police tag(s): "person involved in an endangering-security case (Xinjiang-wide)" (全疆危安案件涉案人员), "intelligence national-security focus person" (情报国保重点人员), "stability-related focus person" (涉稳类重点人)
Abduhelil Ablahat was an Uzbek businessman, first detained in August 2016 and again in February 2017. When he was finally released in early 2019, he came home "looking just as (Nazi) camp survivors did", extremely pale and emaciated.
Abduhelil Ablahat is a business man with various business interests. Born and raised in Ghulja, he is the youngest sibling in his family.
As written by his brother-in-law Mansur:
"A favourite among the household and known for his great personality, humour and wit, he is extremely talented and intelligent. Being the youngest in the family he is probably the most loved as he is extremely close with his parents and other members of his family.
Abduhelil comes from a very close knit family and is also the caretaker to his ill mother and takes care of most of the family’s needs, as both parents are quite old and frail. He is often sought after by all other members of the family and extended family for any issues they need help with. Being extremely well connected, with many friends and acquaintances, he is known to be extremely helpful. Abduhelil has a natural talent for being personable and making friends, and is very well known among other Uyghurs within the city of Ghulja.
Along with being a very close family, they also have an extremely large extended family who all are extremely fond of Abduhelil. He is considered one of the most popular individuals among all the numerous relatives.
Abduhelil was married and has one son named Atabik, born on March 18, 2017 during his incarceration in the concentration camp."Abduhelil Ablahat (Abuduheilili Abulaihaiti) is a business man with various business interests. Born 29th May 1985 and raised in Ghulja in East Turkistan he is the youngest sibling in his family.
A favourite among the household known for his great personality, humour and wit, he is extremely talented and intelligent. Being the youngest in the family he is probably the most loved as he is extremely close with his parents and other members of his family.
Abduhelil comes from a very close knit family and he is also the care taker to his ill mother and takes care of most of the family’s needs as both parents are quite old and frail. He is often sought after by all other members of the family and extended family for any issues they need help with. Being extremely well connected with many friends and acquaintances he is known to be extremely helpful. Abduhelil has a natural talent for being personable and making friends and is very well known among other Uyghurs within the city of Ghulja.
Along with being a very close family, they also have an extremely large extended family who all are extremely fond of Abduhelil. He is considered one of the most popular individuals among all the numerous relatives.
Abduhelil was married and has one son named Atabik born 18th March 2017 during his incarceration in the concentration camp. Currently in a concentration camp with his whereabouts unknown.
current location
Believed to be in Ghulja City.Assumed to be in Ghulja, but whereabouts unknown.
chronology of detention(s)
Arrested on August 18, 2016 and put in "prison" [likely a pre-trial detention center] for three months. Arrested again in February 2017 for no reason. In June 2017, the family was first made aware he had been sent to a concentration camp. Because of the poor conditions and Abduhelil getting sick and infected in detention, he was let out for a two-month period, then taken back in October 2017.
In April 2019, the testifier's family was made aware (via a social media post from Abduhelil's older sister) that Abduhelil had returned home. She had posted pictures of Abduhelil hugging his mother.Arrested on 18th August 2016 and put in prison for three months. Arrested again in February 2017 for no reason and in June 2017 the family was first made aware he had been sent to a concentration camp.
suspected and/or official reason(s) for detention
---Detailed below.
last reported status
Believed to be at home, though exact situation is unclear.
From the pictures of him following his release, it is clear that he has lost an incredible amount of weight and looks very pale. The testifier writes:
"Upon seeing the pictures, my wife burst into tears. I saw the pictures and was speechless, Abduhelil looked extremely frail & skinny, from the photos I assume he has lost over half his body weight and is extremely pale. Looking like an old frail man compared to how he was when we spent time together in 2016, my memories of him were how lively he was, constantly laughing and playing. Seeing his photos and his condition now has made our blood boil at the travesty and injustice of this. How any government on earth can treat their own citizens so inhumanely is unspeakable. He has come home to greet his mother looking just as concentration camp survivors did leaving the concentration camps of the Nazis.
