Gheyret Niyaz -
Uyghur journalist and editor sentenced to fifteen years
Sydney PEN is deeply concerned about several recent cases in China where writers and journalists appear to have been persecuted for exercising their right to freedom expression.
In particular, Sydney PEN is appalled by the fifteen-year prison sentence handed down to Uyghur journalist and editor Gheyret Niyaz on 23 July 2010. Niyaz, who was arrested in October 2009, was convicted on state security charges for his reporting on the July 2009 riots in Urumqi. According our information, he was taken from his home in Tianshan District, Tacheng Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), on 1 October 2009. It is believed that his arrest stems from critical interviews given to foreign media following the unrest which broke out in Urumqi. The prosecution reportedly used as evidence essays written by Niyaz highlighting mounting ethnic tension in the region prior to the riots, and interviews he gave to Hong Kong media after the violence. Niyaz was convicted by the Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court on charges of ‘endangering national security’ on 23 July 2010. Niyaz is currently detained in Tianshan Detention Centre, Urumqi, XUAR.
Sydney PEN is currently undertaking communication with the Australian government regarding this case, and has released a public petition letter to China’s ambassador to Australia, Mr Zhang Junsai. Please print, sign and post this letter (or create a petition by adding your friends' and family’s names) to join our campaign. Don’t forget to let us know if you send a letter, as this helps our campaign profiling.