A Uyghur man living in Türkiye reportedly came into contact with a police officer in China while trying to learn the whereabouts of three of his children who remained in Kuqa, East Turkistan, also officially known in China as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
According to a September 18 report by RFA's Uyghur Service, Abdullah Tömür traveled to Türkiye in 2016 to visit one of his children, who was studying there. Tömür says he subsequently did not return to Kuqa and has received no news about the three children who remained there for nearly ten years.
Social media appeal for information about his children
In March 2026, Tömür posted an appeal on Facebook asking authorities in Kuqa to provide information about his children.
According to RFA, the appeal subsequently circulated on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, where it received more than 50,000 views. Tömür said that within less than a month, four people contacted him, variously identifying themselves as a consular employee, customs official or businessman.
Tömür alleged that after offering to help him obtain information about his children, the individuals began asking him about Uyghurs living abroad, particularly Uyghurs in Syria.
The identities and official affiliations of all four individuals have not been independently verified.
RFA says one of the contacts was a police officer
According to the report, one of the men, identified as Ehmetjan, told Tömür that he conducted business in Central Asia and had connections in Kuqa that could help him obtain information about his children.
Tömür said the man later traveled to Alağa, where his children were registered, and sent him video footage of the family's home, but did not provide images or information showing the children themselves.
RFA reported that during telephone inquiries with authorities in Kuqa, it learned that the man's full name was Ehmetjan Eziz and that he worked at the Ögen township police station.
RFA also said it spoke directly with Eziz by telephone. According to the report, Eziz acknowledged that he had returned from Central Asia about 15 days earlier and confirmed that he had traveled to Alağa and filmed Tömür's family home.
Tömür says he rejected a proposal to become “brothers”
Tömür alleged that when he asked for information about his children, Eziz told him to return to Kuqa. Tömür said he rejected the request.
According to Tömür's account to RFA, Eziz subsequently proposed that the two become “brothers” and asked him for information about Uyghurs in Syria.
Tömür described himself as a farmer with no knowledge of Uyghur political activities abroad, saying he could not answer such questions and rejected the proposal.
RFA said its telephone reporting corroborated Eziz's connection to the police and his visit to Alağa, where he filmed Tömür's family home. The current whereabouts and circumstances of Tömür's three children, as well as the identities and affiliations of the other people who contacted him, could not be independently verified through publicly available sources.