Tahir Imin

Founder and Chief advisor

Tahir Imin is an Uyghur scholar of Uyghur language and political science, human rights advocate, and former political prisoner (2005-2007). He is the founder of Uyghur Times, a media organization to cover the Uyghur situation. Tahir initiated the Uyghur Union in 2020, organizing the Uyghur intellectuals to work on multiple projects that serve the Uyghur people in their homeland and diaspora via education, advocacy, development, culture, and legal areas. In February 2017, Tahir Imin left his homeland, where he was an entrepreneur and educator, and cultural activist to pursue further studies at Haifa University, eventually settling in the United States. As a consequence of his activism, his wife was coerced into divorcing him. In an act of retaliation, the Chinese government arrested his mother and two brothers after he established Uyghur Times in May 2018. These events highlight the personal sacrifices and reprisals endured by Tahir Imin in his pursuit of justice and the protection of Uyghur rights.