This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/18/world/asia/separatism-trial-of-ilham-tohti-uighur-scholar-set-to-begin-in-china.html

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Uighur Scholar Charged With Separatism Goes on Trial in China Uighur Scholar Charged With Separatism Goes on Trial in China
(about 2 hours later)
URUMQI, China — A prominent ethnic Uighur economics professor from Beijing was put on trial Wednesday here in the far western region of Xinjiang on charges of separatism, which could result in a death sentence.URUMQI, China — A prominent ethnic Uighur economics professor from Beijing was put on trial Wednesday here in the far western region of Xinjiang on charges of separatism, which could result in a death sentence.
The trial of the professor, Ilham Tohti, began in the morning at the Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court here in Xinjiang’s capital. Police officers stood on alert outside the courthouse and in the surrounding streets. Since 2009, when deadly ethnic rioting erupted in parts of Urumqi, officials have been watchful for any potential outbreaks of violence in the city, which has large populations of both Uighurs and Han, the dominant ethnicity in China.The trial of the professor, Ilham Tohti, began in the morning at the Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court here in Xinjiang’s capital. Police officers stood on alert outside the courthouse and in the surrounding streets. Since 2009, when deadly ethnic rioting erupted in parts of Urumqi, officials have been watchful for any potential outbreaks of violence in the city, which has large populations of both Uighurs and Han, the dominant ethnicity in China.
Mr. Tohti appeared in court in casual clothes and without handcuffs, one of his lawyers, Liu Xiaoyuan, said on Twitter during an afternoon recess.Mr. Tohti appeared in court in casual clothes and without handcuffs, one of his lawyers, Liu Xiaoyuan, said on Twitter during an afternoon recess.
While some Uighurs advocate an independent nation called East Turkestan to be carved from Xinjiang, Mr. Tohti is widely considered a moderate voice who has promoted dialogue between Uighurs and Han. After police officers from Xinjiang and Beijing raided his home in the Chinese capital in January and detained him, human rights advocates, foreign scholars and diplomats criticized his harsh treatment by the authorities on what they say are spurious charges.While some Uighurs advocate an independent nation called East Turkestan to be carved from Xinjiang, Mr. Tohti is widely considered a moderate voice who has promoted dialogue between Uighurs and Han. After police officers from Xinjiang and Beijing raided his home in the Chinese capital in January and detained him, human rights advocates, foreign scholars and diplomats criticized his harsh treatment by the authorities on what they say are spurious charges.
The treatment of Mr. Tohti is seen as another sign of an intensifying crackdown by Chinese officials on Uighurs, a mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking people whose heartland is in southern Xinjiang, where oasis towns sit along what was once the southern Silk Road.The treatment of Mr. Tohti is seen as another sign of an intensifying crackdown by Chinese officials on Uighurs, a mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking people whose heartland is in southern Xinjiang, where oasis towns sit along what was once the southern Silk Road.
“Mr. Tohti absolutely maintains his innocence,” Li Fangping, Mr. Tohti’s main lawyer, said in an interview on Wednesday morning before the trial’s start. “Mr. Tohti is an advocate for Uighur rights and religious freedom for the Uighur people, but he was never an advocate for Xinjiang independence or any kind of separatism.”“Mr. Tohti absolutely maintains his innocence,” Li Fangping, Mr. Tohti’s main lawyer, said in an interview on Wednesday morning before the trial’s start. “Mr. Tohti is an advocate for Uighur rights and religious freedom for the Uighur people, but he was never an advocate for Xinjiang independence or any kind of separatism.”
Mr. Tohti’s daughter, Jewher Ilham, said by telephone from Indiana University in Bloomington, where she is studying, that she was awaiting word from her stepmother and uncle, who were expected to be in the courtroom. “My father didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “I’m really confused now and anxious.”Mr. Tohti’s daughter, Jewher Ilham, said by telephone from Indiana University in Bloomington, where she is studying, that she was awaiting word from her stepmother and uncle, who were expected to be in the courtroom. “My father didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “I’m really confused now and anxious.”
