China releases video of ‘dead’ Uygur poet Abdurehim Heyit but fails to silence critics
- Unverified ‘proof of life’ video released after criticism of Chinese internment camps by Turkey
- Muslim poet and musician is understood to be serving eight-year prison sentence for one of his songs
China’s state media has released a video to counter claims that a prominent Uygur poet and musician had died – hours after his reported death prompted Turkey to condemn Beijing’s crackdown on the Muslim ethnic minority group as “a great shame for humanity”.
The 25-second video, published late on Sunday night, featured a man said to be Abdurehim Heyit who claimed to be in the process of an investigation and “in good health”.
The video was released hard on the heels of a strongly worded statement from Turkey’s foreign ministry that denounced China’s “reintroduction of concentration camps in the 21st century and the policy of systematic assimilation” in its western region of Xinjiang.
The statement called for the closure of the internment camps where nearly 1 million ethnic Uygur Muslims are reportedly held.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Monday described the Turkish statement as “vile”.
Turkey condemns China’s treatment of Uygurs in ‘concentration camps’
Turkey’s foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said his country had learned of the “tragic” death of Heyit and respectfully commemorated him and others who “lost their lives defending their Turkish and Muslim identity”.