Latest for @dw_chinese - In the midst of the intense #HongKong coverage, I took some time off to follow up on the "confession" video of #Uyghurs released by @globaltimesnews on Sunday. I talked to two American Uyghurs targeted by that campaign, and here's what they told me -
@dw_chinese @globaltimesnews @Alfred_Uyghur and @ferkat_jawdat's mothers and uncles are all featured in the video, and Arfat told me that the Chinese government has been refusing to answer his questions about his parents' conditions since he started speaking out about their disappearance.
@dw_chinese @globaltimesnews @Alfred_Uyghur @ferkat_jawdat "My mom was detained in re-education camps from the end of 2017 to the beginning of 2019. Three months ago, I made a testimonial video, in which I talked about how I learned about my mom’s release from the camp and the life-threatening surgery that she received afterward."
@dw_chinese @globaltimesnews @Alfred_Uyghur @ferkat_jawdat Arfat told me that his mom could hardly walk following the surgery and in the @globaltimesnews's video, he noticed that his mom could only stand when she was leaning against something, which confirms the information he got about her conditions.
@dw_chinese @globaltimesnews @Alfred_Uyghur @ferkat_jawdat And two days following the release of the video, he received information from the @UN, telling him that #Beijing has confirmed that his dad is sentenced to 19 years and 10 months for "harboring criminal and inciting national enmity."
@dw_chinese @globaltimesnews @Alfred_Uyghur @ferkat_jawdat @UN As for @ferkat_jawdat, he knew the video was coming because his mom has been asking him to record similar videos, speaking on camera that she has been living at home and taken care of by the government. He said while these are true and he is willing to say that...
... his mom also wanted him to say on camera that the things he has previously said in public are not true. He told her that if he did record the video, he would also talk about how #Beijing repeatedly refuse to issue her a passport despite her getting three US visas.
Coincidentally, both Arfat and Ferkat were accused by #Beijing for being part of @UyghurCongress, and the government even told Ferkat's mom that he is being paid by WUC, which he said is untrue because his tax return record contains no such information.
@UyghurCongress He thinks the reason why he, Arfat and Zumrat were targeted by @globaltimesnews in this wave of the propaganda campaign was that they also talked about their family's case with @SecPompeo at some point.
@UyghurCongress @globaltimesnews @SecPompeo "It’s basically all related to Pompeo. If he says anything about any Uyghur, then they will just use these Uyghurs’ family members to discredit them or say they are lying," Ferkat told me.
@UyghurCongress @globaltimesnews @SecPompeo @GroseTimothy told me that the strategy of making family members of Uyghur advocates record such video is nothing new to #Beijing's tactic against #Uyghur activism. He pointed out that following the 2009 Urumqi riot, Chinese government also made the son, daughter and...
... brother of Uyghur advocate Rabiya Qadir to record similar videos. "Placing family members of outspoken critics in front of a camera is a common strategy (tactic) of the CCP," he told me.
He thinks that the strategy could likely make overseas Uyghurs feel unnerving because it shows the authority knows who are their family members, what they do and where they live, while it could help arouse Chinese nationalism among the Han Chinese community.
"To Han Chinese audiences, the video recycles the CCP’s narrative that explains the sources of social tension is Xinjiang: it is caused by a handful of “misguided” individuals abroad," Tim told me.
Tim points out that the line between "freedom" and "captivity" is very blurry now in #Xinjiang, as individuals who might be spared from institutional internment are subjected to surveillance, home visits and inspection.
"It is as if the CCP has turned all Uyghur lived-experiences in the region into a form of imprisonment. The region itself has transformed into a living, breathing, and constantly evolving prison," said @GroseTimothy.
@GroseTimothy Even though it remains a difficult mission to get their parents released from #Xinjiang, Arfat and Ferkat are both determined to keep speaking out about their cases. Ferkat told me that he feels like with so few #Uyghurs openly sharing their family's ordeals, he ...
... somehow feels like he's become the voice of those who are detained. "Many people advised me to start toning down my activism a bit, but [I feel like] I have become the voice for those who are still in the re-education camps," he told me.
"I don’t think it’s illegal based on Chinese law for a son to talk about his mother then try to reunite with her. My destiny is to get my mom to the US, but until then, I will keep talking," said Ferkat.
