In 2017, more than two dozen Uyghur teachers in Aksu were arrested. Today, they remain behind bars, serving long sentences for simply being educators, historians, and intellectuals. Their crime? Preserving and teaching Uyghur history, language, and identity—something China has branded as a threat.
Among them is Ghojaniyaz Yollugh Tekin, a respected historian sentenced to 17 years in prison for writing about Uyghur heritage. His research, which connected Uyghurs to their Turkic roots, was deemed dangerous by Beijing. His fate is just one piece of a much larger campaign to wipe out Uyghur culture—a campaign that has unfolded in internment camps, prisons, and schools across Xinjiang for years.
Mass Arrests and the Death of Free Thought
For Uyghur intellectuals, the classroom has become a battleground. China’s government isn’t just silencing political activists—it’s going after scholars, poets, writers, and teachers who dare to preserve their heritage. Faculty members from Xinjiang University and Kashgar University have disappeared. Scholars are serving decades-long sentences on vague charges of ‘separatism’ and ‘extremism.’ Furthermore, Uyghur language instruction has been replaced with Mandarin-only curriculums in schools.
ince 2017, China has built a vast network of re-education camps, which it claims are meant for “vocational training.” The world knows better. These camps, described by former detainees as prisons in disguise, have been exposed through leaks like the Xinjiang Police Files, revealing:
- Forced labour on a massive scale
- Torture, beatings, and psychological abuse
- Forced sterilizations and family separations
China’s own documents speak of “breaking their lineage, breaking their roots.” The goal is clear: erase Uyghur culture at its foundation.
How China’s Camps turned into Prisons
China claims it shut down its re-education camps in 2019. But mass detentions haven’t stopped—they’ve simply shifted. Many Uyghurs have been moved from the camps into formal prisons with even harsher conditions. Satellite imagery and leaked documents suggest that the Chinese Communist Party has refined its strategy, focusing less on high-profile mass detentions and more on targeted arrests of intellectuals, business leaders, and religious figures.
The detention of teachers in Aksu fits this new pattern. Instead of rounding up thousands at once, Beijing is picking off key cultural figures one by one, ensuring that there are no voices left to challenge the state’s narrative.
Beijing insists that it is merely fighting terrorism and promoting economic development in Xinjiang. But international bodies aren’t buying it.
- The U.S. has labelled China’s actions as genocide.
- The United Nations has said they may amount to crimes against humanity.
- Multiple countries have imposed sanctions on Chinese officials linked to the crackdown.
Yet, despite global condemnation, China hasn’t backed down. The CCP continues to deny wrongdoing, pushing propaganda that portrays Uyghurs as grateful beneficiaries of government policies. Meanwhile, those who speak out—both in China and abroad—face harassment, surveillance, and intimidation.
A Culture on the Brink of Erasure
By targeting teachers, historians, and intellectuals, China is ensuring that Uyghur history, language, and traditions are lost to future generations. Those who once carried the torch of knowledge are now either behind bars, in exile, or too terrified to speak. The crackdown has not just destroyed individual lives—it has crippled an entire culture.
For Uyghurs inside Xinjiang, hope is fading. For those in exile, the battle to keep their identity alive continues. But as long as China controls the narrative and the world hesitates to act, the destruction of an entire people’s heritage marches on—one imprisoned teacher at a time.
