Beijing [China], March 29 : A young Uyghur rapper and singer-songwriter, has not been seen since his arrest 20 months back in China and serving a three-year sentence for writing lyrics deemed to "promote extremism", Radio Free Asia reported, citing the Chinese rights advocacy group Weiquanwan
Yashar Shohret (26), who was previously involved in the 2022 "White Paper" protests, has been missing since his arrest on August 9, 2023, in Chengdu, Sichuan province, where he was studying at university, RFA reported.
According to a recent report by the rights advocacy group Weiquanwang, Shohret had been sentenced on June 20, 2024, to three years in prison on charges of "promoting extremism" and "illegally possessing items promoting extremism." He appealed the sentence, but the court upheld the verdict during a second trial, which confirmed his imprisonment until August 8, 2026. Shohret is currently being held at the Wusu Prison in Xinjiang.
Shohret is originally from Bole city in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of northwestern China, home to 12 million Uyghurs who experience extensive persecution and surveillance under Beijing's control.
Overseas Uyghur youth activist Aman, who prefers a pseudonym for safety reasons, highlighted that the Chinese government has shifted its approach, with high-profile arrests now giving way to more discreet detentions and the suppression of public information, making it increasingly difficult to track such cases, RFA reported.
Shohret's case is emblematic of the broader crackdown on Uyghur culture and expression, as China continues to target individuals from the ethnic minority for perceived dissent, particularly in relation to their cultural and religious practices.
China's atrocities against Uyghurs involve systematic repression, including mass incarceration in so-called "re-education" camps, forced labour, and severe surveillance. Uyghurs endure religious persecution, cultural erasure, and arbitrary detention.
Reports of torture, forced sterilizations, and family separations have surfaced, alongside efforts to erase their language and traditions. Beijing's policies aim to assimilate and control the Uyghur population, violating basic human rights and generating widespread international condemnation.
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