Author: Zarina Mukanova
22 July 2024
Rakhima Senbay's journey through China's reeducation camps in Xinjiang serves as a harrowing testament to the abuse and violation of human rights within these facilities. Her story not only illuminates the personal trauma she endured but also highlights broader issues regarding gendered violence, family separation, and the power of advocacy in seeking justice.
Rakhima Senbay’s profile in Xinjiang Victims Database: https://shahit.biz/eng/3418/
Detention
Rakhima's detention began with a swift and forceful apprehension, as detailed in police records and corroborated by news articles. When she arrived, they took her directly to a detention centre, where she was placed in a cell with 24 women. Soon they become 80 women in the cell. At one point, she and the others were handcuffed and shackled for a full week. She stayed there for 70 days before being sent to a place called a ‘recruitment centre’, where people in masked biohazard suits delivered injections of what they said was anti-flu medication. Guards there once shocked her with a stun gun to the shoulder when she was too weak to walk quickly. “I felt like a slave,” Rakhima said.
Rahima Senbai's cell in a detention centre was equipped with a television that played political programming (source: The Globe and Mail).
From being placed in a crowded cell to enduring handcuffing and shackling for extended periods, her time in detention was marked by dehumanizing treatment and physical abuse. The presence of surveillance equipment and indoctrination sessions underscored the pervasive control exerted over the detainees' lives.
The detention-centre cell where Rakhima stayed was equipped with cameras, a loudspeaker and a television set that displayed programming about Chinese policies and Xi Jinping. “We had to watch it,” Ms. Senbai said. “Later, at the indoctrination centre, instructors asked us, ‘Why do you believe in God? Do you think that if you need money and you pray, that God will give you money? You should think logically.’”
Rakhima Senbai, originally from Ili's Tekes County, moved to Kazakhstan with her husband and four children in 2013 but frequently traveled between China and Kazakhstan for work as an interpreter in the ICBC[1] at Khorghos. While in China, she was detained and taken to a detention centre on October 16, 2017, due to suspicions of using VPN and WhatsApp. During her detention, she was found to be pregnant, and despite being initially let go, she was forced to undergo an abortion and ultimately spent 70 days in the detention centre before being transferred to a "recruitment centre" and later to a Party school camp for further ‘education.’ She was finally released in September 2018 and allowed to return to Kazakhstan, where she currently resides. Despite being out of China, she has faced continued pressure and threats, including a phone call from the village secretary in Tekes in 2022. The official reason for her detention according to authorities was her use of WhatsApp and alleged connections to ‘suspected terrorists’. Rakhima's testimony serves as an eyewitness account, and corroborating details come from various local police files.
Gendered Violence and Health Consequences
One of the most egregious aspects of Rakhima's ordeal was the forced abortion she underwent while in detention[2]. This traumatic experience not only resulted in a significant deterioration in her physical health but also inflicted enduring emotional and psychological scars. Her ongoing struggles with severe pain, migraines, and a weakened immune system serve as poignant reminders of the lasting impacts of gendered violence within the camps. Rakhima Senbay was detained in China's complex system of incarceration in Xinjiang. The descriptions from The Globe and Mail[3] and the video interview with Talpyn Jastar provide details of the harsh treatment she endured, including being placed in a detention centre, undergoing indoctrination, and facing various forms of physical and psychological abuse.
The information from the Associated Press[4] interview also highlights the dehumanizing and invasive conditions Rakhima experienced, such as being forced to undress in front of other detainees and witnessing young girls being taken away by police into closed rooms.
Additionally, Rakhima's account to the Washington Post[5] sheds light on the point-based system used in the camps, highlighting the arbitrary and punitive nature of the detention system.
Given the extensive evidence provided, it is clear that Rakhima's experience was traumatic and unjust. These details further underscore the severity of the situation in Xinjiang, as well as the urgent need for international attention and action on the issue.
