Uyghur webmasters sentenced — 06.08.2010
Sydney PEN has learned from Uyghur PEN and Radio Free Asia that three webmasters have allegedly been sentenced for reporting content deemed by the Chinese government to be politically sensitive. This news follows the reported sentencing of Gheyret Niyaz, a prominent Uyghur journalist and webmaster. Niyaz was sentenced in late July to fifteen years imprisonment for “endangering state security” for his running of the website Uyghur Online. A group of 51 Han Chinese lawyers and academics posted an open letter of concern about Niyaz’s case and “the criminalization of free speech” affecting the Uyghur population. Visit our campaign profile on Mr Niyaz and sign our petition letter.
Millions of Uyghurs—a distinct, Turkic minority who are predominantly Muslim—populate Central Asia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of northwestern China. Ethnic tensions between Uyghurs and majority Han Chinese settlers erupted in July 2009 in rioting that left some 200 people dead, according to the Chinese government’s tally. Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness despite China’s ambitious plans to develop its vast northwestern frontier. Chinese authorities blame Uyghur separatists for a series of deadly attacks in recent years and accuse one group in particular of maintaining links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Read about this issue in a recent article for The Wall Street Journal by president of the World Uyghur Congress, Rabiya Kadeer.