Authorities in China's Xinjiang region are threatening residents with detention for downloading, sharing, or even listening to a broad range of Uyghur-language songs, an investigation by The Associated Press has uncovered. The policy came to light through a leaked audio recording of a public meeting held in October last year in the city of Kashgar.
Seven Categories of 'Problematic' Music Targeted
The leaked recording, provided exclusively to AP by the Norway-based non-profit Uyghur Hjelp, reveals that police and officials warned Kashgar residents to avoid so-called "problematic" songs. During the meeting, authorities played a pre-recorded message with examples of banned music, which spanned from traditional folk ballads to modern rap and songs created within the Uyghur diaspora.
Officials outlined seven distinct categories of music deemed unacceptable. These included songs containing religious references, those alleged to distort Uyghur history or incite separatism, and music said to smear Chinese Communist Party rule or encourage extremism. Also targeted were tunes promoting resentment towards the government or advocating what authorities labelled "filthy and dirty thoughts and behaviour."
Experts suggest this broad classification means almost any Uyghur-language song could potentially be flagged. Specific examples given included the popular folk song "Besh pede," which features the word "God," and "Forefathers," a decades-old patriotic piece by renowned Uyghur musician Abdurehim Heyit, who was himself detained during the earlier crackdown.
Severe Punishments for Possession or Sharing
The consequences for violating this ban are severe. Authorities warned that offenders would be "heavily prosecuted," though specific punishments were not detailed—a tactic that typically allows for flexible enforcement. They cited the example of several individuals who served 10-day detention sentences for being found with prohibited songs on their devices.
However, one case demonstrates a far harsher penalty. Uyghur music producer Yashar Xiaohelaiti was sentenced to three years in prison last year on charges of promoting extremism. A court verdict reviewed by AP states his crime was uploading 42 of his own "problematic" songs to his account on NetEase Cloud Music, a Chinese streaming service.
The AP's findings are corroborated by interviews with two former Xinjiang residents. They reported that family members and friends have been detained for playing and sharing Uyghur music, and that police routinely search phones for banned audio files.
A Sign of Continuing Repression in Xinjiang
This new crackdown on musical expression contradicts the Chinese government's insistence that minorities in Xinjiang enjoy cultural and religious freedom. The policy suggests that forms of repression in the region are ongoing, albeit sometimes in less conspicuous ways than during the peak internment campaign of 2017-2019.
"I think that most of the forms of repression that we saw in 2017-18-19 have either continued or gotten worse," said Rian Thum, a senior lecturer in East Asian history at the University of Manchester. He noted that while the visibility of mass internment camps and security checkpoints has reduced, other controls have expanded.
These include the growth of boarding schools where middle-schoolers are separated from their families and taught almost exclusively in Mandarin, as well as random checks of personal phones for sensitive material like the now-banned songs. The UN reported in 2022 that China's actions in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity, a claim Beijing vehemently denies.
The leaked recording from Kashgar provides a stark, contemporary example of the restrictions still faced by the region's 11 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities, extending control into the deeply personal realm of music and cultural expression.
