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testifying party (* direct submission)

Testimony 1*|4|7: Mamutjan Abdurehim, a resident of Australia who previously studied in Malaysia, but fled because of fear of deportation. (husband)

Testimony 2: Muyesser Abdul'ehed, a writer now living abroad. (acquaintance)

Testimony 3: Mamutjan Abdurehim, as reported by Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (husband)

Testimony 5: Mamutjan Abdurehim, as reported by CNN. (husband)

Testimony 6: CGTN, an international English-language news channel based in Beijing and owned by China Central Television. Testimony 1: father daughter brother sister son mother grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter uncle aunt nephew niece brother-in-law sister-in-law father-in-law mother-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law cousin friend colleague former student relative relation unclear from same town/region n/a husband wife the victim lawyer child friends, family, and students great-nephew great-niece former schoolmate cousin once removed friend of relative boyfriend girlfriend friend of friend aunt-in-law acquaintance judge cousin-in-law nephew-in-law niece-in-law uncle-in-law former neighbor stepbrother stepsister stepfather stepmother stepdaughter stepson neighbor of relative detained together former teacher relative of friend relative of teacher sibling grandchild cousin twice removed trial attendee ex-wife great-uncle great-aunt in-law grandmother-in-law grandfather-in-law great-grandmother great-grandfather half-brother half-sister ex-husband direct third-party
Testimony 2: father daughter brother sister son mother grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter uncle aunt nephew niece brother-in-law sister-in-law father-in-law mother-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law cousin friend colleague former student relative relation unclear from same town/region n/a husband wife the victim lawyer child friends, family, and students great-nephew great-niece former schoolmate cousin once removed friend of relative boyfriend girlfriend friend of friend aunt-in-law acquaintance judge cousin-in-law nephew-in-law niece-in-law uncle-in-law former neighbor stepbrother stepsister stepfather stepmother stepdaughter stepson neighbor of relative detained together former teacher relative of friend relative of teacher sibling grandchild cousin twice removed trial attendee ex-wife great-uncle great-aunt in-law grandmother-in-law grandfather-in-law great-grandmother great-grandfather half-brother half-sister ex-husband direct third-party
Testimony 3: father daughter brother sister son mother grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter uncle aunt nephew niece brother-in-law sister-in-law father-in-law mother-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law cousin friend colleague former student relative relation unclear from same town/region n/a husband wife the victim lawyer child friends, family, and students great-nephew great-niece former schoolmate cousin once removed friend of relative boyfriend girlfriend friend of friend aunt-in-law acquaintance judge cousin-in-law nephew-in-law niece-in-law uncle-in-law former neighbor stepbrother stepsister stepfather stepmother stepdaughter stepson neighbor of relative detained together former teacher relative of friend relative of teacher sibling grandchild cousin twice removed trial attendee ex-wife great-uncle great-aunt in-law grandmother-in-law grandfather-in-law great-grandmother great-grandfather half-brother half-sister ex-husband direct third-party
Testimony 4: father daughter brother sister son mother grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter uncle aunt nephew niece brother-in-law sister-in-law father-in-law mother-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law cousin friend colleague former student relative relation unclear from same town/region n/a husband wife the victim lawyer child friends, family, and students great-nephew great-niece former schoolmate cousin once removed friend of relative boyfriend girlfriend friend of friend aunt-in-law acquaintance judge cousin-in-law nephew-in-law niece-in-law uncle-in-law former neighbor stepbrother stepsister stepfather stepmother stepdaughter stepson neighbor of relative detained together former teacher relative of friend relative of teacher sibling grandchild cousin twice removed trial attendee ex-wife great-uncle great-aunt in-law grandmother-in-law grandfather-in-law great-grandmother great-grandfather half-brother half-sister ex-husband direct third-party
Testimony 5: father daughter brother sister son mother grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter uncle aunt nephew niece brother-in-law sister-in-law father-in-law mother-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law cousin friend colleague former student relative relation unclear from same town/region n/a husband wife the victim lawyer child friends, family, and students great-nephew great-niece former schoolmate cousin once removed friend of relative boyfriend girlfriend friend of friend aunt-in-law acquaintance judge cousin-in-law nephew-in-law niece-in-law uncle-in-law former neighbor stepbrother stepsister stepfather stepmother stepdaughter stepson neighbor of relative detained together former teacher relative of friend relative of teacher sibling grandchild cousin twice removed trial attendee ex-wife great-uncle great-aunt in-law grandmother-in-law grandfather-in-law great-grandmother great-grandfather half-brother half-sister ex-husband direct third-party
Testimony 6: father daughter brother sister son mother grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter uncle aunt nephew niece brother-in-law sister-in-law father-in-law mother-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law cousin friend colleague former student relative relation unclear from same town/region n/a husband wife the victim lawyer child friends, family, and students great-nephew great-niece former schoolmate cousin once removed friend of relative boyfriend girlfriend friend of friend aunt-in-law acquaintance judge cousin-in-law nephew-in-law niece-in-law uncle-in-law former neighbor stepbrother stepsister stepfather stepmother stepdaughter stepson neighbor of relative detained together former teacher relative of friend relative of teacher sibling grandchild cousin twice removed trial attendee ex-wife great-uncle great-aunt in-law grandmother-in-law grandfather-in-law great-grandmother great-grandfather half-brother half-sister ex-husband direct third-party
Testimony 7: father daughter brother sister son mother grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter uncle aunt nephew niece brother-in-law sister-in-law father-in-law mother-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law cousin friend colleague former student relative relation unclear from same town/region n/a husband wife the victim lawyer child friends, family, and students great-nephew great-niece former schoolmate cousin once removed friend of relative boyfriend girlfriend friend of friend aunt-in-law acquaintance judge cousin-in-law nephew-in-law niece-in-law uncle-in-law former neighbor stepbrother stepsister stepfather stepmother stepdaughter stepson neighbor of relative detained together former teacher relative of friend relative of teacher sibling grandchild cousin twice removed trial attendee ex-wife great-uncle great-aunt in-law grandmother-in-law grandfather-in-law great-grandmother great-grandfather half-brother half-sister ex-husband direct third-party
Testimony 8: add father daughter brother sister son mother grandfather grandmother grandson granddaughter uncle aunt nephew niece brother-in-law sister-in-law father-in-law mother-in-law son-in-law daughter-in-law cousin friend colleague former student relative relation unclear from same town/region n/a husband wife the victim lawyer child friends, family, and students great-nephew great-niece former schoolmate cousin once removed friend of relative boyfriend girlfriend friend of friend aunt-in-law acquaintance judge cousin-in-law nephew-in-law niece-in-law uncle-in-law former neighbor stepbrother stepsister stepfather stepmother stepdaughter stepson neighbor of relative detained together former teacher relative of friend relative of teacher sibling grandchild cousin twice removed trial attendee ex-wife great-uncle great-aunt in-law grandmother-in-law grandfather-in-law great-grandmother great-grandfather half-brother half-sister ex-husband add add direct third-party

