Another Uyghur intellectual killed

China continues to kill intellectuals, particularly academics, in concentration camps built in East Turkistan. These camps hold ordinary citizens alongside intellectuals, academics, and scientists.
News recently emerged about Ibrahim Dawut, a prominent Uyghur intellectual and longtime chemistry teacher at 6th Middle School in Kashgar, who died in a concentration camp after being unjustly detained in 2019. His family and associates dispute the official explanation of his death and demand the truth be revealed.
ARRESTED BEFORE DAUGHTER'S WEDDING
According to an anonymous witness speaking to Radio Free Asia (RFA), Ibrahim Dawut was detained on July 28, 2019, during his daughter's wedding preparations. The witness stated Dawut was arrested for being on a Chinese government list of "people dangerous to society."
SUSPICIOUS DEATH REPORTED AFTER 3 MONTHS
Three months after his arrest, on October 6, 2019, police informed Dawut's family of his death. Due to China's isolation policy, the family could only recently make this news public.
Police reportedly asked the family to sign a "heart attack" death certificate without showing them the body. Dawut's body was buried without notifying relatives.
The family expresses suspicion about these circumstances, believing death may have resulted from torture.
FOUGHT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE
Since the 2000s, Ibrahim Dawut opposed China's "bilingual education" policy, which effectively mandated Chinese-only instruction. He wrote articles advocating for Uyghur language education, translated teaching materials, and published textbooks for Uyghur youth.
He supported Uyghur students' native language education by opening bookstores called "Knowledge Library" in and around Kashgar, and organized language courses and university exam preparation classes. Davut's death highlights once again the deep suffering inflicted on Uyghur people by China's oppressive policies in East Turkistan.