She said that her father had been experiencing increased police surveillance at his home in Beijing before his detention and that he had told her to use social media outlets, including Facebook and Twitter, to tell the world of his plight if the Chinese authorities arrested him. “He said, ‘There will be a lot of people to help me,’ ” Ms. Ilham said. She said that her father had been experiencing increased police surveillance at his home in Beijing before his detention and that he had told her to use social media outlets, including Facebook and Twitter, to tell the world of his plight if the Chinese authorities arrested him. “He said, ‘There will be a lot of people to help me,' ” Ms. Ilham said.
Mr. Li said that he expected the trial to take two days and that he did not expect a verdict at the end of the second day. Prosecutors have said that Mr. Tohti can speak for himself at the trial, which will also be the first opportunity for Mr. Tohti’s wife to see him since he was detained, Mr. Li said.Mr. Li said that he expected the trial to take two days and that he did not expect a verdict at the end of the second day. Prosecutors have said that Mr. Tohti can speak for himself at the trial, which will also be the first opportunity for Mr. Tohti’s wife to see him since he was detained, Mr. Li said.
“He was never allowed to see his family anytime during the eight months of detention,” Mr. Li said. “He was not allowed to meet with lawyers for the first five months.”“He was never allowed to see his family anytime during the eight months of detention,” Mr. Li said. “He was not allowed to meet with lawyers for the first five months.”
Mr. Li said Mr. Tohti had been harshly treated throughout his detention. In March, his jailers did not supply him with halal food for 10 days, and Mr. Tohti, who is Muslim, refused to eat. Mr. Tohti was also harassed by ethnic Han inmates who he believed were put near him to watch his moves, and he fought with them after they provoked him and called him an enemy of the state, Mr. Li said. The jailers put shackles around Mr. Tohti’s feet for 10 days, Mr. Li said.Mr. Li said Mr. Tohti had been harshly treated throughout his detention. In March, his jailers did not supply him with halal food for 10 days, and Mr. Tohti, who is Muslim, refused to eat. Mr. Tohti was also harassed by ethnic Han inmates who he believed were put near him to watch his moves, and he fought with them after they provoked him and called him an enemy of the state, Mr. Li said. The jailers put shackles around Mr. Tohti’s feet for 10 days, Mr. Li said.
Mr. Tohti’s trial is being closely followed by foreign officials in China, even if they do not have courtroom access. Diplomats from the United States, Canada, Germany and other Western nations were in Urumqi on Wednesday, including Max Baucus, the American ambassador, who has been visiting Kashgar and Urumqi on a previously scheduled trip to lead a U.S. trade delegation in Xinjiang. The United States Embassy had requested permission to attend the trial but said it received no response, and an American diplomat who went to the courthouse on Wednesday was turned away.Mr. Tohti’s trial is being closely followed by foreign officials in China, even if they do not have courtroom access. Diplomats from the United States, Canada, Germany and other Western nations were in Urumqi on Wednesday, including Max Baucus, the American ambassador, who has been visiting Kashgar and Urumqi on a previously scheduled trip to lead a U.S. trade delegation in Xinjiang. The United States Embassy had requested permission to attend the trial but said it received no response, and an American diplomat who went to the courthouse on Wednesday was turned away.
The embassy on Wednesday called for China to release Mr. Tohti, who had been given a temporary post as a visiting scholar at Indiana University, and several of his students, who were also arrested this year. “His arrest silenced an important Uighur voice that peacefully promoted harmony and understanding among China’s ethnic groups, particularly Uighurs,” an embassy spokesman said. “We stress the importance of Chinese authorities differentiating between peaceful dissent and violent extremism.”The embassy on Wednesday called for China to release Mr. Tohti, who had been given a temporary post as a visiting scholar at Indiana University, and several of his students, who were also arrested this year. “His arrest silenced an important Uighur voice that peacefully promoted harmony and understanding among China’s ethnic groups, particularly Uighurs,” an embassy spokesman said. “We stress the importance of Chinese authorities differentiating between peaceful dissent and violent extremism.”
Human Rights Watch said in a statement Tuesday that Mr. Tohti’s trial “is a disturbing example of politicized show trials and intolerance for peaceful criticism” and “only serves to deepen perceptions of discrimination against Uighurs.”Human Rights Watch said in a statement Tuesday that Mr. Tohti’s trial “is a disturbing example of politicized show trials and intolerance for peaceful criticism” and “only serves to deepen perceptions of discrimination against Uighurs.”
