Wednesday, December 25, 2024
News

Uyghur educational activist dies in custody of Chinese authorities

   SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend    Print this Page   COMMENT

Beijing | December 24, 2024 4:42:09 PM IST
An Uyghur intellectual and education advocate, who was detained the night before his daughter's wedding five years ago, passed away just two months later while in Chinese custody.

Radio Free Asia has confirmed the victim's identity as Ibrahim Dawut, a former chemistry teacher at a high school in Kashgar, Xinjiang. Dawut was a strong advocate for using the Uyghur language in educational institutions throughout the region.

According to Radio Free Asia, he was a vocal critic of China's bilingual education policy, which mandated that some subjects be taught in Mandarin while others were taught in Uyghur.

In 2019, Chinese authorities arrested Dawut during a widespread crackdown that targeted mostly Uyghur men. Although the exact charges against him were unclear, sources indicated that his arrest was due to "his influence on society in Kashgar," according to an individual who had recently relocated to Europe.

Dawut had been under surveillance by the police since 2016 and had been summoned for interrogation on four or five occasions, the source added.

The sources highlighted, "The police took him away from his family on the night of July 28th, 2019, and we did not even know what had happened and why they took him."

At the time of his arrest, Dawut was in his late 50s, and his daughter was set to marry the following day, the source recalled.

"We searched for him for about 5 to 10 days before discovering that the police had detained around 500 to 600 men, including him," the source explained.

Radio Free Asia reported that Dawut translated Chinese textbooks into Uyghur for high school students in Kashgar and supplied them with educational materials in their native language.

In addition, he opened bookshops in Kashgar and other locations, selling textbooks written in Uyghur. He also launched preparatory courses for foreign language exams and college entrance exams. (ANI)

 
  LATEST COMMENTS ()
POST YOUR COMMENT
Comments Not Available
 
POST YOUR COMMENT
 
 
TRENDING TOPICS
 
 
CITY NEWS
MORE CITIES
 
 
 
MORE WORLD NEWS
Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Pa...
Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp, Google Play...
'Country's legal system aligns with inte...
Taiwan: DPP lawmaker proposes tougher ru...
Pakistan: Imran Khan seeks meeting with ...
Pak: MA Jinnah road in Karachi faces det...
More...
 
INDIA WORLD ASIA
Delhi's homeless seek shelter as cold we...
Himachal Pradesh sees relief from snowfa...
J-K Police intensify crackdown on drug p...
'Educated women should not be confined t...
Assam CM Sarma reviews progress of vario...
'Christmas celebrates brotherhood and co...
More...    
 
 Top Stories
Pakistan: Imran Khan seeks meeting ... 
Taiwan: DPP lawmaker proposes tough... 
Delhi's homeless seek shelter as co... 
J-K Police intensify crackdown on d... 
"Country's legal system aligns with... 
Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp, Google ... 
"Educated women should not be confi... 
Assam CM Sarma reviews progress of ...