Top Story - World Uyghur Congress

WORLD
UYGHUR
CONGRESS
NEWSLETTER
NO.
2
SEPTEMBER
2010
Uyghur
Journalist
Gheyret
Niyaz
TOP
STORY
Prison
Sentences
for
Several
Uyghur
Blogger
and
Journalists
FEATURED
ARTICLE
Rebiya
Kadeer
“China's
Uighur
Oppression
Continues”
LATEST
DEVELOPMENTS
Religious
Freedom
PAST
EVENTS
. WUC
Vice
President
Meets
Turkish
President
. Friendship
Uyghur
Youth
Football
Match,
Netherlands
. East
Turkestan
Union
in
Europe
and
WUC
in
Hungary
. WUC
Vice
President
Meets
Turkish
Prime
Minister.
. Rebiya
Kadeer
Meeting
with
the
US
State
Department
. WUC
Delegation
Meets
Staff
Members
of
the
German
Foreign
Affairs
Office
. Rebiya
Kadeer
at
Moutain
Film
Festival
in
Aspen,
Colorado,
US
. WUC
General
Secretary
in
Geneva,
Switzerland
UPCOMING
EVENTS
. 15th
UN
Human
Rights
Council,
Geneva,
Switzerland
. WUC
Invited
by
Religions
for
Peace,
Munich,
Germany
. Rebiya
Kadeer’s
Book
to
be
published
in
Sweden
. Rebiya
Kadeer
at
Utah
Valley
University,
USA
LATEST
NEWS
International
Media
Articles
on
Uyghur
Related
Issues
2
Newsletter
No.2
–
September
2010
Top
Story
Prison
Sentences
for
Several
Uyghur
Blogger
and
Journalists
The
World
Uyghur
Congress
(WUC)
is
very
concerned
about
the
latest
prison
terms
for
several
Uyghur
journalists
and
blogger
in
late
July
2010
in
Urumqi,
considering
these
sentences
another
threat
to
the
freedom
of
speech
and
expression
of
the
people
in
East
Turkestan.
The
Chinese
authorities
have
sentenced
and/or
detained
editors,
administrators,
and
writers
of
different
websites.
Those
who
have
already
been
sentenced
have
included
but
have
not
been
limited
to:
Gulmire
Imin
(a
regular
contributor
to
the
Uyghur
website
Salkin
sentenced
to
life
in
prison
in
April
2010);
Gheyret
Niyaz
(a
prominent
journalist
and
editor
of
Uyghurbiz
sentenced
to
15
years
in
July
2010);
Nijat
Azat
(webmaster
of
Shabnam
sentenced
to
10
years
in
July
2010);
Dilshat
Perhat
(webmaster
and
owner
of
Diyarim
sentenced
to
5
years
in
July
2010);
and
Nureli
(webmaster
of
Salkin
sentenced
to
3
years
in
July
2010).
In
addition,
upon
information
and
belief,
website
moderators
Ahmet
Tursun,
Muhter,
Memtjan
Abdulla,
Tursun
Mehmnet,
and
Gulnisa
Memet
were
sentenced
to
between
15
years
in
prison
and
life
with
Gulmire
Imin
in
April
2010.
All
of
the
website
staff
members
who
have
been
sentenced
thus
far
were
convicted
on
charges
of
“endangering
state
security”
(ESS).
The
Chinese
authorities
have
regularly
and
arbitrarily
used
this
vague
provision
to
criminalize
Uyghurs’
peaceful
exercise
of
their
human
rights
and
prosecute
and
imprison
them.
In
a
March
10,
2006
report
by
the
UN
Special
Rapporteur
on
torture
and
other
cruel,
inhuman,
or
degrading
treatment
or
punishment
that
was
based
on
his
visits
to
China,
the
Special
Rapporteur,
stated
that
the
“vague
definition
of
[ESS
crimes]
leaves
their
application
open
to
abuse
particularly
of
the
rights
to
freedom
of
religion,
speech,
and
assembly,”
and
recommended
the
abolition
of
such
“political
crimes.”
