Three Uyghur Brothers Imprisoned in India for 12 Years After Fleeing China

In June 2013, three Uyghur brothers—Adil, Abdul Khaliq, and Salamu Tursun—were arrested by the Indian army in Ladakh after crossing from Uyghur region under Chinese rule, fleeing Beijing’s intensified crackdown on Uyghur people. The siblings had embarked on a 13-day journey over the Himalayan terrain to escape persecution, including the detention of their relatives.

Initially sentenced to 18 months for illegally crossing the border, the brothers were not released after completing their term. Instead, Indian authorities repeatedly invoked the Public Safety Act, allowing indefinite detention, and they remain imprisoned in Haryana state. Separated and held in harsh conditions, the brothers suffer health issues and limited medical care. Despite learning multiple local languages and English in prison, they have received little support, aside from their lawyer Muhammad Shafi Lassu, who advocates for their release and pays for their expenses.

Human rights observers have criticized the continued detention as unjust, noting that the brothers are victims of China’s persecution rather than criminals.

Calls have been made for India to grant them asylum or allow them to relocate to a country willing to offer protection.

Summarized from the article published on theguardian.com