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Uyghur News / World Uyghur Congress

» Regional court’s approval of death penalty and other punishments in July 5 cases demonstrates rigidity, political motivation of Chinese judicial authorities... - 01-November-2009
Regional court’s approval of death penalty and other punishments in July 5 cases demonstrates rigidity, political motivation of Chinese judicial authorities 10/30/2009 | Press Releases index -> For immediate release October 30, 2009, 7:15 PM EST Contact: Uyghur American Association +1 (202) 349 1496 The Uyghur American Association (UAA) expresses profound disappointment in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) Higher People’s Court’s ruling upholding of the sentences of 21 defendants convicted of charges related to the July 5 unrest in the regional capital of Urumchi. Nine of those convicted were sentenced to death. The trials of the 21 men sentenced in connection with the July 5 unrest did not adhere to standards of either domestic or international law. The verdicts are slated to be reviewed once more by China’s Supreme People’s Court. Since China’s Supreme Court began reviewing all of the country’s death penalty cases in 2007, it has overturned some sentences issued by lower

» International Religious Freedom Report 2009 - 27-October-2009
International Religious Freedom Report 2009 U.S. Department of State The Constitution states that Chinese citizens "enjoy freedom of religious belief." It also bans the state, public organizations, and individuals from compelling citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion. The Constitution and laws protect only "normal religious activities" that are overseen by the five (Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant) state-sanctioned "patriotic religious associations" (PRAs). Officials have wide latitude to interpret the phrase "normal religious activities." By law only the PRAs may register religious groups and places of worship. The Government permits proselytism in registered places of worship and in private settings, but does not permit it in public, in unregistered places of worship, or by foreigners. The Constitution states that religious bodies and affairs are not "subject to any foreign domination" and affirms the leading role of the officially atheist Chi

» Australian Uyghur Scholar Alleges Massacre - 26-October-2009
Australian Uyghur Scholar Alleges Massacre An entire Uyghur community disappeared that night. Epoch Times In an interview with The Epoch Times, Shohret introduced himself as a teacher who used to work at Xinjiang University in Urumqi, and now still has many relatives and friends in Urumqi. An Uyghur residential area in Urumqi called the Horserace Track (Sai Ma Chang in Chinese) was surrounded by police, and male residents were rounded up in the field, according to an article entitled “Tight Security in Xinjiang,” published by Radio Free Asia on July 6. According to Shohret, a massacre took place in complete darkness on the night of July 5. "The Horserace Track community disappeared. Many were killed, some fled." “The lights were all turned off and only the sounds of machine guns could be heard, so there’s no telling how many were killed, and people probably will never find out anyway.” said Shohret. “On July 7, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) instigated Han Chinese to ta

» China's Xinjiang 'isolated' by email, phone blocks... - 26-October-2009
China's Xinjiang 'isolated' by email, phone blocks AFP BEIJING — Residents in China's restive Xinjiang region remain isolated from the outside world with long-lasting Internet and phone cuts that have prompted some businesses to relocate, locals said Saturday. Emails are still blocked nearly four months after deadly ethnic unrest erupted in the regional capital Urumqi, as are text messages and international phone calls, residents told AFP. "Our business has been seriously affected, and we have had to set up an office in Lanzhou (capital of neighbouring Gansu province)," said the head of an Urumqi-based firm, who asked to remain anonymous. Xinjiang authorities "set up a green channel (for calls and the Internet) for... trade companies in Xinjiang, but it's not enough for us to handle business", he told AFP by phone. Riots erupted in Urumqi on July 5, leaving 197 people dead, according to official figures, in the worst ethnic violence in China in decades. Authorities quickly reacted by

» Still No Internet or SMS Allowed in China's Muslim Region... - 23-October-2009
Still No Internet or SMS Allowed in China's Muslim Region Owen Fletcher, IDG News Service Oct 23, 2009 Nearly four months after deadly ethnic riots in China's Muslim region led authorities to shut off the Internet there, local residents are still barred from sending text messages and getting online. The clampdown on telecommunication in China's western Xinjiang province, where rioting claimed nearly 200 lives in early July, has hurt local businesses and cut residents off from many nongovernment sources of news and other information. The rioting between Uighurs, a mostly Muslim minority group native to Xinjiang, and Chinese Han, the country's ethnic majority, also led China to block various social networking Web sites nationwide. Twitter, similar Chinese services and Facebook all remain inaccessible in the country. China has blamed communication on such Web sites for helping lead to the riots, which were sparked by an ethnic brawl in far-away southern China. Observers have cited a seri

