On January 15, 2014, Beijing police arrested Ilham Tohti at his home and shut down Uighurbiz.org, the Uyghur language website he had created. He was held in pre-trial detention for eight months before being sentenced to life in prison.

The website, also known as Uyghur Online, was published in Chinese and Uyghur. It focused on social issues and on building understanding between Han Chinese and Uyghurs, with contributors from both communities. You would think authorities would encourage this kind of work to ease tensions. But instead, in a nonsensical decision, Chinese authorities sentenced its founder to life in prison on charges of promoting separatism and violence.

In this episode, Jewher Ilham—who was abruptly separated from her family at an airport 12 years ago—speaks out on behalf of her father, Professor Ilham Tohti, and the values he stands for. She explains why his imprisonment is a deliberate attempt by the Chinese government to silence him and to conceal its systemic oppression of the Uyghur people.