Mehray Mezensof’s life came crashing down in April, when a message from a contact in China’s far northwestern region of Xinjiang confirmed her worst nightmare. The 28-year-old had been waiting for news about her husband, Mirzat Taher, who was appealing against what she believed was his trumped-up terror conviction. Taher, 31, was hauled off by Chinese authorities in 2020, a fate that befell many Uyghurs—an ethnic group who are predominantly Muslims—in their neighborhood in Xinjiang’s capital city of Urumqi since 2017.
Mehray Mezensof and her husband Mirzat Taher in Xinjiang, before he was sentenced by Chinese authorities to 25 years in jail. Photo: Courtesy of Mehray Mezensof
An image from the Xinjiang Police Files shows detainee Ilham Ismayil in a detention centre in the Xinjiang Region of western China. Photo: HANDOUT / THE VICTIMS OF COMMUNISM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION / AFP
Large swathes of the world, including many Muslim states, have not voiced any objection to China’s actions in Xinjiang. Some international companies, including Tesla, have shrugged off concerns of forced labor and continued to operate in the region. German car manufacturer Volkswagen has recently defended its presence by dismissing the Xinjiang Police Files as “desktop-only” research. A damning UN report could be the turning point Uyghurs need to turn the tide.“It’s ultimately a crisis where the structure of power in the UN system makes it impossible for the UN to act meaningfully.”
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet delivers a speech at the opening of a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Feb 28. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP