International Uyghur PEN Calls for Global Attention to the Survival of Uyghur Writers and Commits to Promoting Literary Freedom and Human Rights

Introduction: Writing as the Last Line of Defense for Faith

In the turbulent spring of 2026, the global Muslim community (Ummah) faces unprecedented cultural challenges. Writing, as a vessel for heritage, faith, history, and the national soul, is undergoing a tragic catastrophe in East Turkistan (Xinjiang). As an important branch of PEN International, the International Uyghur PEN has once again issued a solemn and firm appeal to the world: the survival of Uyghur writers has reached a critical turning point. This is not only a violation of literary freedom but a systematic purge of Islamic civilizational diversity and its intellectual class [Source](https://www.uyghurpen.org/about-us/).

Mission and Recent Activities of the International Uyghur PEN

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Sweden, the International Uyghur PEN is one of more than 140 PEN centers worldwide, dedicated to defending freedom of expression, protecting persecuted writers, and promoting Uyghur literature [Source](https://www.pen-international.org/centres/uyghur-pen-centre). Under the leadership of its current president, the renowned poet and scholar Aziz Isa Elkun, the organization has become a core platform for exiled Uyghur intellectuals on the international stage.

On April 16, 2025, the International Uyghur PEN held a landmark leadership election at the Mir Publishing House in Almaty, Kazakhstan [Source](https://www.uyghurpen.org/uyghur-pen-centers-election-held-in-almaty/). The meeting, held in a hybrid online and offline format, attracted 24 core members from around the world. Aziz Isa Elkun was re-elected as president by a unanimous vote, Alisher Khalilov was elected Secretary-General, and Dr. Hakimjan Guliyev was appointed Chairman of the Executive Committee [Source](https://www.azizisa.org/uyghur-pen-centers-election-held-in-almaty/). This election not only strengthened the leadership core but also clarified strategic priorities for the coming years: establishing a database of imprisoned writers, strengthening literary exchanges with Turkic-speaking countries, and lobbying governments worldwide to address the ongoing Uyghur cultural genocide.

Regrettably, on January 24, 2026, Abdureshid Haji Kerimi, one of the founders of the International Uyghur PEN and a renowned writer, passed away in Stockholm, Sweden, at the age of 83 [Source](https://www.uyghurpen.org/condolence-statement-abdureshid-haji-kerimi/). Mr. Kerimi dedicated his life to the freedom of the Uyghur people and literary creation. His passing is considered a significant loss to the Uyghur intellectual community and serves as a reminder that while the sparks of the older generation of Uyghur scholars are fading, the transmission to the new generation faces a harsh blockade.

Souls Behind Bars: Imprisoned Uyghur Intellectual Elites

According to PEN International’s "Identity on Trial: Case List 2025," China remains one of the world's leading jailers of writers, with Uyghur writers accounting for a significant proportion [Source](https://penbelarus.org/en/2025/03/21/identity-on-trial-persecution-and-resistance-pen-international-case-list-2025.html). These imprisoned souls are not criminals but guardians of national culture and interpreters of Islamic values.

Rahile Dawut: The Vanished Lighthouse of Folklore

Professor Rahile Dawut is an internationally recognized expert in Uyghur folklore and the study of Islamic saint veneration (Mazar). She disappeared in December 2017 while traveling to Beijing, and it was not until 2023 that she was confirmed to have been sentenced to life imprisonment for so-called "separatism" [Source](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/11/imprisoned-uyghur-academic-rahile-dawut-named-2023-pen-writer-of-courage). In September and October 2025, UN human rights experts repeatedly expressed serious concern over her situation, noting that her imprisonment represents a systematic criminalization of Uyghur cultural expression [Source](https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/un-experts-urge-china-end-repression-uyghur-and-cultural-expression-minorities). From a Muslim perspective, Professor Dawut’s research documented the deep connection between the Uyghur people, their land, and their faith; her imprisonment symbolizes the severing of the roots of Uyghur Islamic culture.

