In a controversial ruling, a 49-year-old Uyghur woman, Seylihan Rozi, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison by a Chinese court in Xinjiang for teaching religious verses to her two sons and a neighbor. The court’s decision is part of a larger crackdown on religious practices among Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), a region where religious expression has been severely restricted under Chinese government policies.
Rozi, who hails from Saybagh village in Kashgar’s Konasheher county, was convicted of “illegal underground religious activities” for instructing her sons in religious texts. According to Radio Free Asia, her actions were deemed unlawful by Chinese authorities, who have imposed strict regulations on religious education, particularly for ethnic minorities.
Rozi’s two sons were also handed significant sentences for their involvement in the religious lessons: one was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while the other received a 7-year term. Additionally, a neighbor, Yakup Hidayet, who attended the lessons, was sentenced to 9 years for participating in what the authorities classified as illegal religious education.
This case highlights the intensifying repression faced by the Uyghur community, whose religious and cultural rights are severely restricted by the Chinese government. Critics argue that the policies, which have led to the detention of thousands of Uyghurs in so-called “re-education” camps, are a direct attack on the Uyghur people’s religious identity.
The Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim minority group of about 12 million people in Xinjiang, face systemic repression under China’s policies aimed at controlling religious and cultural expression. There have been widespread international calls for China to halt its actions in the region, with many human rights organizations labeling the government’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocidal.
Rozi’s case is just one of many that have drawn global attention to the growing repression of Uyghur religious practices. As China continues to impose these stringent measures, human rights advocates are urging the international community to take action in defense of Uyghur cultural and religious freedoms.
