THE NIGHTMARE OF UYGHUR FAMILIES SEPARATED BY REPRESSION

Nearly four years ago, Uyghur parents studying or making a living abroad began living a recurring nightmare. Many had left one or more children in the care of family members in their hometowns back in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang). They could not know at the time that China was about to launch an unprecedented crackdown on ethnic populations in Xinjiang that would have a horrific impact on the lives of what is estimated to be thousands of parents just like them.