Chinese authorities have detained up to 30 relatives of Uighur human rights activist Rebiya Kadeer, who currently lives in the United States. Among the detained are Kadeer’s sisters, brothers, sons, grandchildren and extended relatives. It is unclear when they were taken away, and they are presumed to be arbitrarily detained at an “education centre”. They are at high risk of torture and other ill-treatment. ...

China: Minority Region Collects DNA from Millions Private Information Gathered by Police, Under Guise of Public Health Program (New York) – Chinese authorities in Xinjiang are collecting DNA samples, fingerprints, iris scans, and blood types of all residents in the region between the age of 12 and 65, Human Rights Watch said today. This campaign significantly expands authorities’ collection of biodata beyon ...

A jailed Uyghur professor was honored Thursday at a ceremony in the Netherlands. Ilham Tohti was named the winner of Liberal International’s Prize for Freedom. Liberal International gives the award once each year to a person whom it says has worked to improve human rights and political freedoms. A rights group fighting for Tohti’s release from prison accepted the prize in his place. Tohti, an economics prof ...

Chinese authorities have put increasing pressure on ethnic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz in Xinjiang. By Catherine Putz In recent months, ethnic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz in China’s westernmost province — Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region — have been subject to pressure and detention by Chinese authorities. On Friday, Radio Free Asia reported that Chinese authorities in Xinjiang had detained an ethnic Kazakh family that was ...

A four-year old Uyghur kisses the image of her father from a DVD of family photographs taken during the previous decade. By Darren Byler and Eleanor Moseman This is the second of a two-part series by Darren Byler, who with photographers Nicola Zolin and Eleanor Moseman, powerfully document how the bodies of migrants are marked, just as their communities are erased, in the often unconsidered spaces of China' ...