Family Trauma and Resilience
The effects of Rakhima's detention reverberated beyond her own experiences, her children also went through a traumatic period when she was detained. Her eldest daughter was forced into a caretaker role at a young age, while her younger siblings endured neglect and instability in her absence. Her eldest daughter, who was 10 years old at the time, had to take care of her younger siblings, who were only 4 years old. When Rakhima finally returned home after 14 months, she was devastated by the poor condition of her children. The reunion with her children upon her release revealed the profound toll of separation and trauma on familial bonds.
As a result of her detention in the reeducation camp, she experienced a forced abortion, after which her health significantly deteriorated. She was unable to walk and had to use a wheelchair for half a year. Even after her release, she continues to suffer from severe pain during menstruation, as well as migraines and a weakened immune system.
The Power of Advocacy
Despite facing immense challenges, Rakhima's story also exemplifies the resilience and determination of survivors in seeking justice and raising awareness. Through her own testimony and the support of her ex-husband and daughter, she was able to garner international attention and advocacy efforts. Their collective efforts not only contributed to Rakhima's release but also shed light on the broader human rights abuses occurring within Xinjiang's reeducation camps. Rakhima believes that her release was possible partly because her ex-husband and daughter testified for her at the Atajurt Human Rights Organization. She herself went to Atajurt to testify and gave interviews to international and local media.
Inside China's 'thought transformation' camps - BBC News (source: YouTube).
It is important to study Rakhima Senbay's case for several reasons. Firstly, it sheds light on the experiences of camp survivors, especially women who face gendered violence. Rakhima's forced abortion and the effects it had on her health highlight the systematic abuse and violation of human rights in the camps.
Secondly, her children's experiences also emphasize the long-lasting impacts of detention on families. The trauma and neglect they endured during their mother's absence highlight the devastating consequences of the Chinese government's policies.
Finally, Rakhima's case shows the power of advocacy and testimonies in seeking justice and raising awareness. Her ex-husband and daughter's testimonies, along with her own, played a role in her release. By giving voice to camp survivors like Rakhima, we can contribute to the recognition and accountability for the atrocities happening in the camps.
Overall, studying Rakhima Senbay's case adds to the body of evidence and narratives that expose the horrors of the reeducation camps in Xinjiang. It amplifies the voices of survivors and serves as a call to action for justice and change.
The Story Continues
Rakhima continues to face adversity, even after being reunited with her children. She suffers from complex health issues which do not allow her to earn enough money for her and her four children. She is the only breadwinner, as her ex-husband does not support their common children. Secondly, she suffers emotionally from the fact that she has lost contacts with her parents. They blocked her on WeChat, perhaps for their own security. The only way Rakhima can get news from her parents is through a friend who knows her parents indirectly. Two years ago she received the news that her younger brother Toqtauzhan Senbay was detained on 31 May 2022… and she has no updates about his condition since then.
Toqtauzhan Senbay's profile in Xinjiang Victims Database: https://shahit.biz/eng/#47222
[1] ICBC-International Centre for Border Cooperation Khorgos.
[2] Adrian Zenz. Sterilizations, IUDs, and Mandatory Birth Control: The CCP's Campaign to Suppress Uyghur Birthrates in Xinjiang: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343971074_Sterilizations_IUDs_and_Mandatory_Birth_Control_The_CCP's_Campaign_to_Suppress_Uyghur_Birthrates_in_Xinjiang
[3]Nathan Vanderklippe. International correspondent, Almaty, Kazakhstan. 31.03.2019.‘I felt like a slave:’ Inside China’s complex system of incarceration and control of minorities: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-i-felt-like-a-slave-inside-chinas-complex-system-of-incarceration/
[4] China cuts Uighur births with IUDs, abortion, sterilization. The Associated Press.
[5] Abortions, IUDs and sexual humiliation: Muslim women who fled China for Kazakhstan recount ordeals. The Washington Post. 5 October, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/abortions-iuds-and-sexual-humiliation-muslim-women-who-fled-china-for-kazakhstan-recount-ordeals/2019/10/04/551c2658-cfd2-11e9-a620-0a91656d7db6_story.html
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