The
authorities’
use
of
the
ESS
charge
against
Uyghurs
has
drastically
increased
in
recent
years.
The
U.S.
Congressional‐Executive
Commission
on
China
noted
that
in
2008,
the
number
of
trials
in
the
courts
of
East
Turkestan
involving
ESS
crimes
and
the
number
of
indictments
involving
ESS
crimes
issued
by
the
East
Turkestan
procuratorate
offices
approached
the
nationwide
totals
from
2007.
In
addition,
the
human
rights
organization,
Dui
Hua,
noted
that
ESS
trials
in
East
Turkestan
had
increased
by
63
percent
in
2009
over
the
previous
year,
according
to
the
president
of
the
Xinjiang
Uyghur
Autonomous
Region
Higher
People’s
Court.
The
organization
also
reported
that
from
1998
to
2003,
more
than
half
of
all
ESS
trials
in
China
took
place
in
East
Turkestan,
according
to
statistics
published
in
the
Xinjiang
Yearbook.
The
German
and
US
sections
of
Amnesty
International
started
an
Urgent
Action
for
Dilshat
Perhat.
Appeals
can
still
be
send
until
13
September
2010.
Please
check
the
following
websites
for
more
information:
Related
information:
Uyghur
journalist
and
webmaster
Gheyret
Niyaz
sentenced
to
15
years
UAA
Press
Release,
23
July
2010
http://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/?p=3452
World
Uyghur
Congress
Strongly
Denounces
the
Sentencing
of
Three
Uyghur
Webmasters
WUC
Press
Release,
29
July
2010
http://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/?p=3617
PEN
Appeal:
Gheyret
Niyaz,
Dilshat
Perhat,
Nureli,
and
Nijat
Azat
PEN
American
Center,
11
August
2010
http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5236/prmID/1610
Hong
Kong
media
must
speak
up
on
Xinjiang
China
Media
Project,
24
August
2010
http://cmp.hku.hk/2010/08/24/6994/
WORLD
UYGHUR
CONGRESS
(Registration
No:
VR
18781)
 3
Featured
Article
“China's
Uighur
Oppression
Continues”
By
Rebiya
Kadeer,
WUC
President
The
Wall
Street
Journal,
05
August
2010
The
sentencing
on
July
23
of
Uighur
journalist
Gheyret
Niyaz
to
15
years
in
prison
for
endangering
state
security
came
as
a
shock
to
people
around
the
world.
Mr.
Niyaz's
"crime"
was
to
speak
to
foreign
journalists.
His
unusually
long
sentence,
along
with
other
harsh
sentences
for
three
Uighur
webmasters
on
July
23
or
24,
highlights
an
unwritten
Chinese
government
guiding
principle
that
pays
lip
service
to
ethnic
harmony
while
at
the
very
same
time
implementing
policies
that
undermine
it.
Attacks
on
Uighur
writers,
journalists
and
webmasters
are
nothing
new.
Far
too
many
are
languishing
in
jails
for
revealing
the
darker
side
of
the
Communist
Party
administration
in
East
Turkestan,
also
known
as
Xinjiang.
They
include
Mehbube
Ablesh,
a
journalist
who
uncovered
the
inequities
of
"bilingual"
education;
Abdulghani
Memetemin,
a
journalist
who
exposed
human‐rights
abuses
against
Uighurs;
Nurmemet
Yasin,
a
writer
who
penned
an
allegorical
story
articulating
the
Uighur
yearning
for
freedom;
Gulmire
Imin,
a
website
administrator
who
helped
run
a
online
forum
for
Uighurs;
and
many
more.
The
four
journalists
sentenced
last
month—Mr.
Niyaz,
Nureli,
Dilshat
Perhat
and
Nijat
Azat—were
imprisoned
simply
for
exercising
freedom
of
speech.
The
Chinese
government
hides
behind
charges
of
"endangering
state
security,"
"splittism"
or
"terrorism"
when
punishing
Uighur
voices,
but
the
simple
truth
is
that
whenever
Uighurs
contradict
the
official
narrative
stating
the
benevolence
of
the
Chinese
Communist
Party,
they
are
severely
punished.
