All Reading
This section contains a curated list of useful articles, investigations, books and other reading materials. The list is updated on a weekly basis and suggestions for additions are welcome.
Starting Points:
Uyghur Stories: How Yalkun Uluyol Lost His Father—and Thirty Family Members
In the absence of police reports or court hearings, he only discovered his father’s fate - 16 years in jail - after two years of searching.
‘He disappeared for a year’: The survivors of China’s prison camps in Xinjiang – in pictures
In this photo gallery, some of those freed from re-education camps in Xinjiang - Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other minorities - talk about trying to rebuild their lives in neighbouring Kazakhstan.
Waiting to Be Arrested at Night review – the Uyghurs’ fight for survival in a society where repression is routine
The very fact of being a Uyghur in China turns everyday life into a political act, as this memoir by renowned poet Tahir Hamut Izgil recounts.
From Fear to Freedom: A Uyghur’s Journey
For decades, Kasim Kashgar has lived in fear: first as a Uyghur living in China's Xinjiang region under Beijing's repressive policies, and later as an exile, acutely aware of the risk to his family in China if he speaks out.
‘Like a war zone’: Congress hears of China’s abuses in Xinjiang ‘re-education camps
Two women who say they experienced and eventually escaped Chinese “re-education” camps provided first-hand testimony to members of the US Congress.
'He looks like he's lost his soul': Uyghur man finds brother in leaked police files
Uyghurs living abroad are using a new search tool, compiled from thousands of leaked Chinese police files, to track down their long-lost families after years of separation and silence.
Beijing Stands Firm Against Reports of Uyghur Detentions
Contrary to Beijing’s claims of “harmony” in Xinjiang, some Uyghurs living abroad, unable to freely contact their family members in Xinjiang for years, say that Chinese authorities have recently detained their loved ones.
Event: Holocaust Memorial Day Event: Ordinary People 2023
This Holocaust Memorial Day Event reflects on the theme ‘Ordinary People’ by hearing the testimonies of Kindertransport refugee Ruth Barnett along with human rights activist Rahima Mahmut, a member of the Uyghur community.
Event: Norwegian Parliament Hearings on Human Rights Atrocities Against Uyghurs
In this series of speeches and testimonies hosted at the Norwegian Parliament, hear more about the situation in Xinjiang from those who have experienced it first hand, and learn more about what you and Norway can do.
The Black Gate: A Uyghur Family's Story, Part 2
In the second and final part of NPR’s series "The Black Gate: A Uyghur's Family's Story," a Uyghur man returns to China to find his children who've been sent to "boarding schools" and his wife who's spent two years in prison.
100 Camp Testimonies
In "100 Camp Testimonies," former internees share first-hand accounts of the camps, and how family members, relatives, and friends have been arbitrarily incarcerated.
The Black Gate: A Uyghur Family's Story, Part 1
This episode, the first of a two-part series, tells the story of one Uyghur man and his efforts to reunite with his wife and young children, who were detained by Chinese authorities. For two years, he had no idea what had happened to them.
Event: Book Launch For Nury Turkel’s Book ‘No Escape’
In this discussion about his new book ‘No Escape’, Uyghur American lawyer and chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom Nury Turkel reveals how China is committing genocide against the Uyghurs.
Chinese-Kazakh Writer, Businesswoman Struggles To Rebuild Life After Abuse In Xinjiang Camp
Before she was imprisoned in her native Xinjiang, Zhazira Asenqyzy was known as a poet and writer as well as a successful businesswoman. But her world was turned upside down in May 2017 when she was taken from her family home and thrown into one of Xinjiang's notorious internment camps.
Nury Turkel: Will the world stand up for China's Uyghurs?
Nury Turkel, a prominent Uyghur activist in exile and chair of the US commission on international religious freedom, is a key leader in the effort to pressure China to end the repression of the Uyghurs. But is his campaign doomed to fail?
How Vinyl Flooring Made With Uyghur Forced Labor Ends Up at Big Box Stores
A new report details the toll taken by the flooring industry, painting a devastating picture of oppression and pollution in the Uyghur region.
Uyghurs Say the United Nations Is Failing Them
As Michelle Bachelet drags her feet on a UN report on Xinjiang, her silence has drawn new scrutiny to China’s growing influence in the UN, which experts fear is undermining the credibility of the international body itself.
Xinjiang Victims Database - Lists
This section of the Xinjiang Victims Database contains themed lists of victims, intended to focus on specific groups not identifiable solely by the database's tag system.
Xinjiang Victims Database
Updated on an ongoing basis, The Xinjiang Victims Database is a database which attempts to record all currently known individuals who are detained in Xinjiang internment camps in China, had their documents confiscated and movement restricted, or been subject to forced labour. Many of the profiles also contain personal testimony from the family and friends of detainees.
Exclusive: Former Xinjiang prisoner arrives in U.S. as key witness to abuses
A Christian Chinese national who spent 10 months in a Xinjiang detention camp has arrived in the United States after months of behind-the-scenes lobbying by U.S. lawmakers, human rights activists and international lawyers.