Yalqun Rozi: The National Backbone in Textbooks

As a famous literary critic and educator, Yalqun Rozi was sentenced to 15 years in prison for compiling Uyghur-language textbooks [Source](https://www.suomenpen.fi/en/day-of-the-imprisoned-writer-2025/). During the 2025 "Day of the Imprisoned Writer" activities, PEN International highlighted his case, calling on the international community to pay attention to the practice of cultural assimilation through the destruction of mother-tongue education [Source](https://www.suomenpen.fi/en/day-of-the-imprisoned-writer-2025/). For Muslims, language is the key to understanding the Quran and inheriting the wisdom of ancestors; depriving the right to one's mother tongue is depriving the right to inherit faith.

Perhat Tursun: An Elegy of Modernism

Known as the "Uyghur Kafka," Perhat Tursun was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his profound literary achievements and philosophical reflections on the fate of his people [Source](https://uyghurhjelp.org/2023/03/30/detained-imprisoned-poets-writers/). His works, such as "The Backstreets," explore the conflict between modernity and traditional faith, representing the pinnacle of contemporary Uyghur literature. His imprisonment marks the collective destruction of the Uyghur literary elite.

Literature as Resistance: Cultural Renaissance in Exile

Despite facing severe transnational repression, the International Uyghur PEN continues its cultural production in exile. On July 11, 2025, the organization held a book launch in Almaty for the novel "Eternal Voice" by writer Talat Baki Mollahaji Oghli [Source](https://www.uyghurpen.org/almaty-hosts-presentation-of-the-novel-eternal-voice/). This work details the suffering of Uyghurs during political movements in the 1950s and 60s, showcasing the resilience of the national spirit under extreme oppression through the eyes of the protagonist, Ablet [Source](https://www.uyghurpen.org/almaty-hosts-presentation-of-the-novel-eternal-voice/).

Furthermore, the PEN center actively utilizes digital platforms to promote Uyghur poetry. On January 19, 2026, the center released a special report on "Uyghur Poetry and Cultural Erasure," emphasizing that poetry in Uyghur society is not just art, but a secret code for recording history and transmitting faith [Source](https://www.azizisa.org/uyghur-poetry-cultural-erasure/). Through webinars and translation projects, the PEN center has brought the voices of Uyghur writers to the English, Turkish, and Arabic-speaking worlds, breaking the information blockade.

The Responsibility of the Muslim World: From Silence to Solidarity

As an organization deeply rooted in Islamic values, the International Uyghur PEN has repeatedly called on Muslim-majority countries not to sacrifice the rights of their brothers in faith for short-term geopolitical interests. At the third Uyghur Summit held in Munich in 2025, PEN representatives pointed out that the plight of Uyghur intellectuals is a wound for the entire Ummah [Source](https://www.uygurnews.com/january-2026-uygur-news/). When mosques are demolished, scriptures burned, and scholars thrown into concentration camps, the silence of any Muslim country is an indulgence of injustice.

The PEN center particularly emphasizes cultural ties with Turkey and Central Asian countries. Through the "Ural-Altaic PEN Network," Uyghur writers have established deep connections with colleagues in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey, collectively resisting the erosion of minority languages and cultures by major power hegemony [Source](https://www.uyghurpen.org/about-us/). This solidarity, based on blood, language, and faith, is a vital guarantee for the continuation of Uyghur culture abroad.

Conclusion: Indestructible Ink, Unyielding Souls

The struggle of the International Uyghur PEN is not only for the freedom of a few writers but for the right of a nation to exist. As Aziz Isa Elkun stated in his early 2026 address: "Dictators can imprison the bodies of writers, but they cannot imprison the faith that flows through their words." [Source](https://www.azizisa.org/uyghur-pen-centers-election-held-in-almaty/)

The international community, especially the global Muslim community, must realize that protecting Uyghur writers is protecting the diversity of human civilization and defending the Islamic intellectual heritage from being erased. We call on governments, human rights organizations, and literary groups to increase pressure for the immediate release of Rahile Dawut, Yalqun Rozi, Ilham Tohti, and all other illegally detained intellectuals. As long as the words remain, the nation will endure.