In
Mr.
Niyaz's
case,
even
expressing
views
consistent
with
those
of
the
Chinese
government
was
not
enough
to
keep
him
out
of
jail.
In
an
interview
with
a
local
Chinese
publication
on
Aug.
2,
2009,
less
than
a
month
after
the
outbreak
of
unrest
in
Urumqi,
Mr.
Niyaz
not
only
openly
sided
with
much
of
the
Chinese
government
version
of
the
unrest,
but
also
dismissed
my
contribution
to
the
Uighur
people.
I
welcome
Mr.
Niyaz's
considered
critique
and
resolutely
defend
his
right
to
speak
openly
and
freely.
Without
the
expression
of
dissimilar
voices
there
is
little
validity
to
any
political
process.
Most
of
what
the
Chinese
government
actually
does
in
East
Turkestan
is
not
discussed
in
public.
The
unrest
in
Urumqi
in
July
2009
should
have
been
a
wake‐up
call
for
the
Chinese
Communist
Party
to
reform
misguided
policies
and
change
six
decades
of
repressive
policies.
Instead,
the
government
has
used
the
unrest
as
an
opportunity
to
intensify
its
forced
assimilation
of
the
Uighur
people.
The
most
recent
assault
on
civil
liberties
came
when
authorities
recently
installed
40,000
cameras
in
Urumqi
to
surveil
the
local
population.
In
February,
the
draconian
"Law
on
Education
for
Ethnic
Unity
in
Xinjiang,"
took
effect,
which
criminalizes
speech
harmful
to
a
vague
definition
of
"ethnic
unity."
The
government
also
announced
this
year
the
demolition
of
Uighur
neighborhoods
in
cities
across
East
Turkestan,
including
Kashgar,
Urumqi,
Karamay
and
Ghulja.
On
top
of
all
of
this,
Beijing
is
encouraging
large
numbers
of
Han
Chinese
to
migrate
to
East
Turkestan—a
policy
that
aims
to
make
the
unique
Uighur
identity
a
thing
of
the
past
and
adds
to
local
tensions
as
citizens
compete
for
economic
and
social
resources.
The
government
is
not
forthcoming
about
the
extent
of
this
migration,
nor
does
it
disclose
civil‐service
hiring
policies
that
actively
discriminate
against
Uighurs
and
women.
With
Han
Chinese
favored
in
the
competitive
job
market,
mass
migration
into
the
region
only
fuels
resentment.
The
result
of
this
aggressive
assimilation
has
been
exacerbated
tensions
between
Han
Chinese
and
Uighurs.
China's
policies
toward
its
ethnic
minorities
are
clearly
failing
to
resolve
local
tensions.
In
East
Turkestan,
the
Chinese
government
has
not
only
ignored
the
voices
of
the
Uighur
people
crying
out
for
change,
it
has
also
actively
moved
to
silence
them.
Unless
international
pressure
is
brought
to
bear,
the
Uighur
people
will
quietly
slip
into
the
history
books.
Available
at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704017904575408650462789996.html
4
Newsletter
No.2
–
September
2010
1. LATEST
DEVELOPMENTS
RELIGIOUS
FREEDOM
Ramadan,
the
Islamic
holy
month
of
fasting,
has
been
celebrated
during
the
last
month
in
the
whole
Muslim
world.
However,
Uyghurs
in
East
Turkestan
were
facing
serious
difficulties
when
it
comes
to
follow
this
religious
practice.
Especially
since
the
July
2009
incidents,
religious
repression
of
the
Uyghur
population
in
East
Turkestan
has
increased
significantly
–
even
though
religious
freedom
is
guaranteed
by
China’s
Constitution
and
international
human
rights
conventions
to
which
China
is
a
party.
The
U.S.
Commission
on
International
Religious
Freedom
(USCIRF)
noted
in
its
2010
report,
released
in
May
2010,
that
there
had
been
a
marked
deterioration
of
freedom
of
religion
in
China
in
the
past
year,
particularly
in
Uyghur
Muslim
and
Tibetan
Buddhist
areas.
