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My innocent husband was sentenced to 25 years These testimonies are the stories of Uyghurs and Falun Gong Practitioners affected by the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to commit genocide against them and other minorities. Their families and friends are at risk of forced organ harvesting. Many have pledged to never source an organ from China if they ever needed one. END TRANSPLANT ABUSE IN CHINA
Mehray Mezensof My name is Mehray Mezensof and I am a registered nurse who lives in Melbourne, Australia. My husband, Mirzat Taher, an Australian permanent resident, is currently being held in a prison in Urumqi, Xinjiang as part of the Uyghur genocide and systematic crackdown being committed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). My husband Mirzat is a really friendly, easy-going and down to earth guy. He has an amazing relationship with his family; he is very family oriented. He is the type of guy who gets along well with anyone regardless of their age. He was always smiling and laughing. Whilst my husband lived in Turkey he worked as a tour guide. When he returned to Urumqi, he was helping run the family business; his father’s kebab shop. My husband and I met online in 2016, and we got married in August. I stayed with my husband in Urumqi whilst his Australian visa was getting processed. His spouse visa was granted in April 2017, but before we were able to leave my husband was arbitrarily detained by police. We didn’t know at the time, but this was the beginning of the mass detention of Uyghurs. At the time, the reason given for his detention was that he traveled overseas and lived in Turkey. My husband went through the CCP’s so-
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called re-education system where he “graduated” and was released 2 years later in May 2019. Just when we thought our nightmare was over, my husband was detained again in May 2020 for the same reason as the first time. However, this time he was released after 100 days. Not long after my husband was released, he was detained again for the third time. I didn’t know this would be the last time. He knew that Chinese police were coming to detain him as he had been notified prior. He told me this over the Chinese messaging platform WeChat on the 26th of September 2020. That was the last time I spoke to him. This time, my husband was sentenced to 25 years in prison for “participating in a terrorist organization, splitting the country and preparing to commit terrorist activities.” This was absolutely bizarre and ridiculous because my husband has done no such thing. I believe the reason for his persecution is because of his ethnicity and his travels to Turkey. My husband is currently being held in a prison in Urumqi. Initially he was taken to a pre-trial detention centre in Hami where he was held for 17 months and then he was transferred to Xinjiang No 1 Prison in February this year. I am so afraid that I will not get a chance to be reunited with my husband again. I am so scared that I will never be able to see him or speak to him again. I worry deeply about how he is, the conditions that he is living under and the torture that he is having to endure. It absolutely scares me to not know anything about how he is doing. It also scares me how long he will be detained for – I am in disbelief that he can possibly be locked
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Mehray’s husband, Mirzat Taher, an Australian permanent resident, is currently being held in a prison in Urumqi, Xinjiang.
away for 25 years. I feel absolutely heartbroken and extremely upset and angry that we are living in the 21st century and there is a genocide happening right in front of our eyes, yet China is getting away with it and has been getting away with it for the past 5 years. I want the world to know my story and every other Uyghurs’ stories and to please try and do everything they can to help us reunite with our loved ones again. I question, in what universe is it okay for innocent people to be locked up and sentenced to prison for no other reason than for their ethnicity? How can it be normal that us Uyghurs have lost all contact with our family members, and have no way of knowing if they are even alive? I want people to imagine, to just try to put themselves in our shoes for even one second. Us Uyghurs are living out our worst fears and worst nightmares but unlike our nightmares, we do not know if and when we will ever be able to wake up from it. I wish for people to be more proactive when it comes to the Uyghur genocide, and I hope they will start speaking out more. I wish for people to take action against the
CCP in any way that they can, whether it be something as simple as being a voice for the Uyghurs or helping to amplify the voices of the Uyghurs by using different social media platforms and also writing to our senators and Members of Parliament about what is happening. People can also help by signing petitions or by helping to put an end to Uyghur forced labour fashion by boycotting those brands found complicit. There are so many things one can do to help the Uyghurs. Please don’t let our voices go unheard. Mehray Mezensof is a registered nurse who lives in Melbourne, Australia. The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC), Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC), China Aid and supporting organizations are asking for your help to raise awareness of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China and mobilize a global movement to end this transplant abuse. Take the pledge: endtransplantabuse.org/pledge
Why does the world need Khalistan? Dr Aslam Abdullah Khalistan means the land of fully initiated Sikhs. Khalsa means ‘to be pure’ or ‘to be clear’ or ‘to be free from’ or ‘to be liberated. Ninety-one percent of the world’s 27 million-plus Sikhs live in India, 77% live in Punjab, followed by 13% in Chandigarh, 6% in Haryana, 5% in Rajasthan, 3% in Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, and 2% in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Sikhs comprise 2% of India’s population, but their literacy rate is over 77%, and their representation in the Indian army is 26%. A substantial number of Sikhs seek to create a homeland for their community, Khalistan. The proposed sovereign state would comprise Punjab and parts of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and several Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh districts. With India marching towards a militant and violent Hindu Rashtra, the demand for Khalistan is gaining momentum. Under a Hindu nationalist government, India would have to face a vibrant Sikh movement with support from Europe, North America, and Australia for a separate homeland for Khalsas. Regardless of the relevance and feasibility of the demand, if any religious community deserves a separate state, it is the Sikh community. The 26 million community has outpaced all other religious groups in its concern for humanitarian issues. During the last few decades, there has not been a single humanitarian crisis that the Sikh community did not respond to with its resources. Christians generally expect the beneficiarAUGUST 2022 / ISSUE 201
The Queens Village group feeding people in 2020 at a Sunnyside protest in New York over the killing of George Floyd and other black Americans by the police.
ies of their social work to convert to their faith while Jews are primarily concerned about Jewish life. Hindus are interested in the welfare of their upper castes while Liberals come to the aid of only those who believe in their ideals. Only the Sikh community has shown during the last few decades that it can rise above its interests and serve humanity as a whole. Recently, the Sikh community has proven that their service to humanity is selfless and without any expectation. Its 24-hour food ser-
vice through places of worship for strangers is unmatched. It feeds more people in the world than most NGOs with huge budgets. Its free food services to the participants of the world parliament of religions is a testimony of its dedication to a plural world. Imagine how much good this community would bring to the world if it had its own country. The community knows how to utilize its resources for the betterment of life, and through its own country, it can offer a
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new approach to strengthen the ideals of the unity of humanity. While other religious communities have failed to live their ideals, the Sikh community has shown its commitment in actions to its core values. They include love for all, selfless service, humility, compassion, equality, and justice. During the last 100 years, no religious community acted in defense of human dignity, despite tall claims. Muslims, with 56 majority countries, could not live their commitment to justice while ranting about Madinah or the Islamic state. Christianity failed to distance itself from racism and white supremacy, and Judaism refused to see the humanity of Palestinians regardless of their faiths. Through their organizations like VHP, RSS, and BJP in India, Hindus promoted a worldview built on hatred and violence. The world awaits the emergence of a religious community that views humanity as one and proves through its action that its commitment to service is selfless. During the recurring crisis the world has faced in the last few decades, the Sikh community has demonstrated its ability to take the lead and put its money where its mouth is. The world needs to support Khalistan. If a Jewish state was possible to rehabilitate the persecuted followers of Moses in Palestine in 1947, a Sikh national state could also become a reality for a better world. As a Muslim, I feel compelled to support Khalistan because my religious scripture reminds me to stand for good wherever I find it. At present, the Sikh community has proven that it symbolizes good among all other religious groups as far as social morality is concerned.
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