Executive Summary
Long imprisonment in the Uyghur region is seemingly carried out according to the formal legal rules. Yet, the lack of due process and the absence of the right to fair trials result in most imprisonments being political rather than criminal. People are imprisoned without committing a genuine crime. Most trials are not public. Most often, the reasons for imprisonment are vague and unjust. Appeals for convictions are generally rejected by the Higher People’s Court, like in the recent case of Rahile Dawut. This policy brief explores the mechanisms at play in imprisonment in the Uyghur region, from the allegation to imprisonment.
