Last summer, Halmat Rozi, a Uyghur Muslim living in Japan, received a video call from his brother in China¡¯s western Xinjiang region. His brother said he had someone he wanted Rozi to meet: a Chinese security officer.
China¡¯s top leader, Xi Jinping, had been invited to Japan, and the officer had some questions. Were Rozi and his fellow Uyghur activists planning protests? Who were the group¡¯s leaders? What work were they doing? If Rozi cooperated, his family in China would be well cared for, the officer assured him on a second video call.
The officer¡¯s intent was clear ¡ª to discourage Rozi from doing anything that might hurt China¡¯s reputation in Japan. The warning had the opposite effect. Rozi had invited Â鶹´«Ã½ public broadcaster, NHK, to surreptitiously record the second call, which was later broadcast to millions of viewers.
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