Jewher IlhamEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

12 years ago, Jewher Ilham, the daughter of prominent imprisoned Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti, watched her father taken away by Chinese authorities at Beijing International Airport. At her father’s insistence, she boarded a plane bound for the United States. That was the last time she ever saw him. In the years since, Jewher has endured Beijing’s psychological manipulation, repeatedly being lured with false promises of a reunion with her father. Instead of giving in, she chose a path of advocacy—dedicating her career to researching forced labor and speaking out on behalf of her father and the Uyghur people. In this episode, Jewher reflects on the final moments she shared with her father and explains how her work continues to connect her to her people, amplifying their voices and struggles to the world.

On January 15, 2014, Beijing police arrested Ilham Tohti at his home and shut down Uighurbiz.org, the Uyghur language website he had created. He was held in pre-trial detention for eight months before being sentenced to life in prison. The website, also known as Uyghur Online, was published in Chinese and Uyghur. It focused on social issues and on building understanding between Han Chinese and Uyghurs, with contributors from both communities. You would think authorities would encourage this kind of work to ease tensions. But instead, in a nonsensical decision, Chinese authorities sentenced its founder to life in prison on charges of promoting separatism and violence. In this episode, Jewher Ilham—who was abruptly separated from her family at an airport 12 years ago—speaks out on behalf of her father, Professor Ilham Tohti, and the values he stands for. She explains why his imprisonment is a deliberate attempt by the Chinese government to silence him and to conceal its systemic oppression of the Uyghur people.

In this episode, we talked to Uyghur human rights activist, Jewher Ilham, about the #UyghurCrisis, the reality of the situation, her experiences with the crisis, and what WUSC does to support Uyghurs.

It was a tough episode today. Hearing the harsh reality that Uyghur Muslim face everyday is really heartbreaking. . Here we reviewed a video that went viral where we see a group of Uyghur muslims, wearing same clothes and being blindfolded. What was happening? Find out in the full episode . We are really humbled @jewherrr to have you on the show with us to raise such an important issue. Follow the podcast hosts on social media: Instagram: Ali Haejl @scoobz.mp4 Ali Al Shammari @therealalialshammari alihaejl.com

Jewher Ilham is the daughter of Ilham Tohti - a Uyghur scholar who was detained by the Chinese authorities due to his advocacy for the Uyghur people. Jewher has been campaigning for his release, as well as an end to the persecution endured by 1 million Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region of China.

As part of our ongoing interviews about writers detained globally, today we speak with Jewher Ilham, whose father, Uyghur economist, writer, and professor Ilham Tohti, was sentenced to life in a Chinese prison. She discusses the last day she saw her father and why she and those who support him will never relent until he is released. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/penamerica/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/penamerica/support