The last time his brother talked to Abduvaris was over an audio call in March 2017. The line was cut suddenly and his brother couldn’t reach him again despite trying many times. Abduvaris is believed to have been taken to an internment camp along with his mother and other family members. 38-year-old Abduvaris used to run a supermarket in Urumqi. His brother, who lives in Turkey, was earlier asked by family members in Xinjiang to go back to Xinjiang where he “would be taken away for five to six months” and then would be reunited with his family. Other friends went back from Turkey to Xinjiang around the same time after receiving similar requests from their families.