UAA/UHRP
29-09-05, 07:07
China Celebrates, Uyghurs Mourn – Human Rights Violations and the 50th Anniversary of the XUAR
For immediate release
September 29, 2005, 12:00 EST
Contact in Washington, DC +1 (202) 349 1496
Contact in London, UK +44 (0)7811 779 316
The full report in pdf format is available here
A new report issued today reveals the sweeping extent of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) as the Chinese authorities prepare to celebrate 50 years of control of the region on October 1.
The anniversary represents a significant opportunity for the Chinese authorities to re-assert their presence in the region, but there is little to celebrate for the indigenous majority in the region, the Uyghurs.
The celebrations are being held amidst heightened security in the regional capital Urumchi, with Luo Gan, the Chinese minister for public security stressing the danger of a terrorist attack on the event. In the four years since the US administration specifically warned China that the post 9/11 war on terror “must never be used to persecute minoritiesâ€, Beijing has deliberately linked peaceful Uyghur nationalism with “terrorismâ€, bringing about a massive crackdown on Uyghur culture and identity.
The new report by the Washington, DC-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), Uyghurs and Human Rights: the 50th Anniversary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, reveals:
* Uyghurs are the only people executed on political charges by the Chinese authorities – there are concerns there will be a wave of executions on Saturday following a pattern reported during other significant anniversaries;
* Uyghur writers and poets are jailed and Uyghur books are burned in the name of “upholding the unity of the ethnic minoritiesâ€;
* Uyghurs are forbidden from expressing religious beliefs in the name of “guiding religion to adapt to socialismâ€;
* Children as young as 8 are made to pick cotton on state farms in the name of “part work, part studyâ€.
Luo Gan said today that the past 50 years in Xinjiang represented a “great victory†for the Chinese Communist Party’s rule of Xinjiang, while the system of “regional autonomy†allowed Uyghurs to be “masters of their own affairsâ€.
However, Uyghurs and Human Rights also details how under the system of “regional autonomyâ€, Uyghurs are being systematically marginalized in the social, economic and cultural fields. For instance, Uyghurs are paid less for the same work than the huge numbers of Chinese migrant workers; Uyghur towns and cities are disappearing to Chinese “redevelopmentâ€; and the region’s vast mineral wealth is being transferred directly to China, leaving no benefit behind for the Uyghurs.
“We hope this overview report will be useful for human rights campaigners, academics and politicians,†said Nury Turkel, President of the UAA. “But most of all, we hope it will help the Uyghurs finally attain the dignity and respect denied them for 50 years.â€
While China celebrates 50 years of administration in the region, the Uyghur people’s human rights are continuing to deteriorate to an extent where the Uyghur people are becoming increasingly disenfranchised and increasingly desperate.
Uyghurs and Human Rights argues there is an urgent need for the Chinese authorities to fundamentally review failing security and development policies in the region.
Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP)Uyghur American Association (UAA)1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400Washington, DC 20006, USATel: (202) 349-1496Fax: (202) 349-1491 Email: info@uhrp.org
All Content is Copyright to the Author. Close This Window
For immediate release
September 29, 2005, 12:00 EST
Contact in Washington, DC +1 (202) 349 1496
Contact in London, UK +44 (0)7811 779 316
The full report in pdf format is available here
A new report issued today reveals the sweeping extent of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) as the Chinese authorities prepare to celebrate 50 years of control of the region on October 1.
The anniversary represents a significant opportunity for the Chinese authorities to re-assert their presence in the region, but there is little to celebrate for the indigenous majority in the region, the Uyghurs.
The celebrations are being held amidst heightened security in the regional capital Urumchi, with Luo Gan, the Chinese minister for public security stressing the danger of a terrorist attack on the event. In the four years since the US administration specifically warned China that the post 9/11 war on terror “must never be used to persecute minoritiesâ€, Beijing has deliberately linked peaceful Uyghur nationalism with “terrorismâ€, bringing about a massive crackdown on Uyghur culture and identity.
The new report by the Washington, DC-based Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), Uyghurs and Human Rights: the 50th Anniversary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, reveals:
* Uyghurs are the only people executed on political charges by the Chinese authorities – there are concerns there will be a wave of executions on Saturday following a pattern reported during other significant anniversaries;
* Uyghur writers and poets are jailed and Uyghur books are burned in the name of “upholding the unity of the ethnic minoritiesâ€;
* Uyghurs are forbidden from expressing religious beliefs in the name of “guiding religion to adapt to socialismâ€;
* Children as young as 8 are made to pick cotton on state farms in the name of “part work, part studyâ€.
Luo Gan said today that the past 50 years in Xinjiang represented a “great victory†for the Chinese Communist Party’s rule of Xinjiang, while the system of “regional autonomy†allowed Uyghurs to be “masters of their own affairsâ€.
However, Uyghurs and Human Rights also details how under the system of “regional autonomyâ€, Uyghurs are being systematically marginalized in the social, economic and cultural fields. For instance, Uyghurs are paid less for the same work than the huge numbers of Chinese migrant workers; Uyghur towns and cities are disappearing to Chinese “redevelopmentâ€; and the region’s vast mineral wealth is being transferred directly to China, leaving no benefit behind for the Uyghurs.
“We hope this overview report will be useful for human rights campaigners, academics and politicians,†said Nury Turkel, President of the UAA. “But most of all, we hope it will help the Uyghurs finally attain the dignity and respect denied them for 50 years.â€
While China celebrates 50 years of administration in the region, the Uyghur people’s human rights are continuing to deteriorate to an extent where the Uyghur people are becoming increasingly disenfranchised and increasingly desperate.
Uyghurs and Human Rights argues there is an urgent need for the Chinese authorities to fundamentally review failing security and development policies in the region.
Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP)Uyghur American Association (UAA)1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400Washington, DC 20006, USATel: (202) 349-1496Fax: (202) 349-1491 Email: info@uhrp.org
All Content is Copyright to the Author. Close This Window