19 Facts About Ilham Tohti

Ilham Tohti is a Uyghur economist serving a life sentence in China, on separatism-related charges.

Ilham Tohti is a vocal advocate for the implementation of regional autonomy laws in China, was the host of Uyghur Online, a website founded in 2006 that discusses Uyghur issues, and is known for his research on Uyghur-Han relations.

Ilham Tohti was arrested again in January 2014 and imprisoned after a two-day trial.

Ilham Tohti is viewed as a moderate and believes that Xinjiang should be granted autonomy according to democratic principles.

Ilham Tohti was born in Artush, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China on October 25,1969.

Ilham Tohti graduated from the Northeast Normal University and the Economics School at what was then called the Central Nationalities University, now named Minzu University of China, in Beijing, where he studied economics.

In 2006 Ilham Tohti founded a website called, Uyghur Online, which published articles in Chinese and Uyghur on social issues.

That same month, Ilham Tohti was detained by authorities, accused of separatism, and interrogated.

On July 8,2009, Radio Free Asia reported that Ilham Tohti's whereabouts were unknown after he had been summoned from his home in Beijing.

Ilham Tohti said that during his detention, he was confined to his home and a hotel with several police officers who did not treat him inhumanely.

Ilham Tohti stated that after his release, they warned him against criticism of the government's handling of riots, and prevented him and his family from leaving Beijing.

Ilham Tohti was held at a detention center in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Ilham Tohti represents a new generation of endangered writers who use the web and social media to fight oppression and broadcast to concerned parties around the globe.

Ilham Tohti's imprisonment is criticized by a number of human rights organizations around the globe; such as Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The Martin Ennals foundation cited Ilham Tohti for spending two decades trying "to foster dialogue and understanding" between the Han Chinese majority and members of Xinjiang's largely Muslim Uyghurs.

Enver Can of the Ilham Tohti Initiative received the prize on his behalf.

In October 2019 Ilham Tohti was awarded the 2019 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament.

Ilham Tohti has dedicated his life to advocating for the rights of the Uyghur minority in China.

Ilham Tohti was featured in the 2021 edition of The Muslim 500: The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims which named him Man of the Year.