Ekpar Asat dreamed of building a digital home for his people — a place where Uyghurs could share music, stories and a sense of belonging.
Beijing saw that dream as a threat. It erased the network, and then it erased him.
But what happened in Xinjiang wasn’t only about one man or one community. It has become a blueprint for how repression spreads — far beyond China’s borders.
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An earlier version of this story appeared on the “CLICK HERE” podcast from Recorded Future News and PRX. Additional reporting by Sean Powers.
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