testifying party

Testimony 1|2|4: Anonymous, as reported by Radio Free Asia Uyghur. (acquaintance)

Testimony 3: Dui Hua, a San Francisco-based nonprofit humanitarian organization that seeks clemency and better treatment for at-risk detainees in China.

Testimony 5: Anonymous, as reported by Congressional-Executive Commission on China. (relation unclear) 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: 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

Mehbube Ablesh was born in 1979. Prior to her detention, she worked in the advertising department of the Xinjiang People's Radio Station in Urumqi.

She studied journalism, and is an honorary member of the Independent Chinese PEN and the Uyghur PEN.

current location

[Presumably in Urumqi.]

chronology of detention(s)

According to two anonymous former colleagues (T1, T2), Mehbube was fired from her job at the Xinjiang People's Radio Station in August 2008 and subsequently arrested.

The charges against her were unknown until April-July 2010, when the Dui Hua foundation reported that they had received information from Xinjiang prison authorities through an intermediary organisation (T3) that Mehbube was serving a 3-year sentence in Xinjiang No. 2 Prison for "inciting splittism".

Her original sentence was set to expire in August 2011, but there has so far been no indication that she was released.

suspected and/or official reason(s) for detention

According to the intermediary between Dui Hua and prison authorities (T3), the victim was sentenced to three years for "inciting splittism" (Article 103, Chinese Criminal Law).

The victim allegedly published online articles criticising government policies in Xinjiang, and sent messages to a contact in Europe (T4) criticising provincial leaders and Mandarin language education policies.

According to PEN America (Link 6), the victim published a total of two critical articles.

According to an anonymous source (T5), the victim also criticised security measures for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and government handling of donations from Uyghurs following the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

last reported status

Unclear. The victim's sentence was set to expire in August 2011, but there has so far been no indication that she was released.

[It is likely that she's been subjected to forced labor while at the women's prison, as the Xinjiang Qixin Clothing LLC (新疆启新服装有限责任公司) has its factory there.]

how testifier(s) learned of victim's situation

T1, T2: The two colleagues heard about the victim's arrest at a meeting held at the Xinjiang People's Radio Station.

T3: The Dui Hua foundation submitted a request for information relating to the victim to the intermediary organisation in November 2009. The intermediary organisation then forwarded the request to prison authorities. Prison authorities responded with detailed information about her sentence.

T4: The testifier was in direct contact with the victim before her detention.

T5: Unclear.

additional information

Link 1 (Dui Hua Foundation, T3): https://web.archive.org/web/20170517061751/http://www.duihua.org/work/publications/nl/dialogue/nl_txt/nl40/nl40_3a.htm
Link 2 (World Uyghur Congress): https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/mehbube-ablesh/
Link 3 (Reporters Without Borders, republished by Turkish Forum): https://www.turkishnews.com/en/content/tag/mehbube-ablesh/
Link 4 (Congressional-Executive Commission on China, T5): https://www.cecc.gov/publications/commission-analysis/uyghur-political-prisoners-mehbube-ableshs-and-abdulghani
Link 5 (Radio Free Asia, T1+T2+T4): https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/radio-09082008141404.html
Link 6 (PEN America): https://pen.org/rapid-action/uighur-journalist-and-writer-detained/
Link 7 (Research Turkey, republished by Turkistan Times): https://turkistantimes.com/en/news-714.html

places of detention

Xinjiang Women's Prison

supplementary materials

entry created on: 2021-06-01

entry last modified on: 2021-06-02

last update from testifier(s): 2011-10-18