Uighur student Kamile Wayit released after three-year sentence

WISE NEWS PRESS / BEIJING, China 

Amnesty International has confirmed the release of Uighur university student Kamile Wayit from a Chinese prison following a three-year sentence for sharing a social media video about nationwide anti-lockdown protests.

Wayit, who was detained in late 2022, was released on 28 December 2025 and has since reunited with her family. The human rights organization stated that she is currently preparing for a long-delayed eye surgery. Following her return home, the organization announced that further international urgent action appeals are no longer required, though they will continue to monitor her post-release status.

Conviction linked to the White Paper Movement

A student at the Shangqiu Institute of Technology, Wayit was arrested in December 2022 after posting a video on WeChat regarding the "White Paper Movement," also known as the "A4 protests." These demonstrations erupted across China in November 2022 following a deadly apartment fire in Urumqi, which many residents blamed on strict Covid-19 lockdown measures.

On 25 March 2023, she was officially convicted of "promoting extremism." Amnesty International noted in its report that her conviction and disproportionate sentence were likely influenced by her Uighur identity. The organization described the charges as "baseless," highlighting that Wayit is one of the few individuals known to be officially sentenced in direct connection to the 2022 protest wave.

Broader human rights context in Xinjiang

The release comes amid ongoing international scrutiny of China's policies in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Since 2017, human rights groups and the United Nations have documented systematic violations under the pretext of combatting "terrorism" and "religious extremism."

Estimates suggest that over one million people from Muslim-majority ethnic groups, including Uighurs and Kazakhs, have been arbitrarily detained in "re-education" camps. An August 2022 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights verified previous findings of torture, forced labor, and gender-based violence, suggesting these actions could constitute crimes against humanity.

Legacy of the Urumqi fire and A4 protests

The "White Paper Movement" was triggered by the 24 November 2022 fire in Urumqi, where government sources reported at least 10 deaths. Public outcry over the deaths led to viral protests across Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan, with students holding blank sheets of paper to symbolize their opposition to censorship.

While the protests eventually led the government to ease its "Zero-Covid" restrictions, dozens of participants were subsequently detained. Amnesty International continues to advocate for the release of other activists still held in custody, emphasizing that exercising the right to freedom of expression should not result in criminal prosecution.

www.wisenewspress.com