A 54-year-old Uyghur woman who was sent to a re-Education camp by the Chinese Communist Party for nearly three years, Haidivaji published a book after her release to expose the brainwashing and persecution by the authorities. The photo shows the cover of the book.
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 the Chinese Communist authorities for nearly three years. After her release, she published a book to expose the brainwashing and persecution by the authorities.
Gulbahar Haitiwaji wrote 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 Communist government would not be happy with the book, but Beijing‘s barrage of criticism was worse than the worst she had envisioned.
Heidi Vaggi told AFP that she was surprised by the lack of proportion in the criticism from Beijing. The Communist 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 initially Heidiwaji’s husband who came to France as a political refugee fleeing racial discrimination, and it was four years before 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 the CCP 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 there, as anyone else would have done.”
Heidiwaj’s eldest daughter made public her mother’s imprisonment by the Chinese Communist authorities, not only to the media but also to 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 the Chinese Communist Party made a mistake in finding me and the Uighurs living abroad. They did us a big favor by making the Uighurs 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 Communist 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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