Nyrola Elimä: A Uyghur's Journey from Silence to Speaking Truth

Nyrola Elimä, a Uyghur researcher and journalist now living in Sweden, has become a vocal advocate for her people despite the personal risks involved.

EARLY LIFE AND IDENTITY STRUGGLE

Born in East Turkistan in 1985, Elimä grew up "sinicized" - attending Chinese schools and speaking Mandarin as her first language. Despite her cultural assimilation, her Uyghur identity marked her as a second-class citizen. Her ID card identified her ethnicity, making it difficult to register at hotels and causing problems for landlords and employers who were required to report on her weekly to authorities.

ESCAPE TO SWEDEN

After being repeatedly told "We don't give passports to Uyghurs," Elimä finally obtained one after two years of trying. She was accepted to Sweden as a student in 2011 and has since become a Swedish citizen, married to a Swede.

THE AWAKENING

Initially, Elimä believed Chinese government propaganda portraying Uyghurs as terrorists. Her worldview was shattered in 2018 when her cousin Mayila Yakufu was arrested and imprisoned on fabricated charges of "financing terrorist activities" - just transferring money to help her parents buy a house in Australia.

FAMILY UNDER PERSECUTION

Yakufu remains imprisoned, while Elimä's parents are under house arrest, charged with "possession of extremist items" - photos of Yakufu from a 2015 family trip to Malaysia.

FINDING HER VOICE

Despite initial panic attacks, Elimä began speaking publicly about her family's situation in 2019. The turning point came when she learned her cousin's head had been shaved in prison. "Love conquered the fear," she says, and she testified before the Uyghur Tribunal in London.

CURRENT WORK AND CHALLENGES

As a researcher and journalist specializing in human rights and supply chains, Elimä faces two major obstacles: people's reluctance to hear about Uyghur suffering, and business interests that prioritize China relations over human rights concerns.

BROADER PERSPECTIVE

Elimä draws parallels between the Uyghur genocide and other global injustices, particularly inspired by Ukrainian President Zelensky's courage during Russia's invasion. She believes people must choose sides between oppressors and victims, warning that "the bad guys are winning" worldwide.

Her message is clear: "We need people to believe the story we're telling" and take action rather than remaining indifferent to ongoing genocides and war crimes.