After living in France for 10 years, 54-year-old Uyghur woman Heidi Waji received a phone call to return to Xinjiang more than four years ago, only to be sent to a re-Education camp by Chinese authorities for nearly three years. After her release, she published a book to expose the brainwashing and persecution by the authorities.
Gulbahar Haitiwaji has written a French version of her traumatic experience of being lured back to Xinjiang and imprisoned in a re-education camp, “Survivor of the Chinese Gulag.
The 54-year-old author knew the Chinese government would not be happy with the book, but Beijing‘s barrage of criticism was worse than the worst she had envisioned.
Heidi Waji told AFP that she was surprised by the lack of proportion in Beijing’s criticism. The Chinese authorities not only labeled her a “terrorist” and a “separatist,” but even said her private Life was a “mess.
Heidi Vaggi and French journalist Rozenn Morgat collaborated on the book in French, which is currently being translated into English. The book tells the story of her captivity in her native Xinjiang.
Heidiwaj received an unexpected call in November 2016 from her former employer, a Chinese oil company, asking her to return Home to deal with matters related to her pension, having been in France for 10 years at the Time.
It was four years after Heidiwaji’s husband had initially come to France as a political refugee fleeing racial discrimination that she was reunited with him in France. She kept her Chinese Passport and occasionally returned to Xinjiang for the holidays, not feeling like a “political refugee” because she was not interested in political work.
Heidiwaj decided to return to China despite her doubts when she received a phone call from her former employer, intending to stay for two weeks, but she stayed for almost three years and was unable to return to France.
Upon his return to China, Heidiwaj had his passport confiscated upon entry, and was then subjected to a series of traumatic experiences, including imprisonment, a re-education camp where he was interrogated and brainwashed for up to 11 hours a day, and punished by ruthless guards for “mistakes”.
Heidi Waji was shackled and constantly starved and afraid. She was forced to attend fake court sessions and was sentenced to seven years of re-education when she appeared in court.
Heidiwaj was also forced to sign a false confession, which she says Beijing is now using as evidence against her, saying her account of her experiences was all lies.
“I have always told only the truth and I expected China to deny it, so I put the contents of my confession in a book to expose how they forced me to repeat the same thing day after day.”
“I just wanted to escape from where I was, and anyone else would have done the same.”
Heidiwaj’s eldest daughter made public her mother’s imprisonment by the Chinese authorities, telling not only the media but also officials at the French Foreign Ministry.
Heidiwaj was then suddenly released from the re-education camp and moved to an apartment, but her every move was still monitored. Then, just as suddenly, she was allowed to return to France.
“I think China made a mistake by coming to me and the Uighurs living abroad. They did us a big favor by making the Uyghurs known to the world.”
“I have never been involved in politics in the past, and I’m not now. I have never done anything to hurt China and they imprisoned me and tortured me.”
“I only ask for the closure of these (re-education) camps and help to make sure it can happen. With the assistance of the West (countries), we can achieve it.”
The Chinese Embassy in France said none of Heidiwaj’s claims were true. “She has never been persecuted and the so-called ‘re-education camps’ do not exist.”
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