Mizuki Okada 
Jewher, the daughter of Ilham Tohti who remains detained in China, in an exclusive interview on Sunday, January 26, 2025, in Tokyo (©Sankei by Naoki Aikawa)
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Jewher Ilham is the daughter of Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti, who is currently being detained by Chinese authorities. On January 26, she spoke in an exclusive interview with The Sankei Shimbun and JAPAN Forward in Tokyo. Jewher dismisses the Chinese government's claim that the living standard of residents in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is improving. "It is propaganda," she argues, adding, "The living standards of Uyghurs are not improving."
Jewher is the Forced Labor Project Coordinator of the Washington DC-based think tank Worker Rights Consortium. She deals with human rights advocates and research on forced labor in the Uyghur Autonomous Region of China and other issues.
Calling for Ethical Supply Chains
Both Jewher and her team have contacted Japanese companies like Fast Retailing, which operates UNIQLO, and Ryohin Keikaku, owner of the MUJI brand. Their goal is to stop the manufacturing of products and the sourcing of materials from Xinjiang.
It is not only production bases in the region that concern them. They are also urging these and other companies to leave their supply chains connected to the Uyghur Autonomous Region.
"I do my best to avoid buying products made in China," Jewher says. "I don't know — maybe my cousin made one of them. Maybe my father did. The thought of purchasing something connected to the torture of my family and loved ones is unbearable."
Steady Discrimination and Displacement
Jewher firmly rejects the Chinese government's claim that its anti-terrorism measures have improved incomes in the Uyghur Autonomous Region. She argues that Uyghur people are not benefiting and their living standards are not improving. "Uyghurs should never have been poor in the first place," she also emphasizes.
Next, she points to the Chinese government's large-scale migration projects, bringing Han Chinese settlers into the Uyghur region. "They are taking more than 50% of the jobs, even in our own homeland," she says. Jewher adds that Uyghurs are gradually becoming a minority. "When we look for jobs, Uyghur people are not considered first — the preference goes to Han Chinese."
Mass Detentions for 'Reeducation'
Beijing has completely denied the existence of its reeducation facilities, referring to them instead as "job training centers." However, Jewher emphasizes, "We have released satellite imagery that proves the construction of these mass detention facilities."
Jewher also condemns the Chinese Communist government, stating, "Statistics show that more than 10%, or about 20%, of the population in the Uyghur region have been sent to those reeducation facilities."
Additionally, she explains that the Chinese government views Uyghurs as "not good enough," claiming their lifestyle, language, and religion are inferior. "They believe Han Chinese are better and more educated," she says, "and that they are making [Uyghurs] better."
Jewher criticizes this narrative, calling it "racist and discriminatory," as if Uyghurs were "secondary or less than animals" in the eyes of the Chinese government. "This whole talking point is unacceptable," she adds.
Stolen Riches, Stolen Futures
As Jewher highlights, the Uyghur region is rich in natural resources and rare earth minerals. Among them are the highly-sought polysilicon used in solar panels, aluminum for cars, and lithium for batteries.
Despite this wealth, she points out that local people live in poverty. "The Chinese government has been exploiting not only our natural resources but also our human resources," she says. "It has also been discriminating against us for decades."
Uyghurs could have built a better future if given control over their own land, Jewher states. "If the Chinese government would leave us alone, we could have a much, much, much better life," she concludes.
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- INTERVIEW | Uyghur Camp Survivor Makes Urgent Appeal to Halt Genocide
Author: Mizuki Okada
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