“Like we were enemies in a war”

China’s Mass Internment, Torture and Persecution of Muslims in Xinjiang

“Like we were enemies in a war” China’s Mass Internment, Torture and Persecution of Muslims in Xinjiang

Illustrations by Molly Crabapple

Aniver Ablimit

Assumed Location

Prison, Sanji (Changji)

Suspected Reasons for Arrest or Detention

Family member abroad

Official Reason for Arrest or Detention

Unknown

Last Contact

Early 2016

Aniver’s sister lost contact with her brother in February 2016, after she moved to Turkey. In April 2016, she heard from some friends that have connections in her hometown that Aniver had been arrested and sent to prison in Sanji (Changji) with a 10-year sentence.
She has reason to believe that, after his arrest, Aniver faced trial without any legal representation. However, she does not know what he was charged with and is unable to gather further information on her brother’s case. She believes that Aniver was arrested because she has been living in Turkey.
Since 2016, Aniver’s sister has lost all connections with family and friends back in Xinjiang. She does not know how Aniver is doing and whether he has access to the family in China.

Personal Details

Aniver is married and has two children. He loves singing and playing piano. Aniver’s sister ended the interview saying: “he was loyal to the Chinese government, I can’t believe what’s happened…my brother became a grandfather but didn’t even have the chance to see his grandchildren. I miss him so much.”

Date of Birth

October 1969

Ethnicity

Uyghur

Hometown

Karamay

Profession

Petrol company employee

Read More