A testimony from our “100 Camp Testimonies” Book
I am originally from Nazarbagh town (乃则尔巴格镇), Kashgar, East Turkistan. In December 2015, I came to Turkey with my own immediate family. I would like to testify for my family members, all of whom are the residents of the second district of Nazarbagh town, Kashgar.
Muhammad Tursun Juma, my elder brother, and his wife Tursungül Obulkasim were first detained on October 1, 2016 at the Kashgar Airport when they were on their way to Turkey with their one-year-old daughter. They were sent to an internment camp, where they were held for seven months. Two or three months after their release, they were detained again, and I do not know if they are still held in camps or in prison.
My two other brothers Ibrahim Juma and Ismail Juma, who are twins, born in 1992, specialized in traditional Uyghur Medicine. In April 2017, they were sent to an internment camp. I believe that they were interned for their religious belief as both of them are devout Muslims and studied Koran in their childhood. One of them served as an imam for a month at a local mosque, appointed by the local authority despite his young age. The Chinese regime started its mass internment campaign, and my brothers were interned along with countless others, with no prior criminal record. They were just leading a normal life. I later learned that they were sentenced to five years in prison.
Dawutjan Juma, my brother-in-law (my elder sister’s husband), was born in 1951, who used to grow beard, for which he was sent to an internment camp.
Sulayman Tohti, my religion teacher, was born circa 1929, who is from the Dondur area of Pilal village (皮拉勒乡), Akto County (阿克陶县), Kashgar Prefecture. He was a devout Muslim and a caring teacher, and served his community all his life and taught Islam to many Uyghurs even during restrictive times. His house was next to the Pilal village committee administration office, and even the local officials respected him despite his teaching of Islam. Unfortunately, when the Chinese regime’s mass internment campaign started, this old man was also taken to one of the internment camps, where he was tortured for over two months. I learned that he was taken to a hospital during his internment, and he died soon after. Over 150 people from his family were interned, imprisoned, and some of them were even killed.
My father is now 82 years old (as of 2021), and since I could not contact my family back in East Turkistan, I do not know for sure whether he was interned or not. My mother passed away in June 2016. Due to the fear of internment, we did not return home to attend her funeral as those who did return from Turkey ended up in internment camps. Given the appalling track record of the Chinese regime regarding the continuing gross human rights violations throughout China such as organ harvesting, I have grave concerns about my two brothers: They could be subjected to organ harvesting as they were fit and healthy.
I would like to give an account of why I fled East Turkistan. On two occasions in 2010 and 2012, the local authority sealed off the entrance of my house because I grew beard. They threatened to confiscate my house if I refused to shave my beard. In 2010, the local authority dragged everyone in my household outside of our house, including my poor ailing father and my little children. We had nowhere else to go but to our relative’s place, where we stayed for two days, and I had to shave my beard. When I went to the communist party secretary’s office asking for my house key, he refused to give it back and said that I had not shaved all of my beard. I later got the house key back after shaving all my facial hair. So, we were expelled from our own house back in 2010 simply because I grew beard.
In 2012, the same mistreatment/harassment happened all over again for the same reason, and the police sealed off the entrance of my house. I went to the police station and argued that growing beard was not a crime, and that my family should not be expelled from our own house. The police told me that it was the local rule, warning me that I would risk imprisonment if I refused to comply; in addition, my house would be confiscated. So I shaved my beard again and went back to the Nazarbagh police station to sort things out like last time. The police warned me again of the consequences of growing beard, telling me that I should comply with the rule.
In 2012, when I went to the Public Security Bureau to apply for a passport, a Han Chinese officer did not let me in, saying that, “No entry is allowed for those who grow beard.” I insisted on entering the building and explained to him that I was there to apply for a passport. He replied with a contemptuous tone, “This is not a place for people like you.” So like that we argued back and forth until another Han Chinese officer, whom I knew, showed up, and asked me what brought me there. After telling him my intention to apply for a passport, he made me wait a bit before asking me why I needed a passport at his office. I told him that I was a businessman, and that I planned to do business abroad. He said that I must shave my beard before applying for a passport. There was no such thing as personal liberty, and I realized that the situation in East Turkistan was getting worse for us Uyghurs, so I decided to leave the country.
My wife was subjected to forced abortion at Kirimbagh No.1 Hospital (Kashgar) back in 2009, when she was pregnant with twins. We went to the hospital as my wife experienced severe pain, and she was diagnosed with polyhydramnios (i.e., a pathological increase of amniotic fluid volume in pregnancy). We were told that the fetus might be at risk and abortion was our only option. However, we refused to have an abortion as my wife was six months pregnant. While we were having this discussion, another nurse administered an injection to my wife’s pelvic area, effectively starting the abortion procedure. We argued with them, but they forced my wife to sign a paper and we did not even understand its content as it was written in Mandarin Chinese. Just like that, my unborn babies were forcibly aborted.
In August 2015, the local communist officials paid us a visit, filling out their evaluation forms, i.e., our level of trustworthiness was assessed. They asked us many questions and one question took me by surprise: What would you say if one day the Chinese Community Party asks you not to believe in any religion?” They demanded that I write down my answer, asking me whether I would agree or disagree. I knew that I would be detained if disagreed. If I had agreed, then it would have been against my belief as I am a Muslim. They pressured me to give my answer immediately. I said, “The Communist Party would not force anyone to believe or not to believe in religion.” My answer made them laugh at me, and they continued asking me other questions. I assume that every Uyghur family was asked the same questions in order to assess our trustworthiness, and this assessment would be registered in our records, which were later used in the Chinese regime’s mass internment campaign.
We had a discussion in our own family and we thought that our daily life would be severely restricted if we remained in East Turkistan, so we decided to leave the country to lead a normal and dignified life. I knew that I would be targeted by the Chinese regime and would be punished for my belief.