Following his detention on October 4, 2009, Uyghur journalist Gheyret Niyaz has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for "endangering state security." These charges stem from the interview Niyaz gave to foreign reporters regarding the riots that occurred in East Turkestan (aka Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region) on July 5, 2009. During the interview, Niyaz criticized the unequal distribution of wealth in East Turkestan and accused authorities of heavy-handedness in their campaign to fight Uyghur “separatism.” Before his detention, Niyaz had worked at the Xinjiang Economic Daily and had previously been a director of the Xinjiang Legal Daily. He has been given 15 days to appeal his case. He is being denied the right to choose an attorney for himself and will instead be provided one by the state.

Many believe that Niyaz’s punishment was far to harsh for his crime, especially since many who know him all express that he is in fact very pro-Communist party. In his court statement, as reported by his wife Risalet, Niyaz expressed his confusion and disappointment that the government would treat him this way when he was just doing his duty “as a citizen and as a journalist” by making facts about the riot privy to the outside world. Many, such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, are calling for Niyaz’s immediate release including Ilham Tohti, who had founded the website Uighurbiz.cn which Niyaz helped to edit. Tohti himself was detained in July 2009 following the riots on the charge that his website had advocated for the unrest but he was later released on August 2, 2009. Niyaz’s arrest and subsequent harsh treatment is viewed as another example of suppression being brought against the Uyghurs by the Chinese government. Following the riots, the Chinese government also blocked many internet communications including a 6 month blackout and brought even more heightened security following the anniversary of the riots.

In the Washington D.C. area?  Then make sure you join us for a screening of On a Tightrope, a documentary following four Uyghur children living in an orphanage who dream of becoming champion tightrope walkers, an ancient Uyghur tradition.  The film examines the hardship the children face and the struggles of all Uyghur people living under Chinese Communist rule.

See the film at the Laogai Museum (1109 M St NW, Washington, DC) on February 11, 2010 at 6PM.  Traditional Uyghur snacks and refreshments to be served. Come early to see our Special Exhibition "The Uyghur Experience:Sixty Years Under Chinese Communist Rule"

This event is co-sponsored by the Laogai Research Foundation and the Uyghur American Association.

Also make sure you check out our live blog of the event here.

According to Xinhua (via Reuters and BBC), earlier today the Chinese government pressed forward in the campaign against the Uyghur’s arrested after the July riots in East Turkestan (Xinjiang) that left approximately 200 people dead and wounded an additional 1,600 people, according to government statistics.  In a court in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, five more people were sentenced to death.

Previously, nine were executed last month and three others were given the death penalty with a two year reprieve. 

Along with the five sentenced to death, eight other individuals received prison time, with two receiving life in prison.  This new batch of sentences brings the total number of July uprising convictions to 34, with five more cases to be heard in court tomorrow.

For more on the struggle of the Uyghur people and the occupation of East Turkestan, please see Harry Wu's interview with Rebiya Kadeer and the Uyghur American Association.
 

UPDATE:  See the text of David Yu's speech, "The Importance of Uyghur-Western Solidarity", attached at the end of this post

The Future of Uyghur-Han Chinese Relations

Live Blog of a Panel Discussion sponsored by the Laogai Research Foundation, National Endowment for Democracy, and the Uyghur American Association
Featuring Nury Turkel, Attorney at Law; Dr. Sean R. Roberts, George Washington University; and David Yu, Publisher, Beijing Spring
Moderated by Amy Reger, Uyghur Human Rights Project; and Louisa Greve, National Endowment for Democracy
 

10:00 AM - Louisa Greve introduces partners in the panel discussion, including the Laogai Research Foundation and the Uyghur American Association.  She speaks on NED's support for 25 years, and notes the importance of minority rights in their work.  

10:13 AM - The NED supported the Uyghur Human Rights Project, headed up by Nury Turkel.  Since then 3 more grants support Uyghurs and develop projects that act as "a voice for the voiceless." (Read more after the jump)

Late Sunday evening, the PRC government issued a white paper entitled “China's Ethnic Policy and Common Prosperity and Development of All Ethnic Groups.”  In an all too common attempt to "harmonize" the historical record of the Middle Kingdom, the report details the full economic integration of modern China's 56 nationalities, complete with charts and graphs.

In a strangely Stalinist assertion, the report claims, “The common cultural and psychological characteristics of all ethnic groups in China became increasingly more mature and outstanding.  Today, the Chinese nation has become a name with which all ethnic groups in China identify themselves and to which they give their allegiance.”  The report boldly concludes, “Sixty years of experiences have proved that China’s ethnic policies are correct and effective…”
 
But if China's inter-ethnic relations are in fact “harmonious,” why did the 2008 riots in Tibet and the 2009 riots in East Turkestan happen?  And, if ethnic relations in China are indeed doing so greatly, why would China need to issue a white paper on ethnic policy begin with?