Prominent Kazakh Writer in Xinjiang to Face Closed Trial on Charge of Undermining Ethnic Unity

A prominent Kazakh writer and satirist from China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Женис Ырысканулы, is set to stand trial behind closed doors on charges family members say are described as harming "этностор аралык биримдикке доо кетирүү" — a phrase translated loosely as undermining interethnic unity. His relatives say they have not been shown formal indictment documents, and that his lawyer was informed that the proceedings would be closed to the public and family members.

According to his son, Нартай Женис, the 57-year-old author has been in custody since March 19. Family members say Chinese police had previously questioned him repeatedly for several months before his detention and had at times accused him orally of "holding extremist ideas." That charge now appears to have been supplemented or replaced by the allegation related to ethnic unity. If convicted, Женис could face up to 10 years behind bars, family members say.

The writer’s lawyer reportedly told the family that "сот процессине эч кимдин катышуусуна уруксат берилбейт" — no one would be permitted to attend the court hearings — and that relatives would be told only of the sentence after the trial concludes. Женис’s wife has already been barred from court sessions, and the family has not been given access to the legal evidence or documents laying out the formal legal basis for the charges.

The timing of the charges has heightened concern among rights monitors because they come soon after China’s controversial law titled "Этностук биримдикке көмөктөшүү жөнүндө" took effect on July 1. The legislation, adopted earlier in the year by the National People’s Congress in March, establishes new legal provisions intended to safeguard what Beijing calls ethnic unity; critics say it creates broad, vague provisions that can be used to criminalize cultural expression and dissent among ethnic minorities.

Human rights groups and international bodies have expressed alarm about the law and its likely effects. United Nations experts warned in April that the measure could entrench a uniform approach to interethnic relations across China. Human Rights Watch and the European Parliament have called for the law’s repeal, while Amnesty International said on July 14 that Женис should be released immediately unless Chinese authorities provide "sufficient, reliable and legally admissible evidence" of internationally recognizable criminality.

Beijing has defended the law as strengthening the rule of law and better protecting the rights of China’s officially recognized 56 ethnic groups, and it has dismissed international criticism as interference in internal affairs. Chinese authorities have not publicly commented on Женис Ырысканулы’s case or clarified which statutory provisions underpin the charges against him, according to his family.

The case has prompted diplomatic sensitivity in neighboring Kazakhstan. Женис is an ethnic Kazakh and a citizen of China, but his son Нартай now lives in Kazakhstan and has appealed to Astana for assistance. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry informed the family that Женис is a Chinese citizen and that the matter falls under Beijing’s jurisdiction, while suggesting the family seek help through Chinese authorities. Kazakhstan has long balanced concern for the welfare of ethnic Kazakhs in China with its close political and economic ties to Beijing.

Veteran cultural figure Женис Ырысканулы had worked as a teacher, editor, and cultural official, and is a member of both the China Writers Association and the Xinjiang Writers Association. He previously chaired the writers’ union in the Hami (Kumul) area and has published 13 literary works, many of them children’s stories and humorous pieces; some were translated from Kazakh into Chinese. His family and supporters say his detention is part of a wider pattern of repression in Xinjiang, where ethnic Kazakhs, Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim peoples have faced mass detentions, surveillance, restrictions on language and religion, and limitations on cultural expression.

Rights groups and survivors of detention in Xinjiang have long accused Chinese authorities of policies amounting to forced assimilation; Beijing maintains its actions target extremism and terrorism and rejects allegations of rights abuses. The United Nations’ 2022 assessment found that credible reports of arbitrary detention and other abuses in Xinjiang could amount to violations that warrant international scrutiny. Женис’s closed-door trial and the opacity surrounding the charges have renewed calls from activist groups for transparency, access to legal counsel, and for Kazakh and international bodies to press for due process and clear evidence if China intends to prosecute an internationally recognized writer on criminal grounds.

"Атам азыр башынан өткөрүп жаткандын баары негизи эле мыйзамсыз. Бул эл аралык укук нормаларына да, Кытай Эл Республикасынын өз мыйзамдарына да туура келбейт," Нартай said, asserting the family’s belief that the detention and prosecution lack both international and domestic legal validity. Family members and rights advocates now watch closely for any information from Chinese authorities about the case, even as Beijing has so far issued no public explanation.