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Chinese activists speak out for jailed
Uighur journalist
HARSH SENTENCE: An open letter says that the jailed man told officials in
Xinjiang that violence might break out, but they did not heed his warning
AP, BEIJING
Sunday, Aug 01, 2010, Page 5
Some of China¡¦s most well-known activists are circulating an
open letter protesting the 15-year prison term for a Uighur journalist snared in
tensions that followed the country¡¦s worst ethnic rioting in decades.
The letter, e-mailed within China and published on Friday by the Hong Kong-based
Chinese Human Rights Defenders, is the latest in a chorus of international
protest to last week¡¦s sentencing of 51-year-old Halaite Niyaze.
Niyaze wrote critical articles and made critical comments to foreign media after
ethnic rioting in July last year in the capital of the western region of Xinjiang
that left nearly 200 dead and 1,700 injured.
The government has tried to block dissent following the violence between the
minority Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group, and majority Han Chinese, who
have been moving into the region under a government campaign to develop the
west.
Niyaze¡¦s 15-year sentence was among the harshest handed down for someone who
committed no violence in the riots.
¡§This kind of intellectual is extremely important in advancing communication and
reconciliation between ethnic groups. The groundless charges brought against
Niyaze, and the severe sentence he has received, are bound to foment extremist
thoughts and actions and deepen ethnic tensions,¡¨ the activists¡¦ letter says.
The letter says Niyaze even warned Xinjiang officials of possible violence after
tracking Uighur reactions online to a fight between Uighur and Han Chinese
workers in southern China, in which Han workers killed two Uighurs.
¡§However, officials did not act on his recommendations,¡¨ the letter says.
The letter¡¦s two dozen signers include well-known rights lawyer Teng Biao (¼ğ³C)
and Fan Yafeng (S¨È®p), a legal scholar and former researcher at the official
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Only one apparent Uighur name is among them.
Both Teng and Fan confirmed yesterday that they signed the letter.
On Friday, another three Uighurs were jailed for running popular Uighur-language
sites with content considered politically sensitive.
Amnesty International on Friday condemned their closed trial and convictions.
All four Uighurs were convicted under the same vaguely worded charge of
¡§endangering state security¡¨ that China¡¦s authoritarian government often uses to
silence political critics.
Hundreds of people have been arrested after the riots and about two dozen were
sentenced to death. Many Uighurs remain unaccounted for and are believed to be
in custody.
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