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testifying party

[The testifier has chosen to remain anonymous, presenting themselves as "Mmm". However, shahit.biz has confirmed their identity and can vouch for their authenticity. This testimony has also been bolstered by information obtained through the victim's relatives and web research.] Mmm

victim's relation to testifier

The victim is my friend and former classmate. Old classmate, friend

about the victim

Marat Ishakov, an ethnic Tatar, was a Chinese-language teacher at the No. 14 high school in Urumqi. He had previously studied Russian in Kazan (Tatarstan), in addition to studying communications engineering at Xinjiang University. He's married to an ethnic Uyghur, Sayyora, and the couple have an 8-year-old [as of June 2019] son, Ilfat.

His grandfather, Asgat Iskhakov, served in the national army of the second East Turkestan Republic, prior to joining the PRC's forces. His great uncle, Margub Iskhakov, was a founder of the East Turkestan Republic army, prior to joining the PLA and then leaving (perhaps, fleeing) to the Soviet Union in 1960. MARAT ISKHAKOV IS A FATHER OF ONE BOY (6-YEAR-OLD) AND A DEVOTED HUSBAND. AT THE TIME OF THE ABDUCTION HE WAS HARD WARKING CHINESE LANGUAGE TECHEAR AT HIGH SCHOOL IN URUMQI [G. A. Bunin: No. 14 High School, according to list of detained intellectuals] OF UYGHUR
REGION. HE EXCELS IN CHINESE LANGUAGE, THERFORE HE DOSEN'T NEED SO-CALLED VACATIONAL TRAININGS OF ANY KINDS
HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOW-ABIDING HARD WORKING CITIZEN.

[G. A. Bunin: he had studied in Kazan, Tatarstan, according to the list of detained intellectuals]

[G. A. Bunin: he studied communications engineering at Xinjiang University, according to his Facebook]

current location

[Presumably in Urumqi.] Unknown

chronology of detention(s)

Taken to a camp in late November 2018. In mid-2019, he was released and transferred to some sort of forced job placement.

On October 27, 2019, he announced in a WeChat post that he had "completely" (彻底) returned home. Late November 2018

suspected and/or official reason(s) for detention

--- Non

last reported status

After his release from camp, he was reported as being in some sort of forced job placement, which appears to have had him doing computer-related work, perhaps administrative in nature. It sounds like he was occasionally allowed 3 days off to go home and be with his family. It is not clear if the job was paid or not. However, in late October 2019, he announced that he had "completely" returned home, suggesting that perhaps this job terminated and he is now more free.

[Testifier mentions that he was in good health at the time of the arrest.] Was healthy at the time of the abduction

[update from testifier on July 18, 2019: released from the camp, but not freed. He has been moved to a factory. He works there and sometimes gets 3 days off to be with his family at home. Unclear if he is being payed or not.]

[also on July 18, 2019: Marat posted something on his WeChat, stating "Here I am!"]

[update from testifier and other relatives abroad on July 19, 2019: it appears that Marat's job is not forced manual labor but something computer-related, possibly administrative in nature.]

how testifier(s) learned of victim's situation

From his relatives and friends living abroad. From his relatives and his friends living in diaspora

additional information

This victim is included in the list of prominent detained Uyghurs (and other ethnic minorities), available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf.

His case has also been written about in detail in: https://centralasiaprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kasikci-CAP-Paper-219-June-2019.pdf Date of birth : 09/01/1982. Ethnic Tatar

[This victim is included in the list of detained Uyghur intellectuals, available at: shahit.biz/supp/list_003.pdf

Case mentioned in: https://centralasiaprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Kasikci-CAP-Paper-219-June-2019.pdf]

supplementary materials

entry created on: 2019-03-04

entry last modified on: 2019-07-19

last update from testifier(s): 2019-10-27