Kadeer held various positions in China's parliament and other political institutions before being arrested in 1999 for, according to Chinese state media, sending confidential internal reference reports to her husband, who worked in the United States as a pro-Xinjiang independence broadcaster.
Kadeer memegang berbagai jabatan dalam parlemen China dan institusi politik lainnya sebelum ditangkap pada 1999 karena mengirimkan laporan rujukan internal konfidensial kepada suaminya, yang bekerja di Amerika Serikat sebagai penyiar independen pro-Xinjiang.