Rebiya Kadeer facts for kids

"Kadeer" redirects here. For the English cricketer, see Kadeer Ali. For other uses, see Kadir.

Quick facts for kids Rebiya Kadeer
رابىيە قادىر 热比娅·卡德尔
Kadeer in 2012

2nd President of the World Uyghur Congress
In office 27 November 2006 – 12 November 2017
Preceded by	Erkin Alptekin
Succeeded by	Dolkun Isa
President of the Uyghur American Association
In office 2006–2011
Member of the 8th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office March 1993 – March 1998

Personal details
Born	(1946-11-15) 15 November 1946 (age 78) Altay City, Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party (expelled 1999)
Spouses	Abdurehim Tohti (m. 1962, div. 1977), Sidik Haji Rozi (m. 1981)
Children	6 (with Abdurehim Tohti), 5 (with Sidik Rozi)
Residences	Virginia, United States
Occupation	Political activist
Known for	Former President of the World Uyghur Congress (2006.11 – 2017.11) Nobel Peace Prize Nominee (5 times)
Website	World Uyghur Congress website

Rebiya Kadeer (Uyghur: رابىيە قادىر, romanized: Rabiye Qadir; born 15 November 1946) is an ethnic Uyghur businesswoman and political activist from China. She was born in Altay City, Xinjiang, China. In the 1980s, Kadeer became very wealthy through her real estate and a large group of different businesses.

She held several roles in China's government before being arrested in 1999. Chinese state media said she shared private government information with her husband, who worked in the United States. After being released early for health reasons in 2005, Kadeer moved to the United States. There, she became a leader in Uyghur organizations, like the World Uyghur Congress.

Rebiya Kadeer's Early Life
Release and Later Work
Works
Images for kids
See also

Rebiya Kadeer's Early Life

Rebiya Kadeer was born in Altay, a city in Xinjiang. She moved with her mother and siblings to Wensu County to live with her older sister. In April 1962, she married her first husband, Abdurehim Tohti. He had offered them a place to stay when they were struggling.

Family Background

According to her book, Dragon Fighter: One Woman's Epic Struggle for Peace with China, her family were descendants of people who moved across the Tianshan Mountains. Her mother's family came from Makit County, and her father's parents were from Hotan.

Rebiya Kadeer's father fought with pro-Soviet Uyghur rebels in a conflict from 1944–1946. They used help from the Soviet Union to fight the Chinese government. Kadeer and her family were friends with White Russian people living in Xinjiang. Kadeer remembered that many Uyghurs thought Russian culture was "more advanced" and they "respected" the Russians a lot.

First Marriage and Challenges

Because of poverty, Rebiya became a housewife after her first marriage. She had six children between 1964 and 1976. To earn more money, she started making and selling clothes and other small items on her own.

During a period of big changes in China called the Cultural Revolution, she faced difficulties. She claims the Chinese government pressured her first husband to divorce her. She said, "They put pressure on him to divorce me because they accused me of secretly doing business. They said that it was wrong for me to do secret business."

Becoming a Businesswoman

After her divorce, Kadeer opened a laundry service in 1976. She remarried in 1981 to Sidik Haji Rouzi, who was a professor. They moved to Ürümqi and had five children together.

After the Soviet Union broke apart, Kadeer started trading across borders. She gathered a lot of wealth, becoming one of the richest people in China. Her success earned her the nickname "the millionairess." Her trading company worked in China, Russia, and Kazakhstan. Kadeer also started the Akida Industry and Trade Co, which owned many properties in Xinjiang. These included the Akida Trade Center and the Kadeer Trade Center.

Kadeer also helped her community a lot. She created the 1,000 Mothers Movement, a charity to help Uyghur women start their own businesses. It also supported Uyghur children who were poor or had lost their parents.

Role in Chinese Politics

Rebiya Kadeer was not always against the government. She was once a delegate to China's main law-making body, the National People's Congress. She also represented China at a UN conference for women in Beijing in 1995. She was a member of the Chinese Communist Party until she was removed. Kadeer also served as vice chairwoman for business and women's groups in Xinjiang. Kadeer wrote that her career was greatly affected by the 1997 Jiashi earthquakes. These were a terrible natural disaster for the Uyghur people. She organized donations and help for the affected areas.

Time in Prison

In 1996, her husband, Sidiq Rouzi, who supported Uyghur independence, left China for the United States. He worked for US radio stations. Kadeer did not speak out against her husband's activities. She also spoke out against the government's policies in parliament. Because of this, she was not reelected to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 1998.