» East Turkestan: Testing Conditions - 23-October-2009
East Turkestan: Testing Conditions Friday, 23 October 2009 When the Melbourne International Film Festival refused Chinese demands to drop documentary The 10 Conditions Of Love from this year's line-up, international controversy ensued. Adam Benzine reports. Below is an article published by C21 Media: The 10 Conditions of Love, a documentary about exiled Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer, hit headlines worldwide in July, dragging the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) into a maelstrom of controversy. MIFF's decision to screen the film and host a Q&A with Kadeer drew condemnation from the Chinese consulate in Australia, which demanded the doc be withdrawn. The festival's refusal led to its website being hijacked and crashed by Chinese hackers – a move that focused global attention on the film. But, recalls producer John Lewis, the doc nearly didn't make the line-up. "We were very lucky," he says. "I pestered them and pestered them, and (MIFF director) Richard Mo

» East Turkestan: China Accused of Abuses Against Uighurs - 23-October-2009
East Turkestan: China Accused of Abuses Against Uighurs Friday, 23 October 2009 In the program The World Today on ABC News, Dinah PoKempner, general counsel for Human Rights Watch, talked about abuses against Uighurs. Below is an article published by ABC News: ELEANOR HALL: A human rights group is warning that ethnic tensions in the Uighur region of China are at extreme levels and is calling on the international community to condemn the Chinese Government's response to this year's deadly ethnic riots. Last week, Chinese authorities sentenced nine men to death for being involved in the protests. Today the New York based group, Human Rights Watch, released its report into the unrest in the Urumqi area of China. It found that authorities detained at least 43 Uighur men and boys who have since disappeared. Dinah PoKempner is the general counsel for Human Rights Watch and she spoke to me from New York. Dinah PoKempner thanks for joining us. Now your report says t

» Uighur leader urges Japan to press China on rights - 21-October-2009
Uighur leader urges Japan to press China on rights AFP TOKYO — Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, alleging that China has "destroyed" her Muslim people, is urging Japan's new government not to ignore their plight as it presses to bolster ties with Beijing. Kadeer was speaking during a visit to Japan, where Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's centre-left government took power five weeks ago vowing to improve regional ties and to promote an EU-style Asian community. US-based Kadeer, whom China labels a separatist, arrived Tuesday for a 10-day visit, her second trip to Japan this year, triggering an immediate protest from China against Japan for allowing her entry. Speaking with AFP late Tuesday, Kadeer criticised China for rights abuses but said she was ready to talk with Beijing on improving ethnic minority policies as she seeks "self-determination" for her people. "I hope Japan will talk with the Chinese government about the problem," added the grandmother and mother-of-11. "Japan plays

» Many 'missing' after China riots - 21-October-2009
Many 'missing' after China riots By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing , 21 October 2009 Dozens of ethnic Uighurs have disappeared since being detained in the wake of the riots in China's Xinjiang region, a human rights group has said. Human Rights Watch said the 43 men and teenaged boys were taken in police sweeps of Uighur districts of Urumqi, and had since vanished without a trace. The riots and protests in the city in early July left nearly 200 people dead. China's central government declined to answer questions about those detained by the authorities in Xinjiang. It referred questions about the ethnic unrest to the regional government, which also did not respond to enquiries from the BBC. 'Not global leadership' "The cases we documented are likely just the tip of the iceberg," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. The rights group is calling for the Chinese government to give details of everyone it is holding in detention. In a report on the disappeared people

» China: Detainees ‘Disappeared’ After Xinjiang Protests - 21-October-2009
China: Detainees ‘Disappeared’ After Xinjiang Protests Chinese Government Should Account for Every Detainee Human Rights Watch (New York) - The Chinese government should immediately account for all detainees in its custody and allow independent investigations into the July 2009 protests in Urumqi and their aftermath, Human Rights Watch said in a new report on enforced "disappearances" released today. The 44-page report, "‘We Are Afraid to Even Look for Them': Enforced Disappearances in the Wake of Xinjiang's Protests," documents the enforced disappearances of 43 Uighur men and teenage boys who were detained by Chinese security forces in the wake of the protests. "The cases we documented are likely just the tip of the iceberg," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Chinese government says it respects the rule of law, but nothing could undermine this claim more than taking people from their homes or off the street and ‘disappearing' them - leaving their families uns

