Detained for Decades: The Plight of Xinjiang's Uyghur Educators

In 2017, over 20 Uyghur educators from a college in Xinjiang were detained by Chinese authorities amidst a broader crackdown, according to Radio Free Asia. Despite international outcry, these educators remain incarcerated, highlighting China's controversial policies against Uyghur intellectuals and raising global concerns about human rights abuses and cultural repression.

Over 20 Uyghur educators from a college in Xinjiang were detained by Chinese officials in 2017 and continue to serve their sentences, reported Radio Free Asia, citing college officials. This detainment occurred eight years ago amid a sweeping government crackdown on Uyghur scholars, educators, and cultural leaders, aimed at combating what China referred to as terrorism and religious extremism, the report indicated.

A recent report by RFA Uyghur highlighted the case of historian Ghojaniyaz Yollugh Tekin, 59, who was teaching at the Aksu Education Institute when arrested in 2017. He received a 17-year prison sentence in late 2018, partly for his beliefs linking Uyghurs to the Turkic world. RFA's further investigation revealed that 25 more educators from the same institute faced detention during the same period.

Founded in 1985, the institution employs around 220 staff members, with over half identifying as Uyghur and enrolling 3,000 students, according to RFA. During the early 2000s, Uyghur teacher numbers ranged between 100 and 150, states Uyghur activist Tuyghun Abduweli, originally from Aksu and now based in Canada.

In 2017, over 20 educators were reportedly taken in groups, said a source associated with the institute who wished to remain anonymous. The arrests, supported by the Aksu prefecture's security agents, involved collaboration between the institute's political affairs department and local police, the RFA report stated.

The treatment of China's Uyghur population in Xinjiang has sparked significant international scrutiny, with reports of human rights violations including forced labor and arbitrary detentions in 're-education' camps attracting global concern.

(With inputs from agencies.)