Government employees like Kadeer had access to special internal reports. These reports shared information about security concerns in Xinjiang. Kadeer shared two years' worth of these reports with her husband. The reports focused on speeches by groups wanting to break away from China. Since these groups were active in certain areas, the government prepared to charge her. Kadeer was arrested in August 1999 while going to meet a US group. She was also accused of being in contact with several groups wanting to break away. In March 2000, she was found guilty of sharing state secrets. Her imprisonment became a famous public issue in British and American parliaments. While in prison, she won the Rafto Prize for human rights. She believes this international attention prevented her from being mistreated. Her sentence was later reduced.

Release and Later Work

July 2008, Rebiya Kadeer met with George W. Bush in White House

On 14 March 2005, Kadeer was released early for health reasons. She was sent to the United States before a visit by the U.S. Secretary of State. The U.S. had pushed for her release and agreed to drop a resolution against China. On 17 March, Kadeer flew to the U.S. and joined her family.

In November 2006, she became the president of the World Uyghur Congress, a group that supports Uyghur rights. Later, she also became president of the Uyghur American Association. In April 2007, one of her sons, Ablikim, was sentenced to 9 years in prison. He was also not allowed to participate in politics for 3 years. This was reportedly for encouraging groups to break away. In November 2006, another son, Alim, was sentenced to 7 years in prison and fined. Both were reportedly mistreated while held. Another son, Qahar Abdurehim, was fined for tax issues but not jailed.

The Chinese government says Kadeer is "a strong supporter of breaking away, working with groups that use violence." In 2007, Kadeer expressed doubts about a police raid on a camp. She repeated that Uyghur organizations are not violent and work peacefully. On 5 June 2007, Kadeer met with President George W. Bush in Prague. Bush praised people like her for being "the greatest resource of their nations." On 17 September 2007, the United States House of Representatives asked the Chinese Government to release Kadeer's children. They also asked China to change its policies towards the Uyghur people.

Rebiya Kadeer claimed that Turkey is careful about getting involved with Uyghur issues. This is because Turkey worries China might get involved with its own issues with the Kurdish people in return.

July 2009 Protests

Protests in July 2009 started after two Uyghur workers died. However, the Chinese government made Kadeer famous when it claimed her group, the WUC, had planned the protests. Taiwan did not allow Kadeer to visit in September 2009. They said she had links to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which is considered a terrorist group. Kadeer has denied these claims.

On 3 August, Xinhua news reported that two of Rebiya Kadeer's children had written letters. They blamed her for planning the protests. The letters reportedly said, "We want a stable and safe life … Please think about the happiness of us and your grandchildren. Don't destroy our happy life here." A spokesperson for the WUC said the letters were not real. A Human Rights Watch researcher noted their style was "suspiciously close" to how Chinese authorities described the events.

In early September 2009, Xinhua announced that three properties owned by Kadeer's companies would be torn down. This included the Akida Trade Center, where many of Kadeer's family members reportedly lived. The reason given was "cracks in the walls and sunken footings."

The 10 Conditions of Love Film

In 2009, Jeff Daniels made a film called The 10 Conditions of Love about Kadeer. It was set to be shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival. The Chinese consulate in Melbourne asked the festival to remove the film and cancel Kadeer's invitation. The festival refused. Several Chinese directors then pulled out of the event. The festival's website was attacked by hackers. All film showings were falsely marked as booked, and the website was forced to shut down.

The film was also planned for the Kaoshiung Film Festival in Taiwan. A Chinese official opposed the film, saying it "praises people who want to break away." The Chinese government warned the Kaoshiung city government not to "stir up trouble." The festival's website was also hacked. Later, it was announced the film would be shown as planned. However, Kadeer was banned from entering Taiwan for three more years for "security needs."

Views on Uyghur Independence

In 2011, Rebiya Kadeer said the Chinese government was trying to create many different Uyghur groups outside of China. She believed this was to divide the Uyghur people. She thinks that movements for independence have less support from other countries. She also said that the freedom given by Chinese laws was never truly put into practice. She stated that "the Uyghur people were never happy under the Chinese rule."

Asking Japan for Help

In May 2012, Kadeer visited Tokyo for a conference. She asked the Japanese government to talk to China about human rights issues. She also visited the Yasukuni Shrine and said she wanted to create a similar place for Uyghur heroes in the future.

Works

with Cavelius, Alexandra (2008). Die Himmelsstürmerin: Chinas Staatsfeindin Nr. 1 erzählt aus ihrem Leben. Heyne. ISBN: 978-3-453-64041-2. (German)

This popular book was written by Alexandra Cavelius. It was based on many interviews with Rebiya Kadeer and has been translated into several languages.

English edition: Dragon Fighter: One Woman's Epic Struggle for Peace with China. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-9798456-1-1.

Images for kids

Kadeer in 2012