UYGHURS: PRISONERS OF THE ABSURD

Directed by PATRICIO HENRIQUEZ

DIRECTOR

PATRICIO HENRIQUEZ

COUNTRY

CANADA

RUNNING TIME

98 mins

YEAR

2014

LANGUAGE

ENGLISH, UYGHUR WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

ABOUT THE FILM

The title of this film describes perfectly the bizarre and convoluted circumstances that resulted in 22 Uyghurs being detained in Guantanamo. A persecuted Muslim minority in China, these Uyghurs sought safety in Afghanistan where they became targets for those seeking offered American money for captured terrorists. They are taken to Guantanamo, held for years without trial, and not released even after their innocence was proved. This Kafkaesque tale of human rights abuses shows a human face to a few of those victimized by the ‘war on terror,’ reminding us that the call for international respect of human rights must be ongoing.