2 female members of a prolonged Muslim Uyghur family serving long jail sentences for committing spiritual “crimes” are believed to be kept in a ladiess jail in the town of Sanji (in Chinese, Changji) in Chinas far-western Xinjiang region.
Furthermore, two male members of an in-law and the family are likewise serving life terms, the spouse of among them stated.
The women are Zahire Memet, who is now 38, and her sister-in-law Gulbostan Ibrahim, who is now 33. Zahire Memet was sentenced to 15 years in prison for using a hijab, while Gulbostan Ibrahim, who is likewise called Bostan Ibrahim, was sentenced to 17 years for not confessing to holding spiritual activities in your home.
They are from a family in Korla (in Chinese, Kuerle) that has been ripped apart by Chinas persecution of the Uyghur neighborhood in Xinjiang, sources informed RFA. Zahire Memets mother Halcham Pazil and siblings Melikizat and Patigul Memet are likewise serving between 7 and 20 years in Sanji Womens Prison for religious activities in which they took part in 2013, according to a verdict issued by the Korla Municipal Peoples Court in April 2019 and just recently seen by RFA.
They all were retroactively sentenced after China criminalized such activities in 2018 when it released de-extremification guidelines targeting Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang, purportedly to avoid acts of terrorism and make sure social stability.
The charges against the family were brought by the Korla Municipal Procuratorate. Korla is the second-largest city in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Zahire Memet, the third child of the household, “utilized to use hijab and did not remove her hijab on time,” the verdict announcing her sentence said. Although Chinese federal government officials consistently asked her not to use a hijab, she continued doing so from 2010-2015, it said.
She was also founded guilty of participating in spiritual preaching, providing a venue for spiritual guideline, and providing birth to one more kid than allowed by law in 2015, the decision stated. She obstructed the law by “depending on superstitious notion” due to the fact that she did not terminate her child, the document states.
Gulbostan Ibrahim was founded guilty of not confessing she had actually held religious mentors at her home, although others who participated in reported having done so. The decision did not mention other criminal activities.
Although Chinese court and prosecutorial officials in Korla initially did not offer any details to RFA about where Zahire and Gulbostan were serving their sentences, one later on confirmed that Zahire was serving her sentence at the womens prison.
” Cell block No. 5,” the official stated when asked where she was restricted inside the detention center.
Another jail official verified to RFA that Zahire Mehmet was serving time there. Another main took the phone and stated they would not reveal information on Gulbostan Ibrahim because it was a “state secret” prior to hanging up.
After RFA ran earlier reports on the family, Yusup Firdavis, a Uyghur who lives in exile in Turkey, sent out a message stating that he was the familys next-door neighbor in Korla. He told RFA over the telephone that the household had actually refrained from doing anything damaging to society.
” They have not dedicated any criminal activities that can make them prisoners,” he said. “This case is an example of Chinese racism versus the whole Uyghur country. I think they are the victims of the Chinese policy to eliminate the Uyghurs from the surface area of the earth. They are the victims of the Uyghur genocide.”
Chinese federal government authorities began seizing copies of the Quran and prayer mats from Uyghur families in Korla in 2017. At that time, an authorities from the Korla village of Qarayulghuz said that some of the religious activities that had actually been permitted were now prohibited since they threaten national security.
Yusup Firdavis said that Uyghur households were initially puzzled about what religious practices they might preserve and which ones they needed to abandon.
Bro secured for life
Kifaye Yaqup, who wed into the family and lives in Istanbul, informed RFA that 4 other relative were also founded guilty of comparable criminal offenses, with three receiving life sentences, including her hubby, Mehmut Memet, her brother-in-law Musajan Memet, and Musajans other half, Zohregul Hudaberdi. She did not discuss the name of the 4th person.
Mehmut and Musajan are two of the 3 children of Halchem Pazil.
Kifaye said Mehmut, 47, became an effective entrepreneur after he resigned from his task. She has not had the ability to interact with any of them since their arrest.
In late 2015, Kifaye and Mehmut went to Turkey to enroll their children in school there, she stated. While she remained with the kids, Mehmut went back to Xinjiang however checked out Turkey regularly until October 2016 when the Chinese government confiscated his passport.
” My partner is innocent,” Kifaye said. “He didnt commit any criminal activity that requires any jail term, let alone life in prison.”
Musajan Memet was expelled from Xinjiang University after he was discovered to have been hoping while a trainee there, Kifaye said. Later on, he was jailed twice when the Xinjiang federal government stepped up measures against the Uyghurs to combat “terrorism” under Chinas new antiterrorism law.
The law, which worked in January 2016, broadened the federal governments powers to keep track of serene people, tighten up censorship, and give authorities higher legal cover to lock up spiritual and ethnic minorities.
Musajan was sentenced to five years after his first arrest in 2008 and to three years after his 2nd arrest in 2015. He was launched on bail in 2017 just as authorities began a major crackdown on Uyghurs, she said.
Musajan was later detained a 3rd time and sentenced to life in jail, Kifaye said. His partner, Zohregul Hudaberdi, was also arrested then and got a life sentence. Her resignation from her job in the Korla local government was cited as evidence of her “criminal offense.”.
Chinese government authorities in Korla gotten in touch with by RFA declined to give any info about the 2 Memet siblings. But a security authorities from a neighborhood committee in Korla confirmed that Mehmut had actually been sentenced to life in jail which Musajan had been charged with “terrorism,” though he might not supply further information.
” He is now in prison,” the official said. “He was sentenced to life jail time. Musajan was detained earlier.”.
RFA got a list from the Yangguang neighborhood committee in Korla of the names of regional homeowners who had actually been sentenced. It listed Musajan as sentenced to life in prison on “terrorism” charges and serving his term in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps jail in the city.
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” They have actually not devoted any criminal offenses that can make them prisoners,” he stated. Musajan was later detained a third time and sentenced to life in prison, Kifaye stated. His partner, Zohregul Hudaberdi, was also arrested then and got a life sentence.” He is now in jail,” the authorities said. “He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Apprehended Uyghur bros Musajan Memet (L) and Mehmut Memet (R) in undated photos. Photos thanks to an RFA listener
