Uyghur group reports arrests for fasting in East Turkistan
Rights organization says Chinese authorities detained several Uyghurs for “secretly fasting” during Ramadan as surveillance and restrictions intensify
BEIJING, China (MNTV) — Authorities in China’s far-western region known as East Turkistan have detained several Uyghurs for allegedly observing the Ramadan fast, according to a Uyghur advocacy group and reports from exile media outlets, highlighting ongoing restrictions on Islamic religious practices in the region.
The Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC), an international Uyghur rights organization, said it was alarmed by reports that police had arrested six Uyghur residents in villages across Hotan Prefecture during the Islamic holy month.
According to the Uyghur Service of Radio Free Asia, a US government-funded broadcaster that frequently reports on conditions in the region, the arrests took place on Feb. 27 in several villages including Bulaq Chorgey, Bash Chapal, Dul Tugman and Korgan.
A police officer in Lop Township confirmed to Radio Free Asia that five of the detainees—each reportedly over 70 years old—were later released after receiving warnings and undergoing political “lectures.” However, a 30-year-old Uyghur man remains in custody and could face criminal charges for fasting, the report said.
The officer also described heightened surveillance during Ramadan, including early morning patrols aimed at detecting people who might be preparing to eat before the dawn fast begins.
“We check the windows to see if lights are on before sunrise,” the officer told Radio Free Asia. “If the lights are on, we enter their homes to investigate.”
Separate reports from the Uyghur News Network, a diaspora media platform, said authorities in Kashgar and Aksu prefectures have been gathering villagers for compulsory labor activities during Ramadan mornings, including repairing roads, bridges and irrigation channels. According to those accounts, the work assignments are intended to discourage fasting during the holy month.
Turgunjan Alawdun, president of the World Uyghur Congress, said the reported detentions illustrate how restrictions on religious observance remain deeply entrenched.
“Ramadan restrictions continue to be tightened year after year,” Alawdun said. “The recent detention of six Uyghurs shows that people do not even have the freedom to observe their faith privately in their own homes.”
The developments come as the situation of Uyghurs is being discussed at the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. In a recent thematic report to the council, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Nazila Ghanea raised concerns about the destruction and relocation of Uyghur Muslim cemeteries under government “standardization” programs.
Human rights organizations and researchers have long documented restrictions on religious expression in East Turkistan, including limits on fasting during Ramadan, tight surveillance of mosques and religious sites, and controls on religious education. Chinese authorities have defended such measures as part of efforts to combat extremism and maintain social stability.
Advocacy groups argue that these policies amount to systematic restrictions on the practice of Islam and have called on the international community to press Beijing to release individuals detained for observing Ramadan.
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