East Turkestan Governmen-in-Exile Calls International Community to Exert Pressure on China to Immediate and Unconditional Release for Ilham Tohti Written by East Turkistan Governmen-in-Exile Category: Latest For immediate release September 23,2014, 5pm EST Contact: East Turkestan Government-in-Exile. Tel: 647 210 0709 East Turkistan Governmen-in-Exile deeply disturbed and strongly condemns the life sentence given to Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti for alleged separatism display by the Chinese court. ETGE also believed that China leads diminishing of hope for Uyghurs to reach a democratic and peaceful solution for East Turkistan. Mr. Tohti, worked as a professor at Beijing’s Minzu University (formerly Central Nationalities University) in China. He is not only the founder of the “Uyghur Online” website, he is also credited for having many of his own research on Uyghur issues published in editorials and policy proposals. Tohti has always preached harmony and cooperation between the Han Chinese nationalities and the Uyghur people, and consistently hopes for them to reach a peaceful resolution. As well, Tohti brought attention to the various injustices in East Turkistan and demanded social justice and fair treatment be assured for the Uyghur people. However, Tohti and his family were subject to brutal harassment by Chinese Authorities, having been put under house arrest and surveillance until Tohti was eventually arrested and detained on January 2014 under the charges of alleged separatism. In September 23, 2014, The Chinese court sentenced Mr.Tohti to life imprisonment and confiscated all his possessions. Such unjustified and unacceptable harsh punishment against the Mr. Tohti reveal the nature of the Chinese communist regime, failure of its justice system and the cruelty of its colonial policy in East Turkistan. East Turkistan itself was invaded by the Chinese government in 1949, and contained a significant population of Uyghur people. The Uyghur people have long suffered since under the harshness of China’s colonial policies, with tension continuously rising between the Uyghur people and Han Chinese settlers. Despite even the most benevolent of Uyghur struggle, many Uyghurs are quickly being detained with the label of separatism or terrorism. Recently, peaceful protestors in Yarkent county demanding religious freedom in July 28th, 2014, were massacred by Chinese military drones. The death tolls exceeded the thousands. Religious symbols are banned and any talk about the various injustices leads to arrest, torture, or execution. All Uyghurs, including Ilham Tohti, have the absolute right to demand freedom and independence for their home of East Turkistan. They have the absolute right to demand China liberate East Turkistan through ‘self-determination’ according to international law. However Ilham Tohti himself never mentions anything about independence and instead wishes for basic human and civil rights to be finally brought and social justice to be finally served. Yet still, he is accused of being a separatist with terrible ambitions. In convicting Ilham Tohti, China is convicting basic human rights of Uyghurs. Although East Turkistan Government-in-Exile do not share the political view of Mr.Tohti on giving up independency, ETGE deeply appreciate Mr.Tohti’s peaceful contribution, his courage to advocate greater understanding between Chinese state and Uyghur people, his heroism and bravery. However, It is impossible for the Chinese government to understand his language since it is inconsistent with China’s core values of communism and totalitarianism. “If this is the definition of China for the ‘separatism’ it indicates that relations are being further strained and any hope for a peaceful solution is quickly diminishing. We are strongly disappointed as we still desire to find a mutually respective resolution as little bloodshed as possible; however China is making it increasingly difficult to do.” Said Ahmatjan Osman, the acting president of East Turkistan Republic in a statement. East Turkistan Government-in-Exile calls upon the international community to understand the plight of the Uyghur people and to exert pressure on China to immediate and unconditional release of Ilham Tohti. East Turkistan Government-in-Exile is not a continuation of East Turkistan Republic, the only legal government of East Turkistan that existed in 1944 until its president and cabinet members were killed at mysterious plane crash. East Turkistan Government-in-Exile is symbolic in nature and was established on September 14, 2004 in Washington DC by exiled Uyghurs within the participation of eight Uyghur organization in exile to continue resist occupation in East Turkistan.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 18:43:34 +0000
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