Mahira has been held in the Yining Detention Centre since April 2019 for “giving material support to terrorist activity” after transferring money to her parents in Australia in 2013. She has had no access to her family or a lawyer of her choice. Mahira’s cousin, now in Sweden, told Amnesty International the money was intended for her parents to buy a house in Australia. In February 2021, the Chinese authorities confirmed Mahira had been sentenced to six years and six months in prison, but it is unclear whether Mahira was granted a fair trial. They also confiscated her savings.
Before being detained in prison, Mahira was held in an internment camp from March to December 2018, where she suffered from a liver damage requiring hospitalization for three months. It is unclear whether she still needs medication for this condition and, if so, whether she can access adequate medical treatment while in prison.