“My dream is to become a writer,” says Meiirbek Sailanbek (36), a political ref

ugee from Ürümqi, China. Aged 22, he emigrated to Kazakhstan to work for an oil company. He became a human rights activist when some of his colleagues, classmates and professors were imprisoned in China: “After this, I think we shouldn’t be silent, we should speak up.” Adopting two pseudonyms, Meiirbek published articles about what he calls “Chinese concentration camps”. Living with multiple identities was challenging: “When you speak you can’t make a mistake.” When the leader of his NGO was arrested, Meiirbek feared he would be next. “I’m scared every day,” he remembers feeling then. Media friends helped him travel to France, where he has lived since 2019. He is a keen photographer and studies English and French. He hopes to use his new language skills to continue writing articles about human rights injustices. “Some people be free because of media,” he says. “Even in the danger I will continue my work.” Full Story