The authorities deceived more than 40 Muslim men from an ethnic Hui village and detained them at a “transformation through education camp.”
In April 2018, Ma Minghui (pseudonym) from a village in Usu city, Xinjiang, received a notification from authorities to attend “study classes” at the local commune. When he arrived there, Mr. Ma was forcibly taken to a “transformation through education camp.”
At the beginning of his detention, Ma Minghui was only allowed to have video calls with his family, and each conversation was limited to three minutes. Since May, Mr. Ma’s family has lost all contact with him.
According to local sources, more than 40 Muslim men from the same village have been similarly tricked and later detained in the “transformation through education camp” in Usu. Ma Minghui’s son is also among them.
Reported by Li Zaili
Li Zaili (uses pseudonyms for security reasons), born in Xinjiang in 1982, went to the United States to study at the age of 16. After graduating from university, Li returned to Xinjiang and worked in journalism. In 2014, Xinjiang authorities started detaining large numbers of Muslims in “transformation through education camps.” Learning of that, he left his original position and began independently collecting and organizing information related to “transformation through education camps,” and submitted articles for publication in overseas media outlets. After Bitter Winter was founded in May 2018, Li Zaili became a special correspondent of Bitter Winter covering Xinjiang, Xizang and some other regions in China.