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| Prominent Uighur academic Ilham Tohti jailed for life | Prominent Uighur academic Ilham Tohti jailed for life |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A court in China has found a prominent Uighur scholar guilty of separatism and jailed him for life, his lawyer says. | A court in China has found a prominent Uighur scholar guilty of separatism and jailed him for life, his lawyer says. |
| Ilham Tohti, a former university academic, has spoken out on the government's policies towards the Muslim Uighur minority in the restive region of Xinjiang. | |
| Mr Tohti, who denies the charges against him, has been detained since January. | Mr Tohti, who denies the charges against him, has been detained since January. |
| The EU, US and the United Nations have called for his release. | The EU, US and the United Nations have called for his release. |
| Mr Tohti's lawyer, Li Fangpin, told AFP news agency that he planned to appeal against the verdict. | |
| The academic is seen outside China as a moderate voice who has campaigned for better dialogue between Beijing and the Uighur community. | |
| Mr Tohti was detained after he criticised Beijing's response to a suicide car attack near Tiananmen Square. The government blamed that incident on separatists from Xinjiang. | |
| Observers said the verdict could further stoke tensions between the Uighurs and the majority Han Chinese. |