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UAA Letter to Sec. Powell on
Uyghur detainees at Guantanamo
The Honorable Colin Powell
Secretary of State
United States Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
December 8, 2003
Dear Honorable Secretary Powell:
We write respectfully to seek your assistance to
consider granting political asylum for the Uyghur
detainees at Guantanamo, who have been declared not a
threat to United States interests.
We are deeply disturbed by the recent media reports
that the United States is considering a Chinese
request to return Uyghur detainees to China.
Members of the Uyghur American Association together
with many human rights activists around the world are
concerned that the detainees will be persecuted if
they are returned to China.
Chinese government may promise to United States
government that those detainees will get fair trial if
they are returned to China. However, for the people
who understand China's government and legal system, "a
fair trial" for the opponents of the Communist party
is a farce. It is well known fact that there is no
independent judiciary in China and that government
wields enormous power over the Courts. The Chinese
Communist government has consistently shown utter
disrespect for the rule of law by denying its
citizen's constitutional rights. Even though the
Chinese constitution grants its citizens' the rights
of free speech and demonstration, the government has
in the past, regularly arrested, jailed and even
slaughtered (as in the case of 1989 Tiananmen Massacre)
its critics. Such was the fate of those peaceful and
patriotic Chinese dissidents. It is not difficult to
imagine what the "fair trial" would mean for those
Uyghurs who were detained in Afghanistan and already
branded by Chinese government as terrorists and
separatists.
Moreover, there is no way for the United States and
international organizations to guarantee the fairness
of the trial and the treatment that the detainees will
receive once they are returned to China. Experience
tells us that any appeals and suggestions made by
international organization and United States on their
behalf will fall upon the deaf ears of Chinese
officials. Rebiya Kadeer, the prominent businesswomen
and philanthropist, was arrested and sentenced for
eight years in prison in 1999. United Stated Congress
passed resolutions calling on the release of Rebiya
Kadeer. However she is still languishing in Chinese
prison. Just a month ago, Ghojamamat Abbas, who was
recognized as a refugee by UNHCR, was forcibly
returned to China by Nepalese government and sentenced
to death. Despite appeals by the UNHCR and Amnesty
International against the verdict, the death sentence
was carried out swiftly. China also executed Uyghur
political activists returned by both Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan in 1999. Such was the fate of Uyghurs who
have been returned to China by other countries with
Beijing's assurance that they would be humanly treated.
The fate of Uyghur detainees in Guantanamo will not be
any different if the United States returns them to
China under these Chinese assurances.
Returning the Uyghur detainees in Guantanamo Bay to
China is against the United States interests. Uyghurs
are probably some of the most pro-American Muslims in
the world at a time when there are strong
anti-American sentiment among Muslims in the Middle
East and Southeast Asia. Oppressed by foreign rulers
for more than two centuries, Uyghurs see the United
States of America as a beacon of hope. American
government's continued criticism of China's human
rights record and American assistance to liberation
movements of many nations around the world, such as
the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany, assistance
to Afghan resistance to Soviet invasion and military
interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo, have fostered such
sentiment among Uyghurs. Uyghurs believe United States
is a friend of oppressed people and will assist in
Uyghurs' quest for its right to self-determination.
Such pro-Americanism among Uyghurs is very disturbing
for the communist rulers in Beijing, who totally
disapprove America's dominant position in the Asia
Pacific region and American military presence in
Central Asia. They believe such pro-Americanism among
Uyghurs will not only hurt the chances of survival of
the Chinese communist rule in East Turkistan (also
known as Xinjiang), but also negatively affect China's
power of competition with the United States in Central
Asia and Caspian Region. Therefore, they see
destroying such pro-Americanism among Uyghurs is
essential to China's quest for strong influence in the
oil-rich Caspian region. Therefore, the best way for
China to destroy the Uyghur people's faith in the
United States is to convince them that the United
States is the best friend of the authoritarian Chinese
government, which regularly persecutes the Uyghur
population. The United States' return of Uyghur
detainees in Guantanamo will serve exactly this very
purpose. China will use the Uyghur detainees as
propaganda tools to incite anti-American feelings
among the Uyghurs. The Chinese government will
undoubtedly use them to legitimize its crackdown on
the Uyghur population. It will help destroy the faith
the Uyghur people have in American values and
principles, such as democracy and individual freedom.
This is exactly the outcome that American government
is trying to avoid around the world.
The United States government's decision on the fate of
those detainees has great significance upon the
conflict resolution in that part of the world.
Today, United States is the only remaining super power
in the world. It is the only power on the earth that
can influence, to a certain degree, the behavior of
the Communist China. Transferring those detainees into
Chinese
custody would be perceived by China as the United
States' endorsement of its heavy-handed tactics in
dealing with the discontent in East Turkistan. It
would encourage the Chinese government to rule out any
possibility of entering constructive dialogue with the
Uyghurs, who are opposing the brutal and repressive
Chinese rule in East Turkistan. This would exacerbate
the human tragedy in that region. On the contrary,
different decision on the issue would produce totally
different outcome. In the last decade of the 20th
century, by leading military intervention in Bosnia
and Kosovo, America and its western allies sent a
strong message to the world that human rights
violations can not be tolerated by the civilized world.
Today, by refusing to hand over Uyghur detainees to
Chinese government, United States can send powerful
message to the dictators in Beijing that legitimate
issues of minorities should only be tackled through
dialogue and concessions. This, in turn, encourages
Chinese government to explore democratic ways to deal
with the discontent.
We therefore urge:
1. That United States government resolutely reject the
Chinese government's request to return Uyghur
detainees to China.
2. That United States government consider granting
political asylum to those Uyghurs in the United States.
Very truly yours,
Board of Directors
Uyghur American Association
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