Perhat Tursun (帕尔哈提·吐尔逊; Uyghur: پەرھات تۇرسۇن) is a Uyghur writer and poet from Xinjiang. PEN America lists him as imprisoned, and USCIRF lists him as not released.
Writing career
Biographical sources describe Tursun, born in 1969 in Artush, as a prominent modern Uyghur-language writer. He studied at Minzu University of China in Beijing and later worked in Ürümchi. His poetry, fiction and essays have been translated into English, including the novel The Backstreets.
2018 disappearance and reported sentence
Tursun disappeared from Ürümchi in January 2018. PEN America reports that he has remained in detention since then and that reports later indicated a sixteen-year prison sentence. USCIRF records his current status as “Not Released” but describes the sentence reports as unconfirmed. The charges, court, sentencing date and exact whereabouts have not been publicly established.
Evidence limits
Some observers have suggested links between his detention and his writing or Uyghur cultural expression, but the specific reason for his arrest remains unknown. This profile therefore treats the sixteen-year term as reported rather than as an independently confirmed judicial fact.
Media Profile & Archive: Perhat Tursun / 帕尔哈提·吐尔逊 — Media Profile & Archive.