Uyghur Official Imprisoned for Opposing Land Seizures in Xinjiang

A Uyghur official in northwest China’s Xinjiang region has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for incitement after opposing the government’s seizure of local farmland, RFA reported yesterday.

Abdumanap Hakimjan, the deputy head of the Ghulja County Natural Resources Department, was arrested in 2019 and is currently serving his sentence in Karabugra Prison, the source mentioned, citing unnamed officer confirming Hakimjan was jailed due to “political issues”.

The case highlights ongoing tensions over land seizures in Xinjiang, where Chinese authorities have instituted “development measures” that allow the appropriation of Uyghur farmland.

In 2013, during Hakimjan’s tenure, a Chinese company sought to purchase farmland along the Kash River. Hakimjan refused the proposal, citing legal prohibitions on building housing on farmland.

This angered Chinese leaders with ties to the company, and Hakimjan was later sent to a “re-education camp” in 2017 before being sentenced in 2019.

“It is absolutely forbidden to build residential buildings on cultivated land,” a disciplinary inspection officer said, confirming Hakimjan’s decision was justified.

However, the officer said Hakimjan was viewed as being “two-faced” and encouraging “disruptive collective behavior” against the Chinese government.

According to RFA, the Chinese authorities had instructed residents to sell their land to the Chinese companies, promising them greater profitability than farming, but the residents had refused, saying it was integral to their livelihoods and identity.

Despite complaints from locals, the Land Administration Bureau, which investigates such cases, had refrained from intervening because the land in question “is owned by Chinese companies.”