Families of missing Uighurs demand ‘proof of life’ videos

Ethnic Uighurs have launched a global campaign to press China for video proof that their missing relatives are alive, turning the tables on Beijing’s use of video to counter claims that a renowned Uighur had died in custody.

The social media campaign was launched Tuesday under the hashtag #MeTooUyghur after China released a video of a man who identified himself as Uighur poet and musician Abdurehim Heyit saying he was alive and well.

That video was made public to rebut Turkey’s claim that he had died in a Chinese prison, which Ankara made in a broader statement condemning China for herding vast numbers of Muslim minority Uighurs into “re-education” camps in the country’s remote northwestern Xinjiang region.

Under the hashtag, posts from around the world show Uighurs holding pictures of mothers, fathers, sons, daughters or friends missing in Xinjiang.

“Chinese authorities showed video as proof Mr Heyit is still alive. Now, we want to know, where are millions of Uyghurs?” said Halmurat Harri, a Finland-based Uighur activist, who created the hashtag.

He told AFP his own parents were detained previously but released last year.

The hashtag—along with its Uighur-language version #Menmuuyghur—has been used hundreds of times on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which are blocked in China.

It was not seen on China’s own heavily censored social media platforms.

A UN panel of experts says nearly one million Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking minorities are being held in extrajudicial detention in camps in Xinjiang, where most of China’s more than 10 million Uighurs live.

Beijing at first denied the allegation, but later admitted putting put people into “vocational education centres”.

 

Families of missing Uighurs demand proof of life videos

Ethnic Uighurs have launched a global campaign to press China for video proof that their missing relatives are alive, turning the tables on Beijings use of video to counter claims that a renowned Uighur had died in custody. The social media campaign was launched Tuesday under the hashtag #MeTooUyghur after China released a video of a man who identified himself as Uighur poet and musician Abdurehim Heyit saying he was alive and well. That video was made public to rebut Turkeys claim that he had died in a Chinese prison, which Ankara made in a broader statement condemning China for herding vast numbers of Muslim minority Uighurs into re-education camps in the countrys remote northwestern Xinjiang region. Under the hashtag, posts from around the world show Uighurs holding pictures of mothers, fathers, sons, daughters or friends missing in Xinjiang. Chinese authorities showed video as proof Mr Heyit is still alive. Now, we want to know, where are millions of Uyghurs? said Halmurat Harri, a Finland-based Uighur activist, who created the hashtag. He told AFP his own parents were detained previously but released last year. The hashtagalong with its Uighur-language version #Menmuuyghurhas been used hundreds of times on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which are blocked in China. It was not seen on Chinas own heavily censored social media platforms. A UN panel of experts says nearly one million Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking minorities are being held in extrajudicial detention in camps in Xinjiang, where most of Chinas more than 10 million Uighurs live. Beijing at first denied the allegation, but later admitted putting put people into vocational education centres.