» Uyghur activist likely to visit Japan Tuesday as visa issued - 20-October-2009
Uyghur activist likely to visit Japan Tuesday as visa issued Kyodo News Exiled Uyghur activist Rebiya Kadeer is expected to visit Japan from the United States as early as Tuesday as the government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has issued her a visa, government and other sources said Monday.

» Uighur leader to visit Japan, likely to irk China - 19-October-2009
Uighur leader to visit Japan, likely to irk China Reuters TOKYO (Reuters) - Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer will visit Japan on Tuesday, a trip that is likely to upset China which has accused her of instigating ethnic riots that killed about 200 people earlier this year. The official website of Kadeer's group, the World Uighur Congress, said she would be in Japan until Nov. 2, where she will deliver speeches at 10 universities. Kadeer, a former businesswoman who now leads the World Uighur Congress, last visited to Japan in July, but this week's trip will be her first since Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has vowed to deepen ties with Beijing, took office last month. China strongly condemned Tokyo for allowing her to visit last time. Beijing has repeatedly blamed Kadeer for triggering the deadly July unrest in the strategic and energy-rich northwestern region of Xinjiang, home to Muslim Uighurs. Kadeer has denied the allegations. Along with Tibet, Xinjiang is one of the most poli

» Suining Deaths 'Not About Xinjiang' - 19-October-2009
Suining Deaths 'Not About Xinjiang' 2009-10-19 Conflicting reports emerge about violence in China's southwestern province of Sichuan. HONG KONG—Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan have denied reports of a series of syringe stabbings like those reported in Urumqi in September, but they have confirmed that people have been beaten to death in the city this month. The Chinese-language Apollo News Web site reported Oct. 4 that five people were beaten to death by angry crowds in early October, with some local people saying they were thieves, and others saying they were suspected syringe attackers of the kind reported in September's attacks in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Police in Suining confirmed that people had been beaten to death but ruled out a racial element in the attacks. "The status of the victims and the cause of the event is not clear yet," an employee who answered the phone at the Shehong police station in Sichuan's Suining city said. "T

» Uyghur Leader Seeks Support in New Zealand - 19-October-2009
Uyghur Leader Seeks Support in New Zealand Epoch Times NEW ZEALAND—Uyghur leader and campaigner Rebiya Kadeer says that the northwestern province of Xinjiang, China, is like an "open prison" for the Uyghur people. She is calling on the Chinese authorities to stop their "cultural genocide." The exiled activist, who has been labeled a “terrorist” by the Chinese Communist Party, was speaking out to audiences at Auckland University and the Pioneer Women's Hall earlier this week. Introducing Ms. Kadeer, Green Party Member of Parliament Keith Locke said that the Green Party's invitation to Rebiya Kadeer had raised questions over democracy, not only in China, but in New Zealand as well. Mr. Locke said that Auckland University's initial refusal to allow Ms. Kadeer to speak on campus set a bad precedent. Everyone should be free to speak and debate ideas on university property, he said. “We will [not] deny the students, the lecturers and people of Auckland the right to hear her on univers

» Uighur leader slams Book Fair for honoring China - 19-October-2009
Uighur leader slams Book Fair for honoring China Reuters FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer sharply criticized the Frankfurt Book Fair for inviting China as its guest this year, arguing that the country should not be honored given its poor human rights track record. "It is just not right to welcome a country, where executions are a daily occurrence and human rights are treated with disrespect," Kadeer, a former businesswoman who now leads the exile group the World Uighur Congress, said at the book fair on Sunday, the last day of the fair. "Before the Olympic Games, the world was of the opinion China would be forced to respect human rights more as the world turned its attention to the games in China," said Kadeer, her long grey hair in her signature braids and wearing a traditional four-cornered Uighur cap. Amnesty International in a report last year criticized China for failing to honor vows to improve rights that officials made in lobbying for the Games, and sai