USCIRF
further
noted
that
religious
freedom
conditions
for
Uyghur
Muslims
and
Tibetan
Buddhists
are
the
worst
that
they
have
been
in
the
last
ten
years.
Indeed,
during
the
last
month,
worrying
news
arrived
from
Uyghurs´
homeland.
Two
men
were
sentenced
to
two
and
six
years
prison
term
respectively
only
because
of
their
beards
‐
which
are
seen
by
Chinese
authorities
as
a
sign
of
religious
expression
or
even
religious
extremism
which
then
has
to
be
oppressed
immediately.
In
Muslim
societies
during
the
Ramadan,
restaurants
are
mainly
closed
during
the
day
to
be
then
opened
at
sunset
when
people
come
together
for
the
fast‐breaking
meal
known
as
Iftar.
The
Chinese
authorities
in
East
Turkestan
forced
Uyghur
restaurant
owners
to
keep
their
businesses
open,
threatening
them
with
imposing
fines
(500
Yuan
–
60€
‐
for
every
day
the
restaurant
was
not
open,
5000
Yuan
for
three
days).
On
24
July,
a
Chinese
propaganda
event
took
place
in
a
religious
Uyghur
space.
The
Chinese
Communist
Party’s
(CCP)
Peyziwat
County
Committee
held
the
meeting
at
the
Second
Village
Mosque
in
East
Turkestan´s
Kashgar
prefecture,
according
to
the
official
Tianshan
Net
website.
Ms.
Rebiya
Kadeer
said
she
was
shocked
by
the
pictures
of
the
meeting
held
in
a
mosque.
“At
first,
I
could
not
believe
my
eyes.
Actually
I
did
not
want
to
believe
it
was
a
mosque,
but
unfortunately
it
was,”
she
said.
According
to
Kadeer,
the
central
government’s
level
of
control
over
imams
has
increased
over
the
last
three
decades,
from
watching
over
activities
from
the
outside
of
mosques
in
the
1980s,
to
appointing
and
directing
imams
and
arranging
mosque
activities
in
the
1990s.
“This
is
unique
problem
that
Uyghurs
are
encountering.
If
they
protest
a
problem,
they
will
be
punished.
If
they
do
not
protest,
China
steps
up
attacks
on
their
other
rights,”
Rebiya
Kadeer
said.
In
a
press
release
from
11
August
2010,
the
USCIRF
called
upon
the
Obama
administration
to
raise
the
issue
of
religious
freedom
with
China.
“As
the
U.S.‐China
relationship
continues
to
grow,
the
Obama
Administration
should
make
a
public
and
persuasive
case
about
why
religious
freedom
is
in
China’s
interest,”
said
Mr.
Leonard
Leo,
USCIRF
chair.
“At
the
same
time,
the
United
States
must
firmly
support
the
release
of
those
who
are
in
prison
or
unacknowledged
detention,
and
end
the
harassment
of
persons
for
peacefully
seeking
the
rule
of
law,
religious
freedom,
and
other
human
rights.”
The
authorities
regularly
use
the
fact
that
the
Uyghurs
happen
to
be
Muslim
to
appeal
to
racist
stereotypes
that
unfortunately
exist
in
this
world
about
Muslims
and
portray
the
Uyghurs
as
religious
extremists
and
terrorists.
Uyghurs
have
long
practiced
a
moderate,
traditional
form
of
Sunni
Islam,
strongly
infused
with
the
folklore
and
traditions
of
a
rural,
oasis‐dwelling
population.
Scholars
and
journalists
have
noted
that
religious
extremism
has
no
roots
in
Uyghurs’
practice
of
Islam
and
remains
scarce
among
the
Uyghurs.
Nevertheless,
politicising
Uyghurs’
religion
and
traditions
is
a
common
attack
by
Chinese
authorities
against
our
people.
WUC
Office
Munich
WORLD
UYGHUR
CONGRESS
(Registration
No:
VR
18781)
 5
2. PAST
EVENTS
.
WUC
Vice
President
Meets
Turkish
President
The
WUC
Vice
President
Mr.
