "During the time when he was working at the Xinjiang People’s Publishing House (Abey) was implicated in separatism and religious extremism activities" "Under arrest and further investigation" Reported in RFA This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at here. 55+ M Uyghur unclear (hard) July 2018 – Sep. 2018 separatism publishing
1733 Tursunjan Hezim 6529??1973??????O? 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: 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)
Tursunjan Hezim edited a well-known website Orkhun, which focus on Uyghur history and culture. He is originally from Aksu and is a graduate of Xinjiang University (1996). Unclear He was detained after the ethnic riot in July 2009. In July 2010, Aksu intermediate People’s Court sentenced him to seven year in prison. It was a closed trial and no relatives has been informed until the final sentence. Unclear Whereabouts unclear. [Sentence should have been served, but his friends abroad don’t seem to have any news of him.] UHRP report and RFA news UHRP report,
RFA news (Testimony 1-2),
Other sources,
This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals (Testimony 3), available at here.
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: 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)
35-55 M Uyghur before 2017 publishing
1735 Adil Rishit 65????19????????O? Anonymous volunteer None Adil Rishit, a Uyghur website administrator was arrested in 2016 along with Omerjan Hesen Bozqir, who also contributed to the website. The website advocates preserve Uyghur language and culture. Unclear 2016 Unclear Unclear UHRP and World Uyghur Congress report UHRP report,
World Uyghur Congress report,
This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at here.
M Uyghur sentenced before 2017 publishing
2176 Memetjan Abliz Boriyar 65????19????????O? H. information publicly available name: Memetjan Abliz Boriyar
gender: male
ethnicity: Uyghur
age: 60 (as of 26 NOV 2018)
occupation: manager and editor at Kashgar Publishing House
He has worked as an editor at Kashgar Publishing House since 1987. He also researched Uyghur children’s literature and published books about the Uyghur language.
Before his arrest, there was a one-month investigation regarding his involvement in the release of 100 books which were blacklisted.
unknown early October 2018 having released 100 "problematic” books (improper political content), which were later blacklisted by the government arrested, but not in a "re-education" camp https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/editor-11262018155525.html (published 26 NOV 2018) This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at here. 55+ M Uyghur Kashgar unclear (hard) Oct. 2018 – Dec. 2018 problematic literature publishing
2312 Ablikim Hesen 6541011971??????O? Testimony 1|5: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Alerk Ablikim, a citizen of the Netherlands. (son)
Testimony 3: Weli Hesen, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (brother)
Testimony 4: Atike Emet, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (ex-wife)
Ablikim Hesen. He was chief editor and head of the Uyghur language department of Xinjiang Youth’s Press. He was a writer who contributed a lot for children’s education. He was born in 1971 in Ghulja city (http://latin.uycnr.com/newbook_697/zz/201012/t20101212_71061.html). According to his brother and ex-wife, he was arrested and placed in concentration camps at around October, 2017 (https://eastturkistaninfo.com/2018/10/03/tohpikar-balilar-yazghuchisi-shair-ablikim-hesen-lagerda/). Detailed informtion about this victim can be found on those two links provided above. unknown (possibly in Urumqi or Ghulja) Testimony 1: around October, 2017
Testimony 2: in camp since 2016
Testimony 5: released in December 2019.
unknown in concentration camp
Testimony 5: released from detention.
unclear, victim’s brother and ex-wife testified about him. This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals (Testimony 1+5), available at here.
This victim is also in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals provided by Uyghuraid,
Radio Free Asia report (Testimony 3-4)
Testimony 1|5: Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear)
Testimony 2: Alerk Ablikim, a citizen of the Netherlands. (son)
Testimony 3: Weli Hesen, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (brother)
Testimony 4: Atike Emet, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (ex-wife)
Ablikim Hesen, born in Ghulja City’s Uchderwaza neighborhood, is a graduate of Lanzhou’s Northwest Minzu University. He worked as the chief editor and head of the Uyghur-language department at the Xinjiang Youth Press, and is also known as a writer who made many contributions to children’s education. According to his brother and ex-wife, he was arrested and placed in a concentration camp around October 2017. (However, his son says in his video testimony that he has been detained since 2016.)
In March 2020, Abduweli Ayup reported that Ablikim had been released in December 2019.
Released from (hard) detention. Not stated. Radio Free Asia report,
Profile by China National Radio’s Uyghur service (now removed),
This victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at here.
35-55 M Uyghur unclear (soft) Oct. 2017 – Dec. 2017 publishing
2357 Qadir Arslan 65????19????????O? This victim is placed in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals made by Abduweli Ayup. none Qadir Arslan. He was an editor at the Xinjiang Educational Press. He is now in detention and current situation is unknown. unknown (possibly in Urumqi) unknown unknown in detention unclear This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at here.
