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In July 2021, Zeynure Hasan was at her home in Turkey's largest city when she got a desperately anticipated phone call from her husband. It had been four stressful days since their last communication, when he was preparing to board a flight to Morocco. The lack of communication had been torturous.

But the news her husband Idris delivered was more alarming. He informed her that upon arrival in Morocco, he had been arrested and imprisoned. Authorities stated he would be deported to China. "Reach out to anyone who can assist me," he said, before the line went silent.

Life as Uyghurs in Exile

Zeynure, 31 years old, and Idris, 37, are part of the Uyghur ethnic group, which constitutes about 50% of the residents in China's western Xinjiang region. Over the last ten years, more than a million Uyghurs are reported to have been detained in so-called "re-education camps," where they faced mistreatment for commonplace acts like going to a place of worship or wearing a headscarf.

The couple had joined many of Uyghurs who fled to Turkey during the previous decade. They hoped they would find safety in their new home, but soon discovered they were mistaken.

"I was told that the Beijing officials threatened to close all its factories in the nation if Morocco freed him," she stated.

After settling in Istanbul, Zeynure became an language instructor, while Idris started as a translator and artist, helping to publish Uyghur media and printed works. They had three children and felt able to practice as Muslims.

But when one of Idris's best friends, who was employed in a book repository stocking Uyghur books, was arrested in the summer of 2021, Idris became fearful. Reports indicated that Beijing was urging Turkey to deport Uyghurs. Idris felt vulnerable due to his prior arrest, which he believed was connected to his work with advocates and promoting Uyghur culture. He chose to flee to Morocco, but Zeynure, whose Chinese passport had lapsed, had to remain with the children until her husband could request a visa for the whole family.

A Terrible Error

Departing Turkey proved to be a disastrous mistake. At the airport, immigration officials pulled him aside for questioning. "When he was finally allowed to get on the plane, he told me how happy he was that they had let him go, but it felt like a trap to me," she said. Her deepest concerns were confirmed when he was taken off the plane and arrested by border officials.

Over the last ten years, China has been utilizing the international police agency Interpol to pursue dissidents and had requested for Idris to be added on the agency's most-wanted "alert list." Zeynure claims Turkish officials let him board the flight aware he would be arrested upon landing in Morocco.

What followed would lead her to do what many Uyghurs dread most: defy China, regardless of the risks.

Family Pressure

Shortly after hearing of her husband's arrest, Zeynure got an surprising phone call from her parents in Xinjiang. She had been separated from her family since they visited her in Turkey in 2016 and were jailed for several months upon their return to China.

Her parents had a disturbing message. "They said, 'We know your husband is not with you. Maybe we can assist you,'" Zeynure explained. "I knew there must be some authorities there with them and just acted like I didn't know anything. But they persisted and told me not to do anything to help my husband. 'Don't do anything except feeding your children,' they told me. 'Don't say anything negative about China.'"

But with her husband's life at stake, the quiet-mannered Zeynure was not going to stay quiet. She had grown up witnessing women having their head coverings ripped off in open by the authorities and had been resolved to live in a country with freedom of belief.

"Prior to my husband was arrested in Morocco, I didn't do anything. I was just caring for my family; I didn't even have Facebook or Twitter. But I had to do something to rescue my husband – I had to tell the reality to the world. Everyone knows Uyghurs sent to China will be abused or killed. They forced me to speak out."

Childhood in Xinjiang

Zeynure has two distinct types of recollections of her early years in Xinjiang. The first was of blissful days spent in the countryside with her grandparents, who were farmers. "I'd play with the sheep and chickens. I don't know if I will ever have that kind of chance again. The family around the house and farm. It was too wonderful, like a picture from a story."

The second was as a Muslim Uyghur in Xinjiang, of school holidays cut short by forced teachings of "communist songs" and being banned from attending the mosque or practicing Ramadan.

China says it is tackling radicalism through 'controlling unauthorized religious activities' and 'vocational education facilities', but other nations, including the US, say its actions amount to ethnic cleansing. Zeynure says she never felt free to follow her faith in Xinjiang. "Individuals who went on religious journey to Mecca abroad were detained and sent to jail and told they must have some problem in their mind.

"They wanted Uyghur people to abandon their faith and culture. They said 'you should believe in us, we gave you employment and this good living here'," says Zeynure.

She finally decided to depart China after coming back home from university in Eastern China to a growing crackdown on religious freedoms in 2011. It was then that she was introduced to Idris by one of her school friends. "She knew we both had made the decision to go overseas and told us maybe we could get together and go together."

Zeynure says she was right away comforted by Idris. "I realized he was very truthful and reserved, and couldn't tell lies or do anything bad. There were some Uyghur boys at university who wanted to wed me, but Idris was unique."

Fresh Start in Turkey

Within 60 days they were wed and ready to move for a different existence in Turkey. They knew it was an Islamic country with many believers and Uyghurs already living there, with a similar language and shared background. "It felt like Uyghurs' second home," says Zeynure. As a teacher and creative, they could also help the community in diaspora. "There are many kids now in China growing up without Uyghur culture or dialect so we think it's our responsibility to not let it disappear," she says.

But their relief at locating a secure location overseas was temporary. Beijing has become a global leader in pursuing dissidents living in exile through the use of electronic surveillance, intimidation and violence. But what Idris was subjected to was a more recent method of repression: using China's growing financial influence to pressure other countries to bend to its will, including arresting and deporting Uyghurs it wants to suppress.

Fighting for Freedom

After the call from Idris, and learning he had an Interpol red notice against him, Zeynure knew she only had a limited time of chance to try to prevent his extradition to China. She immediately contacted as many Uyghur support groups as she could find listed online in Europe and the US and begged for help. She was brave despite China having already shown a readiness to go after the family members of other individuals.

Zeynure started demonstrating with her children at the diplomatic mission in Istanbul, and posting updates on online platforms. To her amazement, copycat protests soon occurred in Morocco demanding Idris's freedom. Moroccan officials were compelled to put out a announcement saying his deportation was a issue for the courts to determine.

In the start of August 2021, Interpol withdrew Idris's red notice after being urged to review his case by human rights groups. But that did not stop a Moroccan court later ruling he should still be extradited to China. Zeynure says there was huge diplomatic pressure from Beijing, which made {little sense|