By Uyghur Times Staff
July 11, 2024
Antoni Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, recently met with Jewher Ilham, daughter of imprisoned Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti. Jewher Ilham shared on Twitter, “Recently, I had a conversation with @SecBlinken regarding my father #IlhamTohti. I was encouraged to learn of his steadfast commitment to advocating for my father’s release. Despite the Chinese government’s threats that I must stop criticizing China to ever speak with my father again.”
Ilham Tohti, a respected Uyghur scholar, was sentenced to life in prison on September 23, 2014, under charges of “separatism.” Since 2017, he has reportedly been denied visits from family members. During his pre-trial detention, authorities subjected him to severe abuse, including prolonged shackling and deprivation of food and water. His current health status remains unknown.
Jewher Ilham’s meeting with Antoni Blinken highlights international efforts to secure Ilham Tohti’s freedom amid widespread condemnation of China’s human rights abuses in Uyghurland.
Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department issued a statement urging the Chinese government to release Ilham Tohti.”We once again condemn the PRC’s ongoing atrocities in Xinjiang, and we call on the PRC to respect the human dignity of members of ethnic and religious minority groups and to immediately and unconditionally release Tohti and all those arbitrarily detained in Xinjiang and throughout all of China.”
