Chinese authorities have sentenced Uyghur filmmaker Ikram Nurmehmet to 6 1/2 years in prison on charges of “separatism” and “terrorism,” according to a court official and a source familiar with the situation.

The 32-year-old Nurmehmet, along with four friends who studied in Turkey, was tried in the Urumqi People’s Intermediate Court for alleged ties to organizations based in Turkey that advocate for independence for East Turkistan, the name preferred by Uyghurs for the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China.

He was arrested in May 2023 and accused of recruiting members and raising funds for an East Turkistan organization during his time in Turkey.

The court announced its verdict in January, with the men receiving sentences of either 5 1/2 or 6 1/2 years. The source, who wished to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation from authorities, provided this information.

During the trial in October, Nurmehmet claimed he had been tortured into confessing to crimes he did not commit.

A source said that since then, the filmmaker hasn’t confessed to anything. “He was sentenced despite not admitting to anything,” he said.

The case reflects ongoing arrests and jailing of Uyghurs who have studied or travelled abroad and who have been accused of engaging in terrorist or separatist activities.

While studying in Istanbul, Nurmehmet maintained a distance from the local Uyghur community, according to Abduweli Ayup, an activist and researcher based in Norway who has looked into the situations of Uyghur students returning from Turkey to Xinjiang.

Ayup noted that Nurmehmet avoided trouble and primarily socialized with individuals in the film industry. After six years in Turkey, Nurmehmet relocated to Beijing to create films that focused on the lives of Muslim Uyghurs.

This apparently aroused China’s anger and led to China sentencing him to six and a half years in prison.