He was in perfect health prior to being incarcerated and we would often play soccer together during my trip and often hike up in the mountains for hours on end. During his incarceration we were aware of his very poor health and now looking at the photos we are even more extremely concerned for his health and wellbeing. We have no information for why he was able to visit his mother nor what timeframes this is for. Even if released, the government has absolute impunity and can come to [his] house and arrest him with no justification at their whim. There is absolutely no guarantee of security and we have also heard that people who come out of these camps are being used as forced labour. Seeing his condition now we believe if he were to be put back into these camps he would most certainly die from the inhumane conditions and neglect. He has quite literally been rotting in these camps having now seen his photo.
Due to the above and seeing his condition now, no words can describe the worry we have for his health and future."Saturday 13th April 2019: we were made aware via a social media post by Abduhelil’s older sister that he had arrived home. She had posted pictures of Abduhelil hugging his mother. Prior to this information no one in the family knew anything about Abduhelil’s whereabouts or whether he was alive or dead.
My wife has been unable to speak with any of her sisters for more than two years now and has had intermittent communication with her frail old mother. However recently they have been barred from having direct communication and the mother is only able to send messages sometimes only once in a three month period. They cannot communicate freely and my wife received a message two days ago from the mother, however the mother did no mention Abduhelil and when my wife cryptically tried to refer to him, she did not respond.
Upon seeing the pictures my wife burst into tears. I saw the pictures and was speechless, Abduhelil looked extremely frail & skinny, from the photos I assume he has lost over half his body weight and is extremely pale. Looking like an old frail man compared to how he was when we spent time together in 2016, my memories of him were how lively he was, constantly laughing and playing. Seeing his photos and his condition now has made our blood boil at the travesty and injustice of this. How any government on earth can treat their own citizens so inhumanely is unspeakable. He has come home to greet his mother looking just as concentration camp survivors did leaving the concentration camps of the Nazi’s.
He was in perfect health prior to being incarcerated and we would often play soccer together during my trip and often hike up in the mountains for hours on end. During his incarceration we were aware of his very poor health and now looking at the photo’s we are even more extremely concerned for his health and wellbeing. We have no information for why he was able to visit his mother nor what timeframes this is for. Even if released the government has absolute impunity and can come to house and arrest him with no justification at their whim. There is absolutely no guarantee of security and we have also heard that people who come out of these camps are being used as forced labour. Seeing his condition now we believe if he were to be put back into these camps he would most certainly die from the inhumane conditions and neglect. He has quite literally been rotting in these camps having now seen his photo.
Due to the above and seeing his condition now, no words can describe the worry we have for his health and future.
how testifier(s) learned of victim's situation
The testifier visited Xinjiang from July 3, 2016 to August 22, 2016, together with his wife (Abduhelil's sister) and two children. His wife stayed an extra month, while the testifier had to return because of work commitments. During the later part of my trip, he and his wife travelled around Xinjiang, visiting Turpan, Korla, and Kashgar, staying in each city for a few days. Once they arrived in Kashgar, the testifier's wife told him that she was extremely concerned about Abduhelil as he had not contacted her in a couple days, which was extremely out of the norm. The testifier told his wife not to worry, thinking that nothing could happen as Abduhelil was an "upstanding citizen" with no criminal past, and had always "behaved in an exemplary way".
The testifier writes:
"My wife is extremely close to Abduhelil, having spent their childhood together and being born roughly one year apart. During our stay, Abduhelil - being very sociable - would speak to us daily."
Upon their arrival back in Ghulja, the testifier and his wife were made aware that Abduhelil had been detained. At the time, Abduhelil had been in the hospital looking after his mother, who is frail and suffers from arthritis and other conditions. A number of police took him away from the hospital without saying a thing. His whereabouts were unknown to his entire family during this period.
The testifier then had to leave to Australia a few days later, and notes that during this time his wife and all family members were extremely distraught, not knowing anything about Abduhelil's condition or why he was detained. The testifier's wife would remain with the family for another month before returning to Australia.
