Jewher Ilham is an author, rights activist, and the daughter of Uyghur scholar, Ilham Tohti — an internationally renowned moderate voice dedicated to bridging the gap between the Uyghur people and the Han Chinese. The last time Jewher saw her father was in 2013 at Beijing airport, where he was detained by Chinese authorities while travelling to Indiana University to pursue a fellowship. In September 2014, Professor Tohti was sentenced to life in prison because of his writings promoting peace between Uyghurs and Han Chinese.