- Name: Dr. Rahile Dawut
- Ethnicity: Uyghur
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: May 20, 1966
- Place of Birth: Ürümchi, Uyghur Region (commonly referred to by China as “Xinjiang”)
- Nationality: Chinese (PRC)
- Occupation: Professor of Folklore and Ethnography
- Institution: Xinjiang University, Department of Ethnic Studies
- Academic Focus: Uyghur folklore, sacred Islamic sites (mazars), intangible cultural heritage, ethnographic fieldwork
- Languages: Uyghur, Mandarin Chinese, English
- Publications:
- “The Sacred Sites of the Uyghurs: A Field Study on Mazar Worship”
- “Oral Traditions and Identity Among the Uyghurs of Central Asia”
- Numerous papers in Chinese and international academic journals on Central Asian ethnography
Detention and Imprisonment
- Date of Disappearance: December 2017
- Place of Detention: Ürümchi, later transferred to unknown location
- Reason for Detention (as understood by observers):
Believed to be detained due to her academic work documenting Uyghur culture and religious practices, considered “sensitive” by Chinese authorities under the policy of “de-extremification.” - Official Charges: “Endangering state security” (exact legal basis never made public)
- Sentence: Life imprisonment (as of 2023, confirmed by Chinese authorities)
- Current Status: Imprisoned; exact location unknown; no contact with family allowed
- International Response:
- Named by PEN America as one of the “Freedom to Write” honorees
- Highlighted in UNESCO and Amnesty International campaigns
- Numerous academic institutions globally have issued public statements calling for her release
Legacy and Significance
Dr. Rahile Dawut is considered one of the most prominent Uyghur scholars of her generation. Her work preserved critical elements of Uyghur culture at risk of erasure. Her disappearance and life sentence are widely viewed as part of the broader campaign by the Chinese government to suppress Uyghur identity, intellectual freedom, and academic independence.