Update 

Name:    Description:    unverified verified    1 2 3 4 5    Add

about the victim

Muherrem Ablet, a housewife from Kashgar and a mother of two. She had previously spent 3 years in Malaysia, from early 2013 to late 2015, while her husband was doing his PhD studies there. https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12456432?__twitter_impression=true

[Link to an article covering the case, according to which:

The victim is Muherrem Ablet.]

[She is a housemaker, according to the tags applied by her husband during submission of the testimony.]

[Testimony 3: she is a mother of two children - Muhlise (10 yo) and Hikmet (5 yo). The victim lived with the testifier and their two children in Malaysia for almost three years, from the start of 2013 until the end of 2015, whilst the testifier was studying a doctorate degree at an unspecified university.]

current location

[Unclear, as she has been sentenced.] Kashgar

[Unclear if this is her current location, as she has been sentenced.]

chronology of detention(s)

The victim's passport was stolen while in Malaysia, after which the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur issued her a one-off travel document and told her to travel back to Xinjiang to get a new passport. The victim then traveled back to Kashgar with her two children in December 2015 and received her new passport in April 2016. Because of the family's financial situation, the victim was unable to immediately rejoin her husband, who was still in Malaysia. Her passport was confiscated soon after Chen Quanguo came to power, sometime in early 2017.

At some point after returning to Xinjiang and before April 2017, the victim was questioned by local authorities in regard to her wearing a hijab. The testifier reports that the victim began to use facial expressions instead of words when they communicated [presumably over video chat].

In mid-April 2017, the parents of the testifier notified the testifier that the victim had been "taken away". Weekly family visits were originally promised, but were allegedly discontinued after the first week. (This was in addition to the testifier's father also having been detained for some time.)

