Yalkun Isa, Brother of Former World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa, Serving 20-Year Sentence

Yalkun Isa Jailed for Making Calls Abroad and ‘Inciting Terrorism,’ Amid Ongoing Persecution of Uyghur Intellectuals

Uyghur Times Staff

March 10, 2025

Radio Free Asia first reported and confirmed the news that Yalkun Isa, the older brother of former World Uyghur Congress (WUC) President Dolkun Isa, is serving a 20-year prison sentence in East Turkistan (referred to by China as Xinjiang) for charges of “inciting terrorism.” The 63-year-old mathematics professor was arrested in late 2017 during a wave of mass detentions targeting Uyghur educators, intellectuals, and cultural figures.

Yalkun Isa taught at the Aksu Education Institute in Aksu city, where over two dozen Uyghur educators were detained in 2017 as part of Beijing’s campaign against what it claims is “terrorism and religious extremism.” Sources with knowledge of the situation indicated that Yalkun was among those jailed, with his case linked to phone communications abroad and accessing foreign websites.

Background on the Isa Family’s Persecution

The Isa family has faced severe retaliation due to Dolkun Isa’s advocacy for Uyghur rights. Dolkun, who served as WUC president from 2017 to 2024 and has lived in exile in Germany since 1994, has long been targeted by Chinese authorities for his work highlighting human rights abuses in East Turkistan. This includes harassment, smear campaigns, and pressure on relatives remaining in the region.

The 2017 crackdown in East Turkistan led to the internment of over a million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in re-education camps, as documented by UN reports and independent investigations. Yalkun’s arrest fits this pattern of detaining intellectuals to suppress Uyghur identity and silence dissent. Abduweli Ayup, a Uyghur activist in Norway who tracks detentions, noted that Yalkun was always cautious in his interactions due to his brother’s political profile.

Details of Yalkun Isa’s Arrest and Sentencing

According to the confirmed report, Yalkun was detained for contacting people abroad, including conversations with Dolkun about their elderly father’s health. During a month-long interrogation, he was forced to confess to receiving instructions from Dolkun to establish an organization in Aksu and engage in “terrorism.” Ordinary discussions about international affairs with two students were misrepresented as “incitement” during his closed trial.

Yalkun was tried alongside two former classmates from Xinjiang University, all accused of plotting terrorism. He is currently serving his sentence at Urumqi Prison No. 1. Dolkun lost contact with Yalkun after April 2017 and received unofficial information in 2019 about the 20-year sentence. In 2020, a coerced video statement from Dolkun’s sister Azgul condemning him notably omitted mentions of Yalkun and another brother, Hushtar.

Tragic Fate of the Isa Family

The persecution extends to other family members. Hushtar Isa, Dolkun’s younger brother, was arrested in 2017 while working at a driving school in Aksu, reportedly due to a prior two-year sentence in 1998. Sources indicated he was accused of multiple “crimes” during his time in a re-education camp and later sentenced to life imprisonment in 2021. Their mother, Ayhan Memet, died in a re-education camp in Aksu in May 2018, officially attributed to “religious extremism,” though authorities denied the camp’s involvement. Their father died in 2020 after being held in a concentration camp since 2017, as revealed in a Chinese state media report criticizing Dolkun.

Broader Implications for Uyghur Diaspora and Human Rights

This case exemplifies China’s transnational repression tactics, punishing families of exiled activists to deter advocacy abroad. Over a thousand Uyghur intellectuals have been imprisoned in similar attempts to erase cultural and political voices. The World Uyghur Congress has condemned Yalkun’s sentencing as a retaliatory act, highlighting Beijing’s strategy to silence the Uyghur community through false charges.

Reactions and Calls for Action

Dolkun Isa reacted on X on February 28, 2025, stating: “I woke up this morning to the news — reported by RFA — that my brother, mathematics Professor Yalkun Isa, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by China. His only ‘crime’ is that he’s my brother and Uyghur! My family and relatives are being punished for my activism abroad. +1000 of Uyghur intellectuals have been imprisoned in an attempt to silence us. But we will not be silenced!”

Dolkun Isa later said: “I am heartbroken. My activism has led to the persecution of my entire family. It is the collective reality of all Uyghurs, and I urge governments to speak on their behalf. We must free them.”

The World Uyghur Congress issued a press release on March 5, 2025, condemning the unjust imprisonment and urging the international community to hold China accountable for its ongoing persecution of Uyghurs. Uyghur advocates continue to call for investigations into such cases and protections for diaspora families.

“World Uyghur Congress President Turgunjan Alawdun stated: “The imprisonment of Yalkun Isa is not just an attack on one individual, but a stark reminder of China’s relentless oppression of Uyghurs. The CCP’s strategy of detaining Uyghur intellectuals under false charges is a deliberate attempt to erase Uyghur identity and silence an entire people.”