Plenary title: When a Language Stands up Against Genocide
Writer and linguist specializing in Uyghur language education, Abduweli Ayup was born in 1973 near Kashgar in the Xinjiang region of China. Upon graduation from Minzu University where he completed his bachelor studies in Turkic literature in 1997, he got his master’s degree at Xinjiang University in 2001. He was a professor at Northwest Minzu University and Xinjiang Fnancial and Economic University for 9 years. He then went to study at the University of Kansas at Lawrence, where he obtained his master’s degree in linguistics in 2011.
Abduweli Ayup has been a proponent of linguistic rights and an active promoter of Uyghur language education. Returning to Xinjiang in 2011 after graduation in Kansas, Abduweli opened language schools and kindergartens in the cities of Ürumchi and Kashgar. During that period of time he was subjected to repeated interrogations and harassment on the part of Chinese authorities. Abduweli was arrested in August 2013 and accused of promoting separatist activity. After 15 months in detention, he fled to Turkey from China with his family in August 2015. Since 2019, Abduweli has lived in Bergen, Norway, as a writer-in-residence through the ICORN program. In September 2016 Abduweli founded Uyghur Hjelp, with his team advocating and documenting the Uyghur plight.
From January 2017, Abduweli has organized a mother language campaign among members of the Uyghur diaspora. Since then, more than 70 Uyghur mother language classes have started to teach Uyghur around the world. Abduweli has published Uyghur mother language textbooks; he has now already published three books for children. He has published five books, included a volume of essays and his prison memoir, in Turkish and Uyghur. The English version will appear soon.
Writer and linguist specializing in Uyghur language education, Abduweli Ayup was born in 1973 near Kashgar in the Xinjiang region of China. Upon graduation from Minzu University where he completed his bachelor studies in Turkic literature in 1997, he got his master’s degree at Xinjiang University in 2001. He was a professor at Northwest Minzu University and Xinjiang Fnancial and Economic University for 9 years. He then went to study at the University of Kansas at Lawrence, where he obtained his master’s degree in linguistics in 2011.
Abduweli Ayup has been a proponent of linguistic rights and an active promoter of Uyghur language education. Returning to Xinjiang in 2011 after graduation in Kansas, Abduweli opened language schools and kindergartens in the cities of Ürumchi and Kashgar. During that period of time he was subjected to repeated interrogations and harassment on the part of Chinese authorities. Abduweli was arrested in August 2013 and accused of promoting separatist activity. After 15 months in detention, he fled to Turkey from China with his family in August 2015. Since 2019, Abduweli has lived in Bergen, Norway, as a writer-in-residence through the ICORN program. In September 2016 Abduweli founded Uyghur Hjelp, with his team advocating and documenting the Uyghur plight.
From January 2017, Abduweli has organized a mother language campaign among members of the Uyghur diaspora. Since then, more than 70 Uyghur mother language classes have started to teach Uyghur around the world. Abduweli has published Uyghur mother language textbooks; he has now already published three books for children. He has published five books, included a volume of essays and his prison memoir, in Turkish and Uyghur. The English version will appear soon.