Tahir Hamut Izgil
Tahir Hamut Izgil is a prominent modernist Uyghur poet, filmmaker, and activist. Izgil grew up in Kashgar, in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. He is recognized as one of the foremost poets writing in the Uyghur language. Additionally, he has directed numerous documentaries, music videos, advertisement campaigns, and feature films. Fearing persecution from Chinese authorities, he and his family sought asylum in the United States in 2017.
His poetry has been translated into English, Japanese, Turkish, Swedish, and other languages. He is the current chair of the World Uyghur Writers Union.
Latest from Tahir Hamut Izgil
How I Escaped China’s War on Uyghurs
The main targets of these reports are usually apartment renters, people without permanent jobs, and pious Uyghurs including anyone who prays five times a day, grows facial hair or wears the hijab.