A Uyghur Father Persecuted to Death: His Son Remembers Him

Due to the Chinese government’s oppressive and genocidal policies in East Turkestan (Xinjiang), which included preventing communication between Uyghurs in exile and their families back home, I lost all contact with my father, Gheni Khudaberdi, in 2017.
On July 6, 2024, Chinese police threatened my brother, forcing him to call me. They demanded that I refrain from testifying at the World Citizens Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, from July 8 to 12, where the crimes of the totalitarian Chinese dictator Xi Jinping were being prosecuted. They pressured me not to testify, but I angrily hung up the phone. This threat, just one of the many sinister plots that have infiltrated every Uyghur family, deeply shocked me.
Not long after, Chinese police took my father out of the detention camp, where he had been suffering from a serious illness. They had my brother record a video, urging me to stop my activism against the Chinese government, using it to emotionally manipulate me. Despite seeing the video, I remained firm and refused to bow to their psychological torture. I even used that painful video as further evidence of China’s atrocities at the World Citizens Tribunal. The judges, investigators, and even the lawyer appointed to represent the Chinese government were visibly shaken by the overwhelming evidence, and they expressed sympathy for me.
When the Chinese government failed to break my spirit, they once again sent my father and brother back to the detention camps. Two months later, on September 17, I received the devastating news from a friend that my father had died in the detention camp. Hearing this broke my heart, but instead of weakening me, it fuelled my anger and determination against the oppressive Chinese government. It strengthened my resolve to continue my fight for freedom and justice. My hopes for a brighter future were reignited, and my steps toward the hoped-for victory have become even more steadfast and unwavering.
Dear Father and Beloved Mother,
I promise you that I will turn all my grief into strength, forge my anger into a weapon, and strike at the heart of the Chinese government. Until my last breath, I will continue this fight. The colonial rule of the Chinese communist-totalitarian regime in East Turkistan will end. We, the people of East Turkistan, will live in freedom and dignity. Until that day comes, I will not stop.
My dear father, my angelic mother, I deeply regret that I could not fulfil my duties as your son. I was not able to be by your side during your illnesses, nor was I able to bring you any comfort. The brutal Chinese government has separated us, taking away the joy you would have felt in seeing your son’s achievements in the fight for freedom and the happiness of holding your grandchildren close. The emotional bonds between us have been cruelly severed. No words can truly capture the pain and scars left by this colonial life and forced exile.
Father, rest assured that I, your proud son, will never betray my nation or my people. I will never dishonour our family, you, or our homeland. I am your son, and the spirit of resistance and justice that runs in my veins comes from our ancestors.
May Allah grant us the chance to reunite in paradise, in freedom and happiness.
Goodbye, Father! May your resting place be in paradise.
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