Seyit
Tümtürk
was
invited
to
a
meeting
with
the
Turkish
President
Mr.
Abdullah
Gül
to
exchange
opinions
about
the
Uyghurs’
human
right
situation
in
East
Turkestan.
.
Friendship
Uyghur
Youth
Football
Match,
Netherlands
At
the
beginning
of
August,
a
friendship
football
match
took
place
in
the
Netherlands
between
the
Belgian
and
Dutch
Uyghur
Youth.
.
East
Turkestan
Union
in
Europe
and
WUC
in
Hungary
Members
of
the
East
Turkestan
Union
in
Europe,
of
the
WUC
as
well
as
members
of
the
German
Uyghur
community
participated
in
the
Cultural
Festival
KURULTAJ
in
Budapest,
Hungary.
.
WUC
Vice
President
Meets
Turkish
Prime
Minister
The
WUC
Vice
President
Mr.
Seyit
Tümtürk
was
invited
to
an
Iftar
dinner
organised
by
the
Turkish
Prime
Minister
Recep
Tayyip
Erdoğan
in
Kayseri
on
21
August
2010.
In
a
conversation
with
Mr.
Erdogan,
Mr.
Tümtürk
sent
him
greetings
on
behalf
of
Ms.
Rebiya
Kadeer,
thanking
him
for
his
support
of
the
Uyghur
people.
More
than
450
people
participated
in
the
dinner.
.
Rebiya
Kadeer
meeting
with
the
US
State
Department
Rebiya
Kadeer
met
with
officials
of
the
US
State
Department
to
give
an
update
on
the
current
situation
in
East
Turkestan.
.
WUC
Delegation
Meets
Staff
Members
of
the
German
Foreign
Affairs
Office
In
August
2010,
a
WUC
delegation
met
with
staff
members
of
the
German
Foreign
Affairs
Office
in
Berlin
to
discuss
the
human
right
situation
of
the
Uyghur
people
in
East
Turkestan.
.
Rebiya
Kadeer
at
Moutain
Film
Festival
in
Aspen,
Colorado,
US
From
26
–
30
August
2010,
Ms
Kadeer
and
her
daughter
Raela
Tosh
were
invited
to
the
Moutainfilm
Festival
in
Aspen,
Colorado,
USA.
The
film
on
Ms.
Kadeer,
"The
10
Conditions
of
Love”,
was
screened
at
the
festival
and
Ms
Kadeer
gave
a
speech
and
also
took
part
in
Q&A
session
after
the
screening
of
the
film.
During
these
four
days,
Ms
Kadeer
met
with
many
influencial
academics,
politicians,
film
makers,
media
and
other
publicity
figures.
.
WUC
General
Secretary
in
Geneva,
Switzerland
WUC
General
Secretary
Mr.
Dolkun
Isa
travelled
to
Geneva
on
1
September
to
meet
members
of
different
Permanent
Missions
to
the
UN
to
promote
the
Uyghur
issue
and
th
request
support
for
the
upcoming
15 UN
Human
Rights
Council
session.
3. UPCOMING
EVENTS
.
.
.
15th
UN
Human
Rights
Council,
Geneva,
Switzerland
th
From
13
September
‐
1
October
2010,
the
15 UN
Human
Rights
Council
Session
will
take
place
in
Geneva,
Switzerland.
The
WUC
is
working
on
raising
the
Uyghurs’
plight
through
NGOs
with
ECOSOC
consultative
status
and
governmental
delegations.
Already
during
the
last
UN
Human
Rights
Council
session,
the
Chinese
government’s
human
rights
violations
against
Uyghur
people
were
substantially
discussed
(fore
more
information
see
here)
thanks
to
the
strong
efforts
made
by
the
WUC
and
the
UAA.
WUC
Invited
by
Religions
for
Peace,
Munich,
Germany
On
14
September,
the
WUC
is
invited
by
the
Munich
office
of
the
NGO
Religions
for
Peace
to
give
a
speech
on
the
Uyghurs
and
the
situation
in
East
Turkestan
with
a
special
focus
on
the
topic
on
how
to
find
a
peaceful
solution
for
the
conflict
in
East
Turkestan.
