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Canadian may face death in China,
family learns
SCOTT ROBERTS
Globe and Mail Update
 The
department of Foreign Affairs was scrambling for
information Friday after word that a Canadian man
being held in China could be executed as early as next
week, The Globe and Mail has learned.
Canadian Huseyin Celil's sister in China called the
imprisoned man's wife in Burlington, Ont., on Tuesday,
saying he was being held in a Kashgar prison and could
be executed by Aug. 10 Mr. Celil's wife, Kamila
Telendibaeva, said a Kashgar police officer leaked the
details to her sister-in-law, who has been trying to
find his whereabouts for weeks.
“She was crying when she called me,” said Ms.
Telendibaeva. “I told her not to cry because there is
still time. Time is running out but we can still save
him.”
Mr. Celil (pronounced je-lil) was arrested in
Uzbekistan in March while visiting his wife's family.
In June, he was extradited to China, where he could
face the death penalty for an alleged involvement in
“separatist” activities.
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The Globe and Mail
Until now, Canadian officials had no idea where Mr.
Celil was being held because the Chinese government
wouldn't disclose the location. It also wouldn't
recognize Mr. Celil's Canadian citizenship, which he
earned in November of last year.
Born in China's far-western Xinjiang province, Mr.
Celil is a Uighur — a Muslim, Turkic-language minority
group that has long fought with the Chinese government
for greater freedom.
Chinese officials say Mr. Celil is a terrorist who,
among other things, helped assassinate a political
leader in Kyrgyzstan - an allegation his family and
his lawyer staunchly refute.
Government officials were tipped off about the phone
call on Wednesday by Mohamed Tohti, a friend of Mr.
Celil and president of the Uyghur Canadian
Association.
“After I got the shocking news from Kamila I shared
this information with government officials,” said Mr.
Tohti, who has been in close contact with Conservative
MP Jason Kenney, the parliamentary secretary to Prime
Minister Stephen Harper.
Mr. Kenney, who was attending a caucus retreat in
Cornwall, Ont. on Friday, said he found the reports
very troubling and the government would do everything
possible to confirm their truth.
“Should we confirm the veracity of these reports, the
government will obviously express its concern in the
most serious terms possible,” said Mr. Kenney.
Sources told The Globe that Mr. Kenney met with
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay for 30 minutes
on Thursday to discuss the issue and that a Canadian
consular official in China was dispatched to find out
more information about Mr. Celil's condition and to
confirm the allegations about the possible execution
order.
Mr. Harper may also soon become involved in the case.
Sources said he would place a phone call to Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao or President Hu Jintao if it is
confirmed that Mr. Celil faces death.
For weeks, Canadian officials have been frustrated
with their Chinese counterparts as they attempt to
gain information on Mr. Celil's detainment.
“The Uzbeki authorities advised our government that,
prior to his extradition to China, they had received
assurances from the (People's Republic of China) that
he would not face capital punishment pursuant to his
apparent conviction in absentia,” said Mr. Kenney.
“We would certainly hold the Chinese government to
that undertaking and our officials bare working
actively to verify his whereabouts and take the next
steps,” he said.
It is also an obligation of China to provide consular
access to Mr. Celil, said Mr. Kenney, something the
Chinese government has so far refused.
But critics say the government isn't doing enough.
“Foreign Affairs needs to act with great speed; Mr.
Celil is in danger,” said Chris McLeod, the imprisoned
man's lawyer. “The government simply isn't doing
enough. They need to send an envoy now. The Prime
Minister needs to intervene in a very direct way.
Whether that means recalling our ambassador, something
needs to be done.”
In 1994, Mr. Celil was arrested in China on charges of
forming a political party, his wife said. After
serving just a month in prison, he escaped, eventually
buying false documents to enter Uzbekistan. He
eventually landed in Turkey before being granted
refugee status in Canada in 2001.
Meanwhile, in China, a court sentenced Mr. Celil to
death in absentia for his alleged role in the
anti-government political movement. His wife believes
the conviction will allow the Chinese to speed up a
possible execution.
“How can I raise my children if I don't have a husband
and they don't have a father,” said Ms. Telendibaeva,
who is due to give birth to her fourth child in less
than three weeks. “He will be killed if we don't act
now.”
Before his arrest, Mr. Celil was an imam at a Hamilton
mosque and studying accounting at Mohawk College.
With files from Gloria Galloway in Cornwall.
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