This victim is also in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals provided by Uyghuraid
M Uyghur Urumqi unclear (hard) publishing
2358 Mahibeder Mehmut 65????19????????E? This victim is placed in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals made by Abduweli Ayup. none Mahibeder Mexmut. She was an editor at the Xinjiang Educational Press. She is now in detention and current situation is unknown. unknown (possibly in Urumqi) unknown unknown in detention unclear This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at here.
This victim is also in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals provided by Uyghuraid
F Uyghur Urumqi unclear (hard) publishing
2359 Ayshem Peyzulla 65????19????????E? This victim is placed in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals made by Abduweli Ayup. none Ayshem Peyzulla. She was and editor at the Xinjiang Educational Press. She is currently in detention and situation is unknown. unknown (possibly in Urumqi) unknown unknown in detention unclear This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at here.
This victim is also in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals provided by Uyghuraid
F Uyghur Urumqi unclear (hard) publishing
2362 Erkin Muhemmet 65????19????????O? This victim is placed in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals made by Abduweli Ayup. none Erkin Muhemmet. He was an editor at Xinjiang Educational Press. He is now in detention and current situation is unknown. unknown (possibly in Urumqi) unknown unknown in detention unclear This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at here.
This victim is also in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals provided by Uyghuraid
M Uyghur Urumqi unclear (hard) publishing
2363 Ekber Sirajidin 65????19????????O? This victim is placed in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals made by Abduweli Ayup. none Ekber Sirajidin. He was an editor at Xinjiang Educational Press. He is now in detention and current situation is unknown. unknown (possibly in Urumqi) unknown unknown in detention unclear This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at here.
This victim is also in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals provided by Uyghuraid
M Uyghur Urumqi unclear (hard) publishing
2459 Gulshen Salih 6501??19????????E? Testimony 1-2: Furqet Salih. Testimony 1-2: Sister Gülshen Salih, 55. She retired from the Xinjiang University Publishing House.
Address: Room 404, Block 27, Xinjiang University residency.
[Presumably in Urumqi.] April 8th, 2017 Unclear Re-education camp Unclear 55+ F Uyghur concentration camp Apr. 2017 – June 2017 publishing
2890 Erkin Ibrahim 艾尔肯·伊布拉音 650102196309031232 Testimony 1: Abduweli Ayup, an Uyghur scholar, linguist, activist now living in Norway.
Testimony 2: Iminjan from Karamay.
Testimony 3: Anonymous.
Testimony 4: Bughra Erkin, an owner of an Uyghur restaurant in the United States.
Testimony 1: No known relation.
Testimony 2: Unclear.
Testimony 3: Friend.
Testimony 4: Father.
Erkin Ibrahim Peyda (艾尔肯·伊布拉音), publisher and CEO of Ogen Publishing Company. Also a poet.
Born in Toqsu County, but moved to Urumqi.
Address: Apt. 1202, Entrance 2, Building 1, 265 Dostluq Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区多斯鲁克路265号1号楼2单元1202号)
Testimony 3: 19th October 2018.
Testimony 4: taken by police from his home on October 25, 2018 (without a warrant).
Testimony 4: possibly for sending his son (the testifier) abroad to study. Detained.
Testimony 4: testifier says that he is in “camp”.
Unclear. This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf There are four different testifiers. The first is Abduweli Ayup, a scholar residing in Norway, who includes the victim in his list of prominent detained Uyghurs. The second is Iminjan from Qaramay, testifying for the victim at a wider testimony event. The third testifier is anonymous, but is a friend of the victim. Finally, the last testifier is the victim’s son, Bughra Erkin, now residing in the United States and operating an Uyghur restaurant there. [see above] Erkin Ibrahim (also known as “Erkin Ibrahim Peyda”) was a publisher and the CEO of Ogen Publishing Company. He was also a poet.
He was born in Aksu’s Toqsu County, but later moved to Urumqi.
Address: Apt. 1202, Entrance 2, Building 1, 265 Dostluq Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市天山区多斯鲁克路265号1号楼2单元1202号)
[Presumably in Urumqi.] According to his son, he was taken by police from his home on October 25, 2018 (without a warrant). His son believes that it may be because of his father’s having sent him to study abroad. Testifier says that he is in “camp”, though it isn’t clear to what degree this is confirmed. In his interview to the LA Times, the testifier says that he speaks to his mother once every month, but that they avoid talking about his father since the conversations are monitored. This victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at here,
According to the LA Times report, 14 of Erkin’s employees’ whereabouts are also unknown.
