By Saliha Sultan
Source: Karar Newspaper | October 13, 2025
The award-winning book by Uyghur poet Tahir Hamut Izgil, "Waiting to Be Arrested at Midnight," which chronicles his personal witness to the genocide against Uyghurs, has been published by Timaş Publishing. In an interview with Karar Newspaper, Izgil stated, "Oppression is always oppression, whether it is in Palestine or in East Turkistan. Its essence does not change. China's denial of its oppression in East Turkistan is inevitable. However, it is deeply disappointing to me that the Turkish and Islamic world stands with China in denying this oppression or chooses to remain silent."
The Islamic World's Silence on the Uyghur Issue is Disappointing
The book "Waiting to Be Arrested at Midnight" by East Turkistani poet and writer Tahir Hamut Izgil, winner of the 2023 National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize and the 2024 Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing, has been translated into Turkish by Timaş Publishing. We spoke with the US-based author about his book, which was inspired by his own life story, discussing China's oppression of Uyghurs that has reached the level of genocide, the punishment camps, and the untold suffering of the Uyghur people.
- We hear a lot about China's oppression of Uyghurs, but there are few witnesses from within. Your book, "Waiting to Be Arrested at Midnight," is a rare example. What is actually happening in East Turkistan?
"Waiting to Be Arrested at Midnight" is a memoir based on my direct observations, describing the situation in East Turkistan just before and during the start of the mass arrests of Uyghurs. In the last decade or so, China has become the world's second-largest economic power, and with that, its ambition to become a superpower has grown. Especially with the launch of the "Belt and Road" initiative, the Chinese regime defined the Uyghurs in East Turkistan as a "threat to national security," revealing its intention to eliminate them as an entire nation and turn that land into a permanent and stable territory for themselves. Undoubtedly, China believed that the world would remain silent, or at least be unable to oppose it. It was against this vast backdrop that an unprecedented oppression against Uyghurs began. Between one and three million Uyghurs were imprisoned in punishment camps, and the Islamic religion was banned. The Uyghur language was removed from many areas of daily life, starting with schools. Cultural values were destroyed. Parents were separated from their children. Young Uyghur men and women were subjected to forced labor. The Uyghur population suddenly declined, and eventually, this oppression was proven to be a genocide.
- Your book received international awards after its publication, but at the same time, the pressure on your family increased. How are you experiencing these two contradictory feelings?
After the book was published, it truly had a stronger impact than I had anticipated. Reviews praising the work were published in world-renowned media outlets. It was translated into nearly 20 languages and won international awards. However, I couldn't feel a genuine sense of joy from these successes. Firstly, because this book describes the tragedy of my people, and secondly, because my parents, relatives, and friends are living under oppression in East Turkistan. On the other hand, even in an era where internet communication is so advanced, I cannot communicate with them in any way for their safety. Although my wife and children are now living peacefully in America, just as my wife Merhaba said in the book: "Though our bodies are here, our souls have remained in our homeland." We still have not escaped China's oppression of the Uyghurs. But we have not lost hope. We have not given up our will to live freely in our own homeland, and we will always struggle for it. This is the driving force that gives meaning to our lives!
"Whether in Palestine or East Turkistan, the essence of oppression does not change"
- In your opinion, what is the most obvious truth that the world still refuses to see?
There is a saying, "Once the door of oppression is opened, it does not close again." In today's world, where humanity has become a single body, oppression is not confined to the people or region where it occurs. I think the world is failing to see this truth. Oppression is always oppression, whether in Palestine, Arakan, or East Turkistan. Its essence does not change.
- With the increasing pressure over the years, which freedom has been most lost in the daily lives of Uyghurs?
I believe the greatest freedom Uyghurs have been deprived of is the freedom of religious belief. Currently, people cannot worship normally. They cannot keep religious books in their homes. They cannot utter the word "Allah." They cannot greet each other with "Assalamu Alaykum." They do not dare to distinguish between halal and haram. They cannot give their children names like "Muhammad, Ibrahim, A'isha, Fatima." Yet, these restrictions were never seen in the thousand-year history of Uyghur life after they accepted Islam. China, which considers the entire Islamic world its backyard, tramples on the Islamic faith of Uyghurs to this extent. The most interesting part is that the Chinese Constitution and the Autonomous Region Law explicitly guarantee that religious freedom will be protected. Besides this, the disappearance of the Uyghur language is also proceeding at an extremely rapid pace.