The news of Abduhelil's release was conveyed via photos posted on social media by a relative in Xinjiang. The testifier also adds:
"My wife has been unable to speak with any of her sisters for more than two years now and has had intermittent communication with her frail old mother. However, recently they have been barred from having direct communication and the mother is only able to send messages sometimes only once in a three-month period. They cannot communicate freely and my wife received a message two days ago from the mother. However, the mother did not mention Abduhelil and when my wife cryptically tried to refer to him, she did not respond."I visited East Turkistan from 3rd July 2016 to 22ndAugust 2016 along with my wife and two children. My wife stayed an extra month longer however I had to return due to work commitments. During the later part of my trip, my wife and I travelled around East Turkistan visiting Turpan, Korla & Kashgar, staying in each city for a few days. Once we arrived in Kashgar my wife told me she was extremely concerned about Abduhilil as he had not contacted her in a couple days, this being extremely out of the norm. I told my wife not to worry as I thought nothing could happen to him as he is an upstanding citizen having had no criminal past and has always behaved in an exemplary way.
My wife is extremely close to Abduhelil having spent their childhood together and being born roughly one year apart. During our stay Abduhelil being very sociable would speak to us daily. Upon our arrival back to Ghulja we were made aware that he was detained. At the time Abduhilil was in hospital taking care of his mother who is frail and suffers from arthritis and other conditions. A number of police took him away from the hospital without saying a thing. His whereabouts was unknown to his entire family during this period.
Unfortunately I had to leave to Australia a few days later, but during this time his wife and all family members were extremely distraught not knowing anything about his condition or why he was detained. My wife remained by the family for another month before returning to Australia as well.
additional information
The testifier writes:
"Since they were unable to travel, the mother’s [Abduhelil's mother's] health deteriorated rapidly, and Abduhelil was first arrested at the hospital while looking after his mother.
Upon his first arrest, his wife was pregnant with their first son - he wasn’t allowed to see his newborn son and obtained terrible infections whilst incarcerated because of the extremely poor conditions he faced. These infections and his health deteriorated so badly that under police control he was released for a two-month period to gain medical treatment. He was incarcerated again in October 2017...
...Aside from having his own life destroyed and good health compromised this has taken an extremely large mental toll on all family members, none of them knowing whether their beloved brother is alive and well. My wife, being the best of friends and growing up together with such fond memories of her little brother, has had an extremely hard time coping with this. During my trip to East Turkistan, I spent everyday with Abduhelil, having travelled with him to Urumqi and other parts of Ghulja almost daily. Seeing how the family has been affected by this injustice and having so many fond memories of our time together has caused intense pain for me as well.
Abduhelil is a beloved individual who is exemplary in every way, being a law abiding citizen. His innocence has been taken away with no legal oversight and no information. He has been thrown in these camps with the key being thrown away. Never allowed to communicate with his son or his family. His health has deteriorated rapidly and no medical help has ever been given to him by the authorities. This is a travesty, inhumane in its extreme and as such we are testifying on his behalf to bring awareness to this and to end this injustice he is facing."Since they were unable to travel the Mother’s health deteriorated rapidly and Abduhelil was first arrested in hospital while looking after his mother.
Upon his first arrest his wife was pregnant with their first son, he wasn’t allowed to see his new born son and he obtained terrible infections whilst incarcerated due the extremely poor conditions he faced. These infections and his health deteriorated so badly that under police control he was released for a two month period to gain medical treatment. He was incarcerated again in October 2017 and his whereabouts was not known again, nor whether he was dead or alive.
Aside from having his own life destroyed and good health compromised this has taken an extremely large mental toll on all family members. Non of them knowing whether their beloved brother is alive and well. My wife being best of friends and growing up together with such fond memories of her little brother has had an extremely hard time coping with this. During my trip to East Turkistan I spent everyday with Abduhelil having travelled with him to Urumqi and other parts of Ghulja almost daily, seeing how the family has been affected by this injustice and having so many fond memories of our time together has caused intense pain for me aswell.
Abduhelil is a beloved individual who is exemplary in every way, being a law abiding citizen. His innocence has been taken away with no legal oversight and no information. He has been thrown in these camps with the key being thrown away. Never allowed to communicate with his son or his family. His health has deteriorated rapidly and no medical help has ever been given to him by the authorities. This is a travesty, inhumane in its extreme and as such we are testifying on his behalf to bring awareness to this and to end this injustice he is facing.
