Gheyret Abdurahman

Uyghur scholar Abdurahman was detained in March 2018 for over a year after translating Nobel laureate Mo Yan’s book Red Sorghum because it was deemed “politically sensitive.” Abdurahman’s arrest… More

Perhat Tursun

Tursun is a renowned Uyghur writer of poetry, prose, and novels. He was denounced as anti-Islamic in the late 1990s for his work's themes of suicide, sexuality, and mental… More

Abdulqadir Jalaleddin

Abduqadir Jalaleddin is a renowned poet, translator, scholar of contemporary Uyghur literature, and professor at Xinjiang Normal University. He was arrested from his home in early 2018. Authorities provided… More

Hailaite Niyazi Hairat, or Gheyret Niyaz

A former reporter and columnist, Niyazi also managed the Uyghurbiz website and had publicly criticized government policies toward Uyghurs. After a one-day sham trial in 2010, he was convicted… More

Abdukerim Rahman

Rahman is a renowned academic specializing in Uyghur folklore who has authored over 20 books, including History of Uyghur Culture and Uyghur Folk Literature. Reports indicate that Rahman was… More

Yalqun Rozi

Yalqun Rozi

Rozi is a Uyghur writer, literary critic, and historical researcher. Rozi was detained in October 2016 and formally arrested two months later for inciting separatism. Convicted in January 2018… More

Tashpolat Tiyip

Tashpolat Tiyip is an academic of Uyghur origin and the former president of Xinjiang University. Authorities stopped Tiyip in 2017 at Beijing airport. It is rumored that Tiyip was… More

Tohti Tunyaz

Tohti Tunyaz Muzart

A Uyghur historian based in Japan, Tunyaz was arrested in 1998 after analyzing primary sources in Xinjiang for his book The Inside Story of the Silk Road. Imprisoned for… More

Writers at Risk

Osman Zunun

Zunun, a staff member at Uyghur-run Kashgar Publishing House, was detained in a sweep of arrests for his role in the publication of books deemed “problematic” for their “improper”… More

Abdurahman Abey

Abey was arrested in July 2018 on suspicion of involvement in separatism and religious extremism, and his current whereabouts are unknown. A Communist Party official, Abey had worked in… More