Authorities in China's Xinjiang region are threatening residents with detention for downloading, sharing, or even listening to a wide array of Uyghur-language songs, according to an investigation by The Associated Press. The policy came to light through a leaked audio recording of a public meeting held last October in the city of Kashgar.
Seven Categories of 'Problematic' Music
The leaked recording, provided exclusively to the AP by the Norway-based non-profit Uyghur Hjelp, captures police and officials warning residents about so-called 'problematic' songs. During the meeting, authorities played pre-recorded examples of banned music, which spanned from traditional folk ballads to modern rap and songs created within the Uyghur diaspora.
Officials outlined seven broad categories of music that could lead to punishment. These included songs containing religious references, those alleged to 'twist the Uyghurs' history' or incite separatism, and music said to smear Chinese Communist Party rule or encourage extremism. Also targeted were tunes deemed to foster resentment toward the government or advocate 'filthy and dirty thoughts and behavior.'
In practice, experts warn this vague classification means almost any Uyghur-language song could be deemed illegal. Specific examples given included the popular folk song 'Besh pede,' which mentions the word 'God,' and the decades-old patriotic piece 'Forefathers' by renowned musician Abdurehim Heyit, who was himself detained during the earlier crackdown.
Severe Punishments for Sharing Music
The authorities warned that those caught with the banned material would be 'heavily prosecuted.' While specific penalties were not detailed—a tactic that allows for flexible enforcement—they cited examples of individuals who served 10 days in detention for possessing the songs.
However, some have faced far harsher sentences. The AP reviewed the court verdict for Uyghur music producer Yashar Xiaohelaiti, who was sentenced to three years in prison last year. His crime was uploading 42 of his own productions, deemed 'problematic,' to his account on the Chinese streaming service NetEase Cloud Music. He was convicted on charges of promoting extremism.
The AP's findings were further corroborated by interviews with two former Xinjiang residents. They reported that family members and friends had been detained for playing and sharing Uyghur music, and that police routinely search phones for banned audio files.
A Sign of Continuing Repression
This new crackdown on music contradicts the Chinese government's insistence that minorities in Xinjiang enjoy cultural and religious freedom. Experts interpret it as evidence that systemic repression in the region persists, albeit in evolving forms.
'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. 'The one thing that's gone down is the number of people in reeducation camps and the visibility of security measures like roadblocks.'
Thum and others point to less conspicuous methods of control that have expanded. These include the growth of boarding schools where children are separated from their families and taught almost exclusively in Mandarin, alongside random digital checks for sensitive material like the banned songs. This policy follows a 2022 United Nations report which stated that China's actions in Xinjiang, primarily between 2017 and 2019, may amount to crimes against humanity.