The prosecution of Mr. Tohti is one of the surest signs that the Communist Party, at both the regional and central levels, is committed to taking a hard-line approach to suppressing dissent among the Uighurs, despite warnings from foreign terrorism experts that increased repression here in Xinjiang will contribute to radicalization and provide fertile soil for foreign jihadist groups to plant their ideas.The prosecution of Mr. Tohti is one of the surest signs that the Communist Party, at both the regional and central levels, is committed to taking a hard-line approach to suppressing dissent among the Uighurs, despite warnings from foreign terrorism experts that increased repression here in Xinjiang will contribute to radicalization and provide fertile soil for foreign jihadist groups to plant their ideas.
Officials in Xinjiang have been grappling with what they say are growing incidents of ethnic violence and terrorism directed by Uighurs at ethnic Han. Hundreds of people have died in clashes in Xinjiang this summer; one of the deadliest attacks took place at a morning market in Urumqi in May, when attackers drove cars into the market and possibly set off explosives, killing 39 people and injuring 94, according to official reports. Four attackers also died. The greatest burst of violence in recent years was the riots in 2009, when at least 200 people died, most of them Han. Officials in Xinjiang have been grappling with what they say are growing incidents of ethnic violence and terrorism directed by Uighurs at ethnic Han. Hundreds of people have died in clashes in Xinjiang this summer; one of the deadliest attacks took place at a morning market in Urumqi in May, when attackers drove cars into the market and threw explosives from the windows, killing 39 people and injuring 94, according to official reports. Four attackers also died. The greatest burst of violence in recent years was in 2009, when riots killed at least 200 people, most of them Han.
Officials in Xinjiang and Beijing have tried a range of tactics to deal with the violence. Local governments in Xinjiang are intensifying a clampdown on religious practices by discouraging full veils on women and long beards on men. Signs have appeared in parts of Urumqi and other towns showing X’s across cartoonlike drawings of women with face veils, men with beards and clothing bearing the Islamic crescent moon and star.Officials in Xinjiang and Beijing have tried a range of tactics to deal with the violence. Local governments in Xinjiang are intensifying a clampdown on religious practices by discouraging full veils on women and long beards on men. Signs have appeared in parts of Urumqi and other towns showing X’s across cartoonlike drawings of women with face veils, men with beards and clothing bearing the Islamic crescent moon and star.
The police have detained Uighurs after conducting raids on homes, and courts have convicted the detainees, sometimes sentencing them to death for terrorist activities. The government of Kashgar, a former caravan outpost in Xinjiang’s far west, is paying a company in southern China to create a cartoon, “Princess Fragrant,” that aims to promote ideas of interethnic harmony. President Xi Jinping said in May during a work forum on Xinjiang that officials should adopt policies to better assimilate Uighurs into mainstream Chinese society.The police have detained Uighurs after conducting raids on homes, and courts have convicted the detainees, sometimes sentencing them to death for terrorist activities. The government of Kashgar, a former caravan outpost in Xinjiang’s far west, is paying a company in southern China to create a cartoon, “Princess Fragrant,” that aims to promote ideas of interethnic harmony. President Xi Jinping said in May during a work forum on Xinjiang that officials should adopt policies to better assimilate Uighurs into mainstream Chinese society.
Uighurs have long complained about what they consider the Communist Party’s heavy-handed ethnic policies and say they face widespread discrimination and economic competition from Han migrants coming from other parts of China to find work.Uighurs have long complained about what they consider the Communist Party’s heavy-handed ethnic policies and say they face widespread discrimination and economic competition from Han migrants coming from other parts of China to find work.
