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UHRP
Condemns Arrest of Uyghur Writer/Poet Nurmemet Yasin
by the Chinese Government
Posted on January 19, 2005
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UHRP Official Press Release
Regarding the Arrest of Writer/Poet Nurmemet Yasin
For Immediate Release
Contact: Meagan Landry, (202) 349-1494
Washington - The Uyghur American Association/Uyghur
Human Rights Project (UAA/UHRP) strongly condemn
China's recent arrest of a Uyghur writer/poet for
publishing an article and demand that the Chinese
authorities to release him immediately.
"The arrest of Nurmemet Yasin by the Chinese
authorities is a clear
violation of the freedom of speech, expression and
conscience," said UAA President Nury Turkel. "Nurmemet
Yasin did not commit a crime. He is a writer, and
published his story openly in an official Chinese
literary journal. This is another example of how the
Chinese authorities are stepping up their campaign
against Uyghur intellectuals."
According to the East Turkistan Information Center (ETIC),
based in Germany, Chinese Public Security agents
arrested Nurmemet Yasin for publishing an article in a
local literary journal in Kashgar, East Turkestan. On
January 15th, 2005, the Radio Free Asia (RFA) Uyghur
Service reported that a local police officer in
Kashgar confirmed Yasin's arrest during a telephone
interview. The officer said that Nurmemet Yasin was
arrested three and a half months ago "for spreading
separatist ideas," and is currently being detained in
a local prison without trial. ETIC also confirms that
Chinese authorities are banning all visitors,
including family members, from seeing Nurmemet Yasin
in prison.
The police officer also told RFA that Nurmemet Yasin's
case was on
appeal at the Supreme Court in Urumqi, the capital of
East Turkistan. According to a Supreme Court clerk, at
present there are hundreds of "separatist" cases
pending on appeal. It is very likely that Nurmemet
Yasin will be held without trial for a long period of
time. Prominent human right organizations such as
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reported
that it is a common practice in China to detain
political prisoners indefinitely without trial.
http://www.uhrp.org/issues/political_prisoners/features/
press_release_on_murmemet_yasin_s_arrest
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