Abudumijiti was arrested in July 2016 together with his mother. They went to Egypt and then to Turkey, but returning to China they were taken away as soon as they landed in Beijing. According to Abudumijiti’s niece living in Turkey and interviewed by Amnesty International, they were transferred from Beijing to Hotan city where they spent time in an internment camp. After one year he was briefly released for some medical treatment and in October 2017 he was able to speak with his niece. Based on some trusted sources in Xinjiang, Abudumijiti should now be in prison. His health has considerably worsened, and he has had serious difficulties moving. The Chinese authorities have allegedly said that they would release Abudumijiti due to his poor health, if his family paid some money. However, after the family paid, Abudumijiti was not released and his family completely lost contact. Despite many attempts to reach out to the Chinese authorities Abudumijiti’s niece has not received any reply. She believes that his detention is due to his travels abroad. She told Amnesty “to be killed is one thing but living without being in touch with the family is also very hard.”