Prosecutors said at a pretrial hearing on Sept. 9 that they had gathered more than 100 articles written by Mr. Tohti that the officials considered “incriminating,” Mr. Liu, the lawyer for Mr. Tohti, said by telephone before the trial. The articles had been published on Uighur Online, a website that Mr. Tohti started in late 2005 to promote dialogue between Uighurs and Han and that was later shut down by officials. The prosecutors also said they would present evidence drawn from more than 10 hours of video of Mr. Tohti teaching. Some of Mr. Tohti’s students have been “pressured” to testify against him, Mr. Liu said.Prosecutors said at a pretrial hearing on Sept. 9 that they had gathered more than 100 articles written by Mr. Tohti that the officials considered “incriminating,” Mr. Liu, the lawyer for Mr. Tohti, said by telephone before the trial. The articles had been published on Uighur Online, a website that Mr. Tohti started in late 2005 to promote dialogue between Uighurs and Han and that was later shut down by officials. The prosecutors also said they would present evidence drawn from more than 10 hours of video of Mr. Tohti teaching. Some of Mr. Tohti’s students have been “pressured” to testify against him, Mr. Liu said.
Mr. Tohti’s lawyers have also criticized the fact that he is being put on trial in Xinjiang. Mr. Tohti’s household registration, known as hukou, is in Beijing, where he has been living since 1985 and where he has been teaching at Minzu University of China since 1991.Mr. Tohti’s lawyers have also criticized the fact that he is being put on trial in Xinjiang. Mr. Tohti’s household registration, known as hukou, is in Beijing, where he has been living since 1985 and where he has been teaching at Minzu University of China since 1991.
Though he has been monitored for years by the authorities and detained for brief periods, Mr. Tohti’s most recent travails began in February 2013, when he was separated by the police from his daughter at the main Beijing airport before the two were to board a flight to the United States, where Mr. Tohti was scheduled to start his stint at Indiana University. In January 2014, police officials from Xinjiang and Beijing raided his home. His wife, Guzailai Nu’er, has said that more than two dozen officers took part in the raid and hauled away computers, cellphones and other items.Though he has been monitored for years by the authorities and detained for brief periods, Mr. Tohti’s most recent travails began in February 2013, when he was separated by the police from his daughter at the main Beijing airport before the two were to board a flight to the United States, where Mr. Tohti was scheduled to start his stint at Indiana University. In January 2014, police officials from Xinjiang and Beijing raided his home. His wife, Guzailai Nu’er, has said that more than two dozen officers took part in the raid and hauled away computers, cellphones and other items.
Three students of Mr. Tohti have been held on charges of separatism and revealing state secrets, while the fate of two other detained students is a mystery. At least three students of Mr. Tohti have been held on charges of separatism and revealing state secrets. A total of seven students have been detained, said the parents of one student. The parents, now in Urumqi, said they are anxious and have been unable to contact their son since his initial detention in Beijing on January 15. The son is now being held in Urumqi, they said.
The persecution of Mr. Tohti has helped turn him into an international symbol of China’s harsh repression of Uighurs and members of other ethnic groups that broadly disagree with Chinese policy, including the Tibetans. In April, Mr. Tohti was given the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, and his daughter, Ms. Ilham, picked up the prize and gave an impassioned speech in his defense at a gala evening ceremony in New York.The persecution of Mr. Tohti has helped turn him into an international symbol of China’s harsh repression of Uighurs and members of other ethnic groups that broadly disagree with Chinese policy, including the Tibetans. In April, Mr. Tohti was given the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, and his daughter, Ms. Ilham, picked up the prize and gave an impassioned speech in his defense at a gala evening ceremony in New York.
“I know Ilham Tohti, and he is most certainly not an advocate of separatism,” said Elliot Sperling, a historian of Tibet at Indiana University who had earlier met Mr. Tohti in Beijing and had arranged the visiting position at Indiana for him. “But he is a strong advocate for human rights. Given all that the party and the government have done to alienate so many Uighurs, the justifiable advocacy of real equality and respect for human rights in Xinjiang seems to have been enough for the authorities to consider him dangerous and to have trumped up this case.”“I know Ilham Tohti, and he is most certainly not an advocate of separatism,” said Elliot Sperling, a historian of Tibet at Indiana University who had earlier met Mr. Tohti in Beijing and had arranged the visiting position at Indiana for him. “But he is a strong advocate for human rights. Given all that the party and the government have done to alienate so many Uighurs, the justifiable advocacy of real equality and respect for human rights in Xinjiang seems to have been enough for the authorities to consider him dangerous and to have trumped up this case.”