Uyghur Teacher's 20-Year Sentence Exposes China's Ongoing Xinjiang Crackdown

In a stark reminder of the ongoing human rights crisis in China's Xinjiang region, new details have emerged about the imprisonment of Yalkun Eysa (Isa), brother of former World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa (Eysa).

By FFHR

February 28, 2025

A local Uyghur man after the morning prayer. Credits: Reuters

This case highlights the Chinese government's relentless campaign against the Uyghur population, which has been characterized by mass detentions, surveillance, and severe restrictions on personal freedom.

Yalkun Eysa, a mathematics teacher at the Aksu Prefecture Education Institute, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of inciting "terrorism". The charges stem from alleged international phone calls and conversations about global affairs with his students. This harsh sentence exemplifies the Chinese government's broad and often arbitrary definition of terrorism when it comes to Uyghur citizens.

The Eysa family's story is a microcosm of the larger Uyghur tragedy. Yalkun Eysa 20-year sentence for alleged terrorist incitement follows Khushtar Eysa, his younger brother sentence to life imprisonment when Ayhan Memet, their mother already died in a detention camp.

This systematic targeting of entire families demonstrates the far-reaching nature of China's repression in Xinjiang.

The case of Yalkun Eysa is not isolated. Since 2017, the Chinese government has intensified its "Strike Hard Campaign against Violent Terrorism" in Xinjiang, resulting in mass arbitrary detentions, widespread surveillance, forced labor, cultural and religious persecution and family separations.

These actions have been condemned by the international community, with human rights organizations and several countries labeling them as crimes against humanity.

Credits: Getty Images

The ongoing repression of Uyghurs underscores the critical need for human rights protections in China. The Chinese government's actions in Xinjiang not only violate international law but also contradict its own claims of promoting harmony and stability.

As the world becomes increasingly aware of these abuses, there is growing pressure on China to release unjustly imprisoned individuals and to allow independent investigations into human rights violations in order to end the mass surveillance and detention programs in Xinjiang and to finally establish respect to cultural and religious rights of Uyghurs and other minorities.

The struggle of the Uyghur people for freedom and basic human rights remains one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time. As cases like Yalkun Eysa's continue to come to light, they serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing fight for justice and dignity in the face of systematic oppression.

Read more at: ffhr.cz