In May-June 2017 (about two months after her detention), the victim contacted the testifier briefly, stating that she was "home for a day, but would be detained again" - having been allowed to come home for a day as someone had acted as a guarantor for her. She also messaged the testifier, saying "I will be gone, and so if I cannot message you again, just wait until I can contact you". (As of July 2020, this was the last message that the testifier received from the victim before the victim deleted her husband from her contacts and social media accounts.)

In a video posted by the son of the victim to a relative's WeChat account in early May 2019, the son reportedly says "my mom has graduated!" The testifier was reportedly able to hear the victim's voice in the background of the video, which indicated that she may have been released from detention.

An acquaintance of the testifier later confirmed to the testifier that the victim had indeed been released.

As of July 2020, the testifier suspects, based on coded words used in messages that he has seen (e.g., "not at home", "in the hospital"), that the victim was re-arrested in 2019. The testifier asked a close local contact "how old" the victim was, to which he received the response "5 years". Based on this coded message, he believes that his wife may have been sentenced to 5 years. In an August 2021 post, however, Mamutjan said that she had been sentenced to 9 years. Detained in April 2017 and released in May 2019 after two-year internment. Heard she was detained again shortly after and suggested sentenced to 5 years.

[Testimony 3: The victim lost her passport (Testimony 4: it was stolen) whilst in Malaysia, after which the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur issued her a one-off travel document and told her to travel back to Xinjiang to get a new passport. The victim then traveled back to Kashgar with her two children in December 2015 and received her new passport at some point in 2016 (Testimony 4: April). Due to the family's financial situation, the victim was unable to immediately rejoin her husband (the testifier), who was still in Malaysia. (Testimony 4: her passport was confiscated soon after Chen Quanguo came to power. Testimony 5: sometime in early 2017.)

At some point after returning to Xinjiang and before April 2017, the victim had been questioned by local authorities in regard to her wearing a hijab. The testifier reports that the victim began to use facial expressions instead of words when they communicated [presumably over video chat].

In April 2017, the parents of the testifier notified the testifier that the victim had been "taken away". This was in addition to the testifier's father also having being detained for some time.

Testimony 4: she was taken on April 15-16, and told that her relatives could visit her once a week, but this apparently only lasted for one visit.

In June 2017 (about two months after her detention), the victim contacted the testifier briefly, stating that she was "home for a day, but would be detained again." (Testimony 4: someone acted as a guarantor for her, allowing her to come home for a day.) She also messaged the testifier saying "I will be gone, and so if I cannot message you again, just wait until I can contact you." As of 19/07/2020, this was the last message that the testifier received from the victim before the victim deleted her husband from her contacts and social media accounts. (Testimony 4: this is reported as happening in May 2017.)

In a video posted by the son of the victim to a relative's WeChat account in early May 2019, the son reportedly says "My mum has graduated!". The testifier was reportedly able to hear the victim's voice in the background of the video, which indicated that she may have been released from detention.

An acquaintance of the testifier later confirmed to the testifier that the victim had indeed been released.

As of 19/07/2020, the testifier suspects based on coded words used in messages that he has seen (e.g. "not at home", "in hospital" -- two terms that are occasionally used to hint that a person has been sent to a concentration camp) that the victim was re-arrested in 2019. The testifier asked a family member "how old" the victim was, to which he received the response "5 years", and based on this coded message, believes that his wife may be detained for up to 5 years.]

suspected and/or official reason(s) for detention

Unknown, but her husband suspects that it is because of her being religious and having gone abroad.

In a "counter-report" put out by CGTN within days of CNN's visit to the victim's house, the reporter stated that Muherrem had been arrested in 2019 for "inciting ethnic hatred". Not known. Suspected reasons: religious practices, overseas life.

Testimony 6: In a counter-video put out by CGTN within days of CNN's visit to the victim's house, the reporter stated that Muherrem had been arrested in 2019 for "inciting ethnic hatred".

last reported status

Sentenced.

When CNN visited the victim's home in the spring of 2021, her daughter, Muhlise, told the CNN reporters that her mother was "at her other grandmother's house but that she [Muhlise] could not see her very often", saying that she had last seen her a month or two earlier. Testimony 5: When CNN visited the victim's home in the spring of 2021, her daughter, Muhlise, told the CNN reporters that her mother was "at her other grandmother's house but that she [Muhlise] could not see her very often", saying that she had last seen her a month or two earlier.

