The Stream

Why is the Chinese government separating Uighur Muslim families?

We meet people who say they’ve been unable to contact detained relatives as China is accused of cracking down on Muslim communities.

There are credible reports, according to the United Nations, that a million or more Uighur Muslims are being held in what amount to internment camps in China. And now, increasingly, their families are speaking out.

Many say their family members have been imprisoned indefinitely in facilities the government refers to as “re-education camps” necessary for fighting what it calls religious “extremism”.

Gulchehra Hoja, a journalist for Radio Free Asia’s Uighur Service, believes her coverage of China’s alleged surveillance and repression of Muslims is one of the reasons why at least 20 of her relatives have been seized by the government.

In this episode, Gulchehra Hoja joins other Uighur panelists to discuss the alleged crackdown on their community and explain the toll it has taken on their families. Join the conversation.
 

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
 

Gulchehra Hoja
Journalist, Radio Free Asia
rfa.org
 

Nury Turkel @NuryTurkel
Chairman of the Board, Uyghur Human Rights Project
uhrp.org
 

Aydin Anwar @AydinAnwar_
Media and Press Relations Officer, East Turkistan National Awakening Movement
nationalawakening.org
 

Akshaya Kumar @AkshayaSays
Deputy United Nations Director
hrw.org

Read more:
‘China’s big mistake’: Pakistanis lobby to free wives trapped in Xinjiang – Reuters
Chinese city urges those ‘poisoned by extremism’ to surrender – Al Jazeera
Uighurs marking ‘independence day’ call for international help – Al Jazeera