I'm Ayesha Rascoe, and this is the Sunday story.
A couple of years ago, we aired two episodes by NPR's international correspondent Emily Fang.
They were about an ethnic uyghur family struggling to survive a brutal crackdown by the chinese state.
I've experienced unbelievably difficult days.
I do not know whether it's a.
Test from God or watch.
This is Abdullatif Kuchar.
In her series, Emily tells the story of how chinese authorities detained his wife and his young children.
Kuchar spent years trying to get his family back.
Since then, Emily has kept reporting on Uyghurs like the Kuchar family, and she joins us today to talk about some of her latest work and the revealing view it gives us into how the chinese government has been targeting Uyghurs.
Emily, thank you for being here today.
Thank you so much for having me, Ayesha.
Emily, you've spent years reporting on the repression and violence Uyghurs experience in China's Xinjiang region.
The United nations has warned that the arbitrary and discriminatory detentions ethnic minorities face there may constitute crimes against humanity.
Why is China doing this?
Thats a great question.
And it starts with the fact that Uighurs make up just under half of Xinjiangs population.
They speak their own language, which is completely different from Mandarin Chinese.
And if theyre religious, they usually practice Islam.
But the chinese authorities that control the Xinjiang region are mainly ethnic Han, that is Chinas ethnic majority, and they want to reshape Xinjiang into a region thats more chinese in their eyes.