Uyghur historian sentenced to 17 years in China for research on Turkic identity

Beijing [China] February 22 (ANI): Ghojaniyaz Yollugh Tekin, a well-known historian specializing in Uyghur studies and place names is facing a 17-year prison sentence due to his writings, according to a report by Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Ghojaniyaz Yollugh Tekin, 59, worked as an educator at the Aksu Education Institute located in Aksu city in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, China. His academic work concentrated on Uyghur toponymy, exploring the linguistic development of place names and the historical and geographical contexts behind them, RFA reported.
Tekin was arrested in 2017 as part of the Chinese government's sweeping campaign against Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang, according to the data of detained Uyghur intellectuals by researcher Abduweli Ayup based in Norway, cited RFA report.
In late 2018, he received his prison sentence due to his research, writings, and beliefs asserting that Uyghurs belong to the Turkic world rather than being part of the Chinese identity, as indicated by Ayup's findings, stated RFA report.
RFA report highlighted that he was among an estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs, including scholars, educators, cultural leaders, and notable business figures, who were compelled to enter re-education camps.
Chinese state security agents frequently harassed Tekin after he gained prominence for his writings on sensitive historical matters regarding the Uyghurs' ties to the Turkic world, according to his accounts, RFA reported.
RFA report revealed that his professional peers often referred to him as "Aksu's Turghun Almas," alluding to one of the most significant Uyghur historians of the 20th century who disputed China's assertion that the Uyghur homeland has been part of Chinese territory since ancient times in his book, "The Uyghurs."
Following the book's release in the late 1980s, it was banned by China, and Almas was prohibited from publishing any further works for the remainder of his life, RFA report noted.
The oppression of Uyghurs in China, particularly in the Xinjiang region, is marked by widespread human rights violations, such as mass detentions in "re-education camps," forced labour, and extensive surveillance.
The Chinese government has been accused of suppressing religious freedoms, destroying cultural heritage, and enforcing assimilation policies that restrict the use of the Uyghur language, religious practices, and cultural traditions.
Reports have emerged detailing family separations, coerced indoctrination, and the destruction of Uyghur heritage sites. International organisations and human rights advocates have described these actions as genocide and crimes against humanity. (ANI)