Ensure Fair Treatment and a Fair Trial for Uyghur Linguist Abduweli Ayup

Abduweli Ayup is a Uyghur linguist and educator in Xinjiang, China, who has been detained since August 20, 2013. Mr. Ayup, the recipient of a Ford Foundation Scholarship, earned a Master’s Degree in Linguistics from the University of Kansas in 2011. Upon graduation, he returned to Xinjiang with the hope of establishing a Uyghur Language school so that Uyghur students would have an opportunity to develop academic proficiency in their native language. Mr. Ayup’s school proved to be popular, and he was preparing to open a Uyghur Language kindergarten before his arrest. Today, he is being held on unknown charges. We believe that Secretary of State Kerry should engage with the Chinese government to ensure the fair treatment and fair trial of Abduweli Ayup.