I am the woman referenced in this tweet, and I *most definitely* speak about human rights for Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and other oppressed peoples. Read more of my response below:
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I studied—past tense. This video (from 10-min docu) is from a diff time: was filmed by CRI Eng in Nov 2015 and released in Feb 2016. I came back to US in Jul 2016. Since then camp system has exploded, people and insts have disappeared, Americans like myself have been forced out.
The video excerpts show disappeared people and institutions, which actually give us helpful ways to keep talking about China’s human rights violations. So a few quick stories:
One scene shows me w/ Rahile Dawut, my advisor at XJU in 2012–13 with whom I worked closely for yrs. Rahile disappeared in Dec 2017 and hasn’t been heard from since. Her research center at XJU has been shut down.
Another scene shows me w/ muqam performance and research majors at the XJ Arts Inst. Authorities eliminated this major in 2018; Uyghur students now study ‘folk song’ and reportedly have to dress up in Confucian garb for that on occasion.
I was the subject of this docu bc I became a celebrity among Uyghurs in 2014 after appearing on XJTV-2’s the Voice of the Silk Road. Some of the lead producers of that show, including Muhtar Bughra (pictured), have been disappeared.
The scene from a Uyghur wedding shows me dancing with a very close friend with whom I have lost touch. Our last contact was her sending me the message “please forgive me” (méni kechürüng) before she deleted me from WeChat.
So don’t think for one second that this video somehow proves that China is not committing horrible atrocities in its northwest, or that I’m a “good American” because I don’t speak up for human rights. I have devoted my life to the Uyghur cause, and I will keep talking.
