For the first time since he went missing in April 2016, Uyghur businessman Ekpar Asat was able to communicate with his family. During the short three-minute video conversation in late January 2021, he told his family members that his health was declining both physically and mentally. His family confirmed that he had lost significant weight and that he looked pale with lots of black spots on his face. Convicted without any known trial on charges of “inciting ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination” and sentenced to 15 years in prison, there are grave concerns for Ekpar Asat’s condition and wellbeing.
