Halmurat, a student of Ilham Tohti, was arrested for his involvement with Tohti’s website Uyghurbiz, which aimed to promote understanding between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. He was sentenced in a 2014 secret trial to eight years in prison and has been held incommunicado since 2018. He was held in Turpan Prison, with his sentence reportedly ending on January 14, 2022. However, it is unclear whether he was released as scheduled, and his current whereabouts and wellbeing remain unknown.