Retired Uyghur Civil Servant Dies Shortly After Release From Detention

Ghiyasidin Abla spent 3 years in an internment camp for attending a Muslim religious ceremony.

By Shohret Hoshur

A Uyghur post office retiree interned in a detention camp in China’s far-western Xinjiang region in 2018 on suspicion of religious extremism died in December 2021 following his release, Uyghurs and local officials with knowledge of the situation said.

Ghiyasidin Abla, 69, was from Suntagh village in Atush (in Chinese, Atushi), capital of the Kizilsu Kyrghiz Autonomous Prefecture, and was abducted by authorities while he attended a circumcision ceremony in his neighborhood, said a Uyghur from Atush who now lives in exile abroad.

Ghiyasidin had no health issues when he was arrested, but when he was released in September 2021, he was unable to walk. He died a month later of unknown causes, said the source who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal by Chinese authorities.

RFA listeners have provided many tips on Uyghurs who were arbitrarily detained in 2017 and 2018. In the past two years, reports of serious illness or death among the detainees have increased. As many as 1.8 million Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities have reportedly been sent to a network of camps China built in Xinjiang.

The reports indicate that Chinese authorities have targeted ordinary Uyghurs suspected of “crimes” related to terrorism or religious extremism as well as prominent Uyghur businesspeople, cultural figures, academics and religious leaders.

At the time of Ghiyasidin’s arrest, Chinese authorities had limited the number of Uyghurs who could attend weddings, funerals and other religious ceremonies, such as circumcisions, at any one time. Ghiyasidin was detained along with other attendees of the ceremony because they had exceeded the allowed limit, the source said.

Ghiyasidin’s children had expected their father to be released after a few days but they received no information about him for three months, the source said. They eventually discovered he was sent to a detention camp.

After Ghiyasidin was released and returned to his family, authorities told his relatives that they could not discuss his health condition and that no more than 15 people would be allowed to attend his funeral if he died, the source said.

The local police department said it had no information to release about Ghiyasidin. One policeman said public servants arrested by authorities were taken to “training” in Atush and that Ghiyasidin was the most recent detainee to die after being released.

The women’s affairs director and the security director of Suntagh village both each confirmed the circumstances of Ghiyasidin’s arrest and his later death.

“He died at home,” said the security director. “He was 69. He used to work at the post office. He was a retiree from the post office.”

Besides attending the circumcision ceremony, “they arrested him for also growing a beard,” he said.

Authorities in Xinjiang have apprehended and detained Uyghurs for praying and growing beards, which are both seen as signs of extremism. Earlier reports by RFA indicated that men over 65 years old who lived in Atush were allowed to grow beards and enter a mosque, though those who were civil servants were not, regardless of their age.

Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. https://www.rfa.org

Timor-Leste Seeks Economic Lifeline as Oil Wealth Dwindles

Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, has made significant strides since its tumultuous birth in 2002, but the economic impact of the plunder of resources of centuries of Portuguese colonial rule and the looting, pillage, and large-scale destruction of property during a 24-year Indonesian occupation can still be felt today.

Read More

South Africa Prepares to End Lion Hunting in Captivity

From allowing captive-bred lion hunting to selling lion bones to East Asia for their alleged “medicinal” qualities, South Africa’s treatment of its big cats has long tarnished its reputation for conservation. However, the country is now ending all of that.

Read More

UN Secretary-General Meets with Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres meets with the Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls.

Read More

On Both US Coasts,Pro Palestinian Encampment Protesters Hold Ground

Despite college administrations’ warnings, anti-Gaza war protests on campuses are still going strong and new ones are being launched.

Read More

Philippine Police Arrest 3 Suspects Over On-Air Killing of Broadcaster

Police in the Philippines have arrested three men suspected in the killing of community radio broadcaster Juan Jumalon, who was gunned down while broadcasting live on Facebook. 

Read More

In Tibet, Parents Plead for Children to Help Collect Caterpillar Fungus

It’s caterpillar fungus harvesting season in Tibet, and parents have staged protests urging Chinese authorities to let their children leave a residential boarding school to help collect the rare ingredient used in traditional medicine, two sources inside the region said.

Read More

Vietnamese Monk Seeks Justice for Brother Who Died after Police Interrogation

In March 2015, the Thanh Nien newspaper reported that from October 2011 to September 2014, there were 226 deaths in detention facilities nationwide. The Ministry of Public Security explained them as being due to illness and suicide. Since then, no further reports have been issued.

Read More

Hamas Reviews Israeli Cease-Fire Plan in Gaza

Israel has proposed a cease-fire plan for Gaza, which Hamas says it is reviewing. This follows after an Egyptian delegation visited Israel, during which officials described a “new vision” for a prolonged end of hostilities.

Read More