The Journey So Far

I am a graduate in Political Science and International Relations, and an advocate for Uyghur human rights. A year ago, I launched this campaign to fund my MA studies. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we raised £5,035 (approx. 24% of the initial goal). This support allowed me to "lock in" and reach new career milestones:

1. Full-time job: I joined a database that documents extra-judicially detained Uyghurs, published two reports, and translated a major documentary. I gained so much real-world relevance and widened my knowledge and network in this field.

2. UN-supported project: I became a trainee with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, where I am currently developing a year-long project to be implemented in 2026.

3. Journalism: I co-founded a research-backed platform to elevate Uyghur content into a professional, academic space.

While working on all these, I secured a research assistantship and an MA offer, but my student permit was unexpectedly rejected. The reasons cited—including a doubt that I would "return home" and my chosen program not aligning with my career.

Now, after all the hard work, I refuse to let a bureaucratic rejection end my academic journey, especially when it's a really great opportunity with prominent advisors and supervisors who will train me. Therefore, I have hired an immigration lawyer to take my case to the Federal Court. This is no longer just about a degree; it is about the right of persecuted researchers to access global academic spaces. While the legal battle continues, I am continuing my work with the UN and launching my journalism platform to ensure that the systemic oppression of Uyghur women remains in the international spotlight. As I'm in the relatively early stages of these new initiatives, I will be sharing their links and more content on them soon here to update all the generous contributors on what you invested in.

I have adjusted my fundraising goals. Your contributions will be distributed across these three pillars:

1. Visa FightFees for the immigration lawyer and Federal Court filing to challenge the visa rejection and secure my academic future.

2. UN-Backed Project: Supplemental costs for the research and implementation of my upcoming human rights project with the UN, as this is a part of an ongoing training that is not financially supported by them.

3. Solution Journalism Platform: Startup costs for the research-backed platform I co-founded.

4. Remaining funds will be held in a dedicated account for my deferred tuition.

I will continue to share milestones, report links, and court updates. Either on my social media account or LinkedIn, as I will be active and responsive there.

With gratitude,

Kawsar