HRF marks the eighth anniversary of Uyghur scholar Rahile Dawut’s arbitrary disappearance and life sentence under the CCP’s ongoing genocide in the Uyghur Region. We stand in solidarity with her daughter, @akida_p in calling for Rahile’s immediate release.

Rahile, a leading authority on Uyghur folklore and cultural heritage, was detained in 2017 during the CCP’s rapid escalation of mass repression. She was later sentenced to life in prison for “endangering state security,” a charge routinely used to criminalize Uyghur identity and peaceful expression. (Kashgar Times)

Rahile’s detention reflects the CCP’s deliberate strategy to dismantle Uyghur society at its roots. Intellectuals were among the regime’s first targets because they preserve collective memory, religious meaning, and cultural continuity — elements an authoritarian system erases to enforce assimilation. (UHRP)

For eight years, @akida_p has carried her mother’s voice to the world, demanding truth and accountability in the face of silence. #FreeRahileDawut