Testimony 7: In August 2021, Mamutjan reported her prison sentence as being 9 years.

how testifier(s) learned of victim's situation

Much of the information was obtained through coded messages on WeChat.

At one point, the victim was able to contact the testifier directly on a "day off" from camp. After she was released, there was a video on a relative's WeChat where their son exclaimed "my mom has graduated!", with the victim's voice in the background. Through coded messages on WeChat.

additional information

ABC (Australia) coverage: https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12456432

CNN coverage: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/18/china/xinjiang-uyghur-families-china-amnesty-report-exclusive-dst-intl-hnk/index.html

Business Insider coverage: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/uighur-china-father-mamutjan-abdurehim-wife-detained-ordeal-2020-7

Link Tree for coverage of the victim's case: https://linktr.ee/free_muherrem ABC (Australia) coverage [Testimony 3]: https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12456432

[Testimony 3: The testifier believes that the children are being raised by his parents and in-laws.]

[Business Insider coverage (Testimony 4): https://www.businessinsider.com.au/uighur-china-father-mamutjan-abdurehim-wife-detained-ordeal-2020-7]

[CNN coverage (Testimony 5): https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/18/china/xinjiang-uyghur-families-china-amnesty-report-exclusive-dst-intl-hnk/index.html]

state-media report(s)

Source: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-03-23/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDUzMDQy/index.html

Xinjiang Human Rights: Uygur family disturbed by CNN reporters asks son to come home

A Uygur family's cosy and simple life has been disturbed after three foreigners turned up on their doorstep, claiming to be classmates of their son, who currently works overseas. Family members are now calling on the man, who is currently living in Australia, to return home, as they haven't been in contact for five years. Huang Yue reports.

Muhlisa is a top student in her class in Kashgar No.1 Elementary School. The ten-year-old has received many awards for achieving high exam scores. Muhlisa's younger brother, who is six years old, will also start elementary school this September.

HUANG YUE (Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region): "The two children have been living a simple and happy life with their grandparents in an ancient city of Kashgar until several days ago, when some uninvited guests knocked at their door."

Muhlisa recalls that three "uncles" stopped by with photos of her father.

MUHLISA MAMUT (Resident of Kashgar): "They said they were my father's classmates. They told me my father is now in Australia and asked if I want to go there to reunite with him. I said I don't want to go abroad. I want to stay in Kashgar."

The three "uncles" turned out to be reporters from CNN. And later, a photo of the girl crying made headlines. CNN reported that the child is prohibited from leaving the country to reunite with her father.

Muhlisa's father, Mamutjan Abdurehim, got married in Xinjiang in 2009 after completing his master's degree. He then stayed in Kashgar for 45 days, before going to Malaysia with his new wife.

According to Muhlisa's grandfather, from 2009 to 2013, Mamutjan would come back home once a year. And in 2015, his wife brought the two children back to Kashgar. Mamutjan's wife, named Muharram Ablat, was arrested on suspicion of provoking ethnic hatred in 2019. And since then, the two children have been left to stay between their paternal and maternal grandparents.

MUHLISA MAMUT (Resident of Kashgar): "I can video call my mother. Yesterday, we had a video call. I told her I miss her. My brother also said so. My mother said she is doing great and told us not to worry about her. I want to show her the awards I got from school when she comes back. I believe she will be very happy."

The last time the family had a phone conversation with Mamutjan was in April 2017.

ABLAT ABDUREYIM (Muhlisa's grandfather): "My wife picked up the phone. I was not at home. My wife asked why he hadn't called home for a long time. He said he went to Australia to apply for a doctoral degree, and would stay there until he received an offer. My wife said she was not feeling well and would go to the hospital the next day. And my son just said 'OK.'"

Ablat said with his monthly retirement pension of 1,900 yuan, he can support the family. He added that he and his wife have medical insurance to cover their hospital bills. And he doesn't need to pay for the children's tuition because they receive fifteen years of compulsory education for free in Xinjiang. So now, his only wish is to see his son back home.

ABLAT ABDUREYIM (Muhlisa's grandfather): "Come back home if you've finished your studies. Your mother and I are getting old. This is your home. And your two children are also here. We don't have any problem with our life, but you should raise your own children."

(Huang Yue, CGTN, Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.)

relatives

supplementary materials

entry created on: 2020-07-20

entry last modified on: 2021-08-08

last update from testifier(s): 2021-09-20