55+ M Uyghur Urumqi concentration camp Oct. 2018 – Dec. 2018 related to going abroad publishing
4114 Koresh Huseyin 65????19????????O? This testimony has been imported from China Rights Forum. Korash Huseyin, age 35 in 2005, was chief editor of the Kashgar Literature Journal. He published the short story “Wild Pigeon” (see Nurmuhemmet Yasin). He was sentenced to three years in 2005. Unknown 14-Nov-05 Inciting separatism. unknown unknown https://www.hrichina.org/sites/default/files/PDFs/CRF.4.2006/CRF-2006-4_Custody.pdf 3 35-55 M Uyghur sentenced before 2017 separatism publishing
5645 Iminjan Seydin 依明江·赛都力 650102196504284534 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)
Eminjan saidin, a book publisher and, an associate professor of history at Xinjiang Islamic Institute. He was born in Say district, usten Atux, Xinjiang in 1965. In 1990, he settled for work in Urumqi after his graduation from Xinjiang University Department of History.
He is the kindest and most generous person I know. he was very supportive of his family and others in need. His students liked his teaching and insightfulness. His business partners appreciated his intergrity and generousity. He earned respect by dedicating his whole life to better the community intellectually. After a major car accident back in years ago, he decided to start up his own publishing company. He published many translated version of world-class books including The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by stephen covey, the Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal. His work focused on delivering advanced knowledge to those who could only read Uyghur, so they did not lag behind due to language barriers in society. After all, he wanted to improve the connections between all groups in society as a whole. He was taken by the Chinese officials back in May, 2017 (Testimony 4: May 25). He then was accused with false charge and sentenced for 15 years of imprisonment early 2019. Eminjan Saidin has always been a law abider. This false accusation is totally unacceptable and need to be strongly condemed internationally.
[Testimony 6: He owned a publishing organization called the Imin Publishing House, which since its foundation in 2012, had printed nearly 50 books on topics such as language, education, technology and psychology.
His daughter: “I was still able to contact my father even on his birthday in April 2017. He sent me pictures celebrating his birthday with his colleagues from a rural village in Hotan where he had been sent to work for a year under Xinjiang government’s mandatory rural village work program,” she said.]
A Prison in BingTuan, Urumqi 5-ئاي-17 [Testimony 5: “inciting extremism”]
[Testimony 6: His daughter Samira Imin told VOA that she recently learned from her friend in Beijing that her father was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for a book that he had published three years before his arrest.
“My father was sentenced with a trumped-up charge of ‘inciting extremism’ after being detained and put in ‘re-education through transformation camps’ for two years,” Imin told VOA, adding that the book, titled A Teacher of Arab Tongue, the Science of Rhetoric, was an Arabic language learning book he published in 2014 after obtaining government authorization.]
[Testimony 2: in addition to being sentenced to 15 years, he has been deprived of his political rights for 5 years and fined 500000RMB. His university, the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, has decided to cancel contract with him, to invalidate his social welfare and stop his salary; and further to demand from him to give back his two-year-salary 90,517 Yuan ( from 10 May 2017 to 30 April 2019) plus 15,262 Yuan that has been paid to his social welfare fund.]
[Testimony 8: his daughter says that she is “lectured” everytime that she tries to talk to him, and demands that the authorities stop pressuring her parents and let them talk normally.]
[Testimony 9: he has high blood pressure.]
From a reliable source RFA report (Testimony 2)
Amnesty call to action (Testimony 5)
Daily Express coverage (Testimony 9)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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 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.]
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.
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.
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. Business entry of his book company,
From Chinese state media article from June 2017, in which he is quoted as supporting the Party policies:
正在皮山县科克铁热克乡拜勒库木村开展驻村工作的依明江·赛都力,是新疆伊斯兰教经学院副教授。他说:“最近我多次向村民宣讲《致维吾尔族同胞觉醒书》,引导村民深刻认识‘三股势力’的罪恶本质,更加主动地站到‘三股势力’的对立面。今后,我还要下大力气,引导村民牢固树立‘三个离不开’思想,增强‘五个认同’,让民族团结之花常开长盛。”
Radio Free Asia coverage,
Amnesty International’s Urgent Action,
Covered by the Daily Express,
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).
55+ M Uyghur Apr. 2017 – June 2017 related to religion has problems publishing
8510 Tuniyaz Ilyas 65????19????????O? Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear) Tuniyaz Ilyas was an editor at the Xinjiang Education Press. Not stated. Not stated. The victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at here Abduweli Ayup, a language activist, linguist, and writer, originally from Kashgar but now residing in Norway. (relation unclear) Tuniyaz Ilyas was an editor at the Xinjiang Education Press. Not stated. Not stated. The victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs, available at here. M Uyghur publishing