"Brother" went missing because of me, July 29, 12:42

One day, I suddenly lost contact with my father, who lives in his hometown.

Relatives were detained one after another.

And my favorite "brother" may have gone missing because of me.

What is happening in my hometown?

To find out the truth, the man decided to reveal everything that had happened so far.

(International Department Reporter Kenji Ekuan)

Family disappeared one after another

"First of all, my dad was caught four years ago (2017). After that, my grandfather, his sons, and my grandmother were taken to the" facility "."

The man told me to bite his regrets.

It is said that his elderly grandfather got sick after returning from the "facility".

And the father I saw on the video call for the first time in a long time was so thin that I doubted that he was his true father, and the beard that he had kept in his care was shaved cleanly.

I want to meet my family.

I want to know what is happening.

I strongly think so, but I can't go back to my hometown and I continue to feel frustrated.

Hometown that made me laugh from the bottom of my heart

Muharram Muhammadari (28) was born in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in western China (*).

His father was an Islamic leader and grew up in a reverent Islamic family.

The time spent at the homes of my grandparents who visited almost every month.

It was a happy time to laugh from the bottom of my heart with a lot of relatives.

(* Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region: Almost half of the population of about 25 million is Uighur ethnic minority, and most of them believe in Islam.)

Among them, my uncle, Abdullah Man Muhammad, who is four years older than me, was longing for me.

I've been calling him "brother" since I was little.

My brother often talked about Uighur history and Islam.

The older brother who knew everything was a longing for Muhammad.

After graduating from a local junior high school, I left my parents and went on to a high school on the coast of China, but every time I took a day off, I returned to my hometown.

I was looking forward to discussing the history of the people with my brothers.

An incident that started suddenly

It was when Muhammad Ari was attending college that something went wrong with his hometown.

Muhammad Ali, who went on to a coastal university, returned to his hometown as often as before, but at one point he was suddenly stopped by a police officer at the station.

And the contents of the personal computer were checked.

When I was walking with my father, the police started to ask me about my duties.

And four years ago (2017), the appearance of the city changed visibly.

Surveillance cameras installed everywhere.

Rally to celebrate the Chinese Communist Party held in various places.

Under these circumstances, friends and relatives come to say what they say.

"Uighurs are trained at'school'and never come back."

Muhammad knew that it didn't mean literally, but he couldn't even imagine what was happening.

An invisible father

Around the same time, my father's regular phone call to Muhammad Ali, who lives away from his hometown, suddenly stopped coming.

When I called my mother, she didn't tell me anything, but my brother sent me an email.

"Your dad is missing"

I couldn't immediately understand the meaning.

The father who was talking on the phone until recently.

I asked my brother many times what he meant, but I didn't have any more information.

One day, about half a year after I couldn't get any information, I received a letter from my father.

It only stated that he had been sentenced to prison for "provocation of mayhem" and is now in jail.

Determination to leave home

After that, my brother contacted me frequently and told me that nine people, including my uncle, cousin, and grandparents, were taken to "school" one after another for "training."

Something hard is happening.

I want to see what's happening somehow.

Muhammad was able to evade Internet regulations in China and find articles in foreign media.

"Many Uighurs are suspected of being unfairly detained in authorities' facilities because of religion or ethnicity."

"We were forced to sing songs and political studies in honor of the Communist Party."

What was written there was the suspicion that the Uighurs were being educated in thought, and the testimony of those who were detained in camps to support it.

For the first time, Muhammad was able to understand what was happening in his hometown and what was happening around him.

On the other hand, I felt a strong fear that they might have been given ideological education just because they were Uighurs, and I came to think that I could not return to my hometown anymore.

Mr. Muhammadari quit his job based in China and moved to Japan in September of three years ago (2018), hoping to get a job at a related company in Japan.

Anxiety to be raised even in Japan

However, Muhammad Ari could not dispel the guilty feeling of leaving his family.

I came to Japan leaving my father and relatives in custody.

Such thoughts never got out of my mind.

Therefore, I want to connect with my family somehow.

Muhammad contacted Chinese authorities, urging his father in prison and his family in his hometown to make a video call, and the authorities confirmed.

However, I lost my words when I saw my father projected on the screen.

A thin, faithful, shaved father.

I just briefly answered, "I'm doing fine."

I couldn't hear the truth under the supervision of the Chinese authorities.

Brother is the only reliance

On the other hand, the contact from my brother never stopped.

While my family closed my mouth, only my brother relied on me.

At one point, a photo of three letters was attached to an email sent by my brother.

It was a letter allegedly written to the family by grandparents and uncles housed in the facility.

It was written as follows.

"I came to the training center because I went on a pilgrimage before."

"The teacher (at the facility) made me realize that my past behavior was wrong."

"The lecture I took at the facility He told me that the idealism of a radical religion is malicious. "

What was written in every letter was a word of gratitude to the Communist Party.

It soon became apparent that the faithful grandparents did not really write it.

The faces of my grandparents came to my mind, and the back of my chest was tightened.

On the other hand, Muhammad Ali, who thought that this letter was a valuable document showing the actual situation of the facility, provides it to the person who is collecting information on the Uighurs because he wants to understand what is happening now.

An older brother who went missing because of himself

However, this leads to an unexpected situation.

The letter I provided was published on the Internet without disclosing personal information such as my name.

I received a message from my brother that Muhammad Ari was worried about this.

"The police contacted me and asked if I had told anyone about my family on the internet. Only you should know."

Muhammad couldn't honestly say that the letter had been published on the internet because of him.

At the end of this email, my brother stopped contacting me.

I called again and again, but never got connected.

Confess everything to know the truth

It's been two years since I couldn't get in touch with my brother.

Muhammad Ali, who lives in Japan, is now publishing her name and face to testify to her family and relatives.

By working under your real name, you may never be able to return to your hometown.

Family members and relatives in their hometown may be at risk.

Even so, I continue to work because I really want information about my older brother who has lost his whereabouts because of me.

I've been blaming myself ever since I couldn't get in touch with my brother.

I'm regrettable when I think about what I did.

But just regretting doesn't change anything.

However, no information has been received so far.

I heard that my grandparents came out of the facility, but with the disappearance of my brother, I still have no clue as to what the situation is.

Still, Muhammad wants to continue his testimony to talk to his brother again and for the day when his family will meet again with a smile.

Over Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

There have been a series of cases in which people who were detained in facilities over the Uighur issue were accused of being "forced to patriotic education" and "abused."

Since 2017, the US government and international human rights groups have increasingly criticized more than one million Islamic residents for being unfairly detained in authorities' detention facilities and being forced into ideological education.

The Chinese government, on the other hand, argues that the detention center is an education and training facility to escape the bondage of religious extremism and does not limit the physical freedom of residents.

Many Uighurs living in Japan have lost contact with their families in their hometowns, such as Muhammad Ari.

I would like to continue the interview so that the actual situation becomes clear as much as possible.

International Department Reporter

Kenji Ekuan

Joined in 2009

After working at

Matsuyama Bureau and Morioka Bureau

Yokohama Bureau, he

was in charge of coverage of

his current affiliation in

China.