By Tursunjan
According to a report by The Guardian, Ikram Nurmehmet, a Uyghur filmmaker who was detained in Beijing earlier this year, is now set to face trial in Ürümqi, the capital of the Uyghur homeland. Nurmehmet, aged 32, was apprehended by Chinese authorities in May, transported to Ürümqi, and is currently held in pre-trial detention on undisclosed charges. Known for his work portraying Uyghur protagonists, one of his films, “Elephant in the Car,” tells the story of a Han Chinese woman sharing a taxi with two Uyghurs. Nurmehmet is an independent filmmaker based in Beijing. Before moving to Beijing, he spent six years studying filmmaking at Marmara University in Istanbul. A month prior to his arrest, Nurmehmet had received a call from “Xinjiang” authorities requesting his return for an investigation related to his lost identity card. His refusal may have led to his being suspected by association, according to family sources. China’s “Strike Hard” anti-terrorism campaign has resulted in the arbitrary imprisonment of Uyghurs, with many facing extended detention without trial due to perceived links to Islam, Central Asia, or the Middle East.
