Who is Nebijan Hebibulla

Dr. Nebijan Hebibulla – Brief Biography

• Birth: May 4, 1983 in the Lop County of Hotan Prefecture (China).
• Early Education: Attended primary and secondary schooling in the Lop County.

Academic Background

Year                   Institution / Achievement
2002                    Graduated from the Hotan Prefectural Pedagogical Institute with a higher technical diploma in Chinese Language.
2004–2006       While teaching in the Lop County, founded his own computer service center.
2006                    Earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language from Xinjiang Pedagogical University.
2010                     Completed Master’s studies in Applied Linguistics at the Institute of Philology and Applied Linguistics, Xinjiang University.
2012                     Received a national scholarship for overseas study; conducted research on ancient Uyghur language at the University of Göttingen, Germany under Professor Peter Laut until 2014.
2016 (June)        Successfully defended his doctoral dissertation titled “Lexical Meanings of Words in Ancient Uyghur Buddhist Texts Translated into Chinese.”

Research & Teaching

• During his Master’s program he also taught at Xinjiang Pedagogical University upon invitation.
• His Master’s thesis, supervised by Professor Arslan Abdulla, examined the peculiarities of ancient Uyghur language preserved in the Hotan dialect.
• After earning his Ph.D., from August 2016 onward he began teaching and conducting research at the Uyghur Language Faculty of Xinjiang University’s Chinese Language Institute.
• Within just two years he led four major projects:
  1. Two national‑level studies,
  2. One autonomous‑region level study,
  3. One school‑level study.

Professional Recognition

• 2017 – Rated by the institute as an “Excellent Bachelor’s Thesis Leader.”
• 2018 – Recognized as an “Outstanding Researcher.”
• Has published more than ten academic papers to date.

Employment History (Post‑Master)

Period                   Position
2006–2007            One year of service in the Hotan Prefectual Department of Education.
2011                         Left that post and commenced doctoral studies at the Institute of Uyghur Language and Literature, Central University of Nationalities (Beijing).
2012 – 2014           Studied abroad under a state scholarship; carried out research in Germany for two years.
2016–2021             From August 2016 onward he worked as a lecturer and researcher at the Uyghur Language Faculty, Chinese Language Institute of Xinjiang University.

Professional Achievements

• Led four research projects (two national, one autonomous region, one school) within a short span.
• Published over ten scholarly articles; his publication record is more than 10 pieces.

Arrest and Imprisonment

• Arrest: February 16, 2018 – detained by security guards.
• Missing Period: Remained unaccounted for until March 2021 (no trace).
• Recent Report: It has come to light that Dr. Nebijan Hebibulla has been imprisoned for 15 years.
• The precise governmental rationale behind his detention and imprisonment remains unclear.

Contextual Note

Although the official reasons for Dr. Hebibulla’s arrest are not explicitly known, it is noteworthy that:

• His research focus—Uyghur language and its history—is deeply intertwined with the cultural heritage of the Uyghur people.
• Similar to many professors and educators (including his own Master’s supervisor, Professor Arslan Abdulla) who have conducted work closely related to Uyghur linguistics and history, Dr. Hebibulla’s scholarly pursuits may have drawn attention from authorities.