Rebiya
Kadeer´s
Book
to
be
Published
in
Sweden
From
5
–
11
October
2010,
Ms
Kadeer
will
travel
to
Sweden
to
take
part
in
the
marketing
of
her
book
“The
Dragon
Fighter”
which
will
be
published
in
Swedish
during
the
month
of
October.
6
Newsletter
No.2
–
September
2010
.
Rebiya
Kadeer
at
Utah
Valley
University,
USA
From
20
–
23
September
2010,
Ms
Kadeer
will
be
attending
a
talking
event
at
Utah
Valley
University
where
she
will
be
speaking
about
the
“Uyghur
human
rights
situation
in
China”.
In
connection
with
the
'annual
ethnic
awareness'
of
the
university,
they
are
planning
to
screen
'The
10
Conditions
of
Love'.
4. LATEST
NEWS
International
Media
Articles
on
Uyghur
Related
Issues
from
August
2010:
China:
Han
intellectuals
write
to
Government:
"End
discrimination
against
Uyghurs"
Spero
News,
2
August
2010
http://www.speroforum.com/a/37564/China
Uighur
political
prisoners
have
a
hard
time
Radio
Netherlands
Worldwide,
2
August
2010
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/uighur‐political‐prisoners‐have‐a‐hard‐time
In
Restive
Chinese
Area,
Cameras
Keep
Watch
New
York
Times,
3
August
2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/world/asia/03china.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss
China
Increases
Using
Prison
Sentences
to
Silence
Dissent
Voice
of
America,
3
August
2010
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/China‐Increases‐Using‐Prison‐Sentences‐to‐Silence‐
Dissent‐99900354.html
Organ
Harvesting
Witness
Faces
Deportation
to
China
The
Epoch
Times,
8
August
2010
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/40330/
Faith
against
odds
The
Hindu,
7
August
2010
http://www.thehindu.com/life‐and‐style/society/article557696.ece
Sweden
jails
Uighur
Chinese
man
for
espionage
Womens
Times,
8
August
2010
http://womenstimes.blogspot.com/2010/08/sweden‐jails‐uighur‐chinese‐man‐for.html
Top
Chinese
general
calls
for
democracy
Radio
Australia,
12
August
2010
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/201008/s2980865.htm
Taiwan
Fails
to
Learn
From
Its
Own
History
The
Huffington
Post,
17
August
2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor‐halvorssen/taiwan‐fails‐to‐learn‐fro_1_b_684936.html
China
Bars
All
Reporting
On
Deadly
Explosion
Press
Release
by
the
International
Federation
of
Journalists,
published
on
Scoop
World,
20
August
2010
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1008/S00340/china‐bars‐all‐reporting‐on‐deadly‐
explosion.htm
WORLD
UYGHUR
CONGRESS
(Registration
No:
VR
18781)
 7
Uighur
Intellectual
Who
Won’t
Back
Down
in
China
The
New
York
Times,
20
August
2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/world/asia/21china.html?src=mv
More
Arrests
in
Aksu
Blast
Radio
Free
Asia,
23
August
2010
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/blast‐08232010174828.html
China
moves
to
reduce
number
of
crimes
punishable
by
death
The
Guardian,
23
August
2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/23/china‐death‐penalty‐crime‐executions/print
Make
China
Account
for
Its
Dismal
Human
Rights
Record
The
Heritage
Foundation,
23
August
2010
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/08/Make‐China‐Account‐for‐Its‐Dismal‐Human‐
Rights‐Record
Beijing
Tightens
Control
Over
Monasteries
And
Mosques
Eurasia
Review,
25
August
2010
http://www.eurasiareview.com/201008257386/beijing‐tightens‐control‐over‐monasteries‐and‐
mosques.html
World
Uyghur
Congress
(WUC)
P.O.
Box
310312
80103
Munich
‐
Germany
Telephone:
+49
89
54321999
Fax:
+49
89
54349789
[email protected]
www.uyghurcongress.org
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