- The feeling of "silence" conveyed throughout the book is noteworthy. Have the people of East Turkistan been condemned to silence?
Yes, the people of East Turkistan are currently forced to be silent in the face of oppression. But I believe that resistance continues. However, we cannot know the details in an environment where communication is almost completely controlled. After the 9/11 attacks, the Chinese government tried to vilify Uyghur resistance movements to the world by exaggerating and distorting them in order to link Uyghurs to international terrorism and punish them. They even orchestrated some terrorist acts themselves. However, after the great arrests of 2017, and especially after some Western countries recognized the Chinese government's oppression of Uyghurs as genocide and crimes against humanity, China adopted the path of immediately suppressing any resistance in East Turkistan and strictly blocking any information about it. That is why we now cannot hear credible news about Uyghur resistance; we only see silence.
"Uyghurs and Turks are brothers"
- Why has the international community been so ineffective in stopping this oppression? What step must be taken for the situation to change?
Although the international community has not been able to form a broad united front to stop the genocide in East Turkistan, the U.S. government, the parliaments of some Western countries, and the UN Human Rights Committee have recognized China's oppression of Uyghurs as genocide and crimes against humanity. The Uyghur Tribunal in London also issued a verdict confirming this diagnosis. Laws related to Uyghurs have been passed in the U.S., and sanctions or restrictions have been imposed on entities and individuals involved in the genocide in China. Many international human rights organizations, activists, politicians, and researchers have spoken out against the oppression in East Turkistan. I believe that as a result, the further intensification of China's oppression of Uyghurs has been checked to some extent. It has been proven that Uyghurs are not without support as China thought, and most importantly, China has been branded with the stigma of genocide and crimes against humanity. I don't think these are small achievements. But unfortunately, these achievements required the people of East Turkistan to pay an unprecedentedly heavy price, and that price is still being paid.
- What would you like to say to the Turks of Turkey, who are brothers to the Uyghur Turks?
Uyghurs and Turks are brothers. Nothing can change this fact. I often think of a situation regarding Turkey: If a person knows that a distant, oppressed relative is suffering under tyranny and doesn't have the power to save them, what should they do? That person should help their relative as much as they can and be able to declare that they stand with them. At the very least, they should be able to express their concern and care, openly stating that they value them. I believe this is also the most basic level of humanity.
"A test for the conscience of humanity"
- Some China-centric circles are denying the oppression Uyghurs face. In your opinion, what narratives are used to advance this denial?
China's denial of its oppression in East Turkistan is inevitable. However, it is deeply disappointing to me that the Turkish and Islamic world stands with China in denying this oppression or chooses to remain silent. Although I know they are doing so for their interests from China, I believe that the oppression in East Turkistan is a test for the conscience of humanity, and that for governments, righteousness and justice are as important as economic interests. Moreover, the bonds of kinship and faith stand between us.
"We have many writers and poets in exile"
- What is the role of Uyghur poetry and literature in this era? Can poetry still be a form of resistance?
In East Turkistan, Uyghur literature is under oppression, just like the people there. It is impossible to speak of a normal literature. So, it is very difficult for it to become a form of resistance right now. But I believe that writers and poets are continuing to write wonderful works. At the very least, writing in Uyghur is itself one of the important ways to continue our national culture. There is a group of Uyghur writers and poets in exile. They are continuing to write, and their works are increasingly attracting the world's attention. I hope that Turkish readers will take an interest in these works.
"My people are holding on to their culture despite the pressures"
- What is the life of an ordinary person in East Turkistan like today? If you were to describe a single day, what details would most surprise our readers?
Currently, the life of an ordinary Uyghur citizen in East Turkistan is spent trying to meet the basic needs for daily life and avoiding being thrown into the punishment camps. The fear of being punished by the Chinese government despite being innocent has settled into the general psyche of the entire society. A society where security cameras cover every nook and cranny, where it has become common for police to arrest people on trivial pretexts, and where the government has maximized its control over society through the most ruthless methods, such as forcing or encouraging people to inform on one another. Policies of distrust, discrimination, and exclusion against Uyghurs are openly implemented. In such an environment, for people to remain physically and mentally healthy and to be able to continue their daily lives has itself become a great blessing. The Uyghurs in East Turkistan are living with fortitude under this unimaginable oppression, continuing their own culture, and resisting the oppression using every possible means.