» Seeing unrest puts people's plight in focus- Chinese have whittled patience of Uighurs... - 18-October-2009
Seeing unrest puts people's plight in focus- Chinese have whittled patience of Uighurs by Hunter Dudley Article Last Updated; Sunday, October 18, 2009 2:49AM Burnt-out shells of buses. Shattered store windows. Blood on the streets. This was the scene this July in Urumqi, China. To the observer back home in Colorado, the troubles of this industrial city on the other side of the globe were not consequential to everyday life. But when the riots were directly in front of my face this summer, the situation became very real, very fast. But it’s not like I was caught completely off my feet, either. My family and I were in an area of China known as Xinjiang Province. Known officially as Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, it is home to the Uighur ethnic minority. In the province, the Uighurs are the majority, as the population is 90 percent Muslim. Constantly crisscrossed by different ethnic groups, great nations such as Great Britain and China have maneuvered for supremacy of the

» 'Subversive' Messages Lead to Shut Down of Chinese Internet Phone Company... - 17-October-2009
'Subversive' Messages Lead to Shut Down of Chinese Internet Phone Company Oct 17, 2009 One of China’s largest internet phone service providers suspended its services and apparently shut its website down on Oct. 7, after being accused of harboring users who were spreading “Xinjiang independence” messages through its network. A notice claiming to be from UUCall, a voice over IP (VoIP) company, was later posted on the Internet, indicating that an official body had instructed the company to make changes to its service. VoIP is a protocol that allows calls to be made through the internet. The notice, attributed to username UUCall102 on Baidu Post, a popular website, explained that UUCall is actively communicating with the unspecified government department that issued the shut down, and informed users that its services will soon be resumed. With over 30 million registered users in mainland China, the company promises to “assume responsibility for all its customers.” At present, a call to UU

» CECC Releases 2009 Annual Report on Human Rights and Rule of Law in China... - 16-October-2009
CECC Releases 2009 Annual Report on Human Rights and Rule of Law in China 2009-10-16 (Washington, D.C.)—The Congressional-Executive Commission on China released its 2009 Annual Report on human rights and the rule of law in China on October 16, along with a PDF containing case records of 1,279 political prisoners currently detained or imprisoned in China. “We are deeply concerned about continued human rights abuses and stalled rule of law reform documented in the Commission's 2009 Annual Report. Many Chinese government policies designed to address social unrest and bolster the Communist Party's authority are resulting in a period of declining human rights for Chinese citizens,” said Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Chairman of the Commission in a joint statement with Representative Sander Levin, Co-Chairman of the Commission. “The Chinese Government has made economic development a priority, and has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. But, Chinese government policies and pract

» POLITICIZED VERDICTS FOR SIX UYGHUR DEFENDANTS GIVEN DEATH SENTENCES... - 15-October-2009
POLITICIZED VERDICTS FOR SIX UYGHUR DEFENDANTS GIVEN DEATH SENTENCES For immediate release October 14, 2009, 1:40 pm EST Contact: Uyghur American Association +1 (202) 349 1496 Following an unannounced trial on October 12, the Intermediate People’s Court of Urumchi sentenced Uyghur defendants Abdukerim Abduwayit, Gheni Yusup, Abdulla Mettohti, Adil Rozi, Nureli Wuxiu’er (Hoshur) and Alim Metyusup to death on charges of murder and other crimes they were alleged to have committed during July 5 unrest in Urumchi, the regional capital of East Turkestan. A seventh man, Tayirejan Abulimit, was sentenced to life in prison on charges of murder and robbery. The Uyghur American Association (UAA) strongly protests the verdicts handed down to these men, out of concern that the men faced highly politicized trials that did not adhere to standards of either domestic or international law. UAA calls upon the international community to express concern over the verdicts, in light of a demonstrated lack o

» UNPO Special Report: - 14-October-2009
UNPO Special Report: "60 Years Anniversary Of The Founding Of China-But For Which People?" UNPO UNPO publishes a special report to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China which draws attention to the ongoing and in many cases worsening situation of the different ethnic and religious groups that reside within China's borders. UNPO demands that these voiceless people are not forgotten amidst the great pomp and splendour of today's unabashed celebrations. To download the report, please click here.