Daughter of jailed Uyghur scholar amplifies outcry over China’s repression
Jewher Ilham, separated from her father over a decade ago, warns that conditions for Uyghurs continue to worsen and urges the world to act against forced labor
TOKYO, Japan (MNTV) – The daughter of Ilham Tohti, a prominent Uyghur economist serving a life sentence in China, is stepping up efforts to highlight the persecution of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Eastern Turkistan or Chinese Xinjiang region.
Jewher Ilham, 30, who was separated from her father at a Beijing airport in 2013 and has lived in the United States since, says she has not returned to China since that day.
Her father’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Ilham Tohti, a former professor at Minzu University in Beijing, was arrested in January 2014 after being barred from taking up a visiting scholar position in the U.S.
Later that year, he was convicted in a closed-door trial on charges of advocating for the independence of Xinjiang, also known as Eastern Turkestan.
Despite his imprisonment, Tohti’s activism has gained international recognition. He was awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2019 and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
His daughter, Jewher, accepted the Sakharov Prize on his behalf and has since become a leading voice for Uyghur rights.
Speaking to Kyodo News, she warned that conditions for Uyghurs are deteriorating year by year. In 2023, she helped produce the documentary All Static & Noise, which tells the harrowing stories of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Uzbeks who fled China’s repression. She hopes the film reaches a global audience.
Jewher Ilham also accused the Chinese Communist Party of continuing forced labor practices, which she says sustain the country’s economic might.
She urged international corporations to cut ties with Chinese supply chains suspected of using forced labor, calling for greater global accountability.
Her mission remains clear: to ensure the world does not look away from the plight of her people.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
