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China: Canadian Uighur sentenced to
life in prison
Husein Dzhelil, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced
today to life imprisonment by the Urumqi Intermediate
People's Court for "plotting to split the country" and
to 10 years in prison for joining a “terrorist
organization”.
Amnesty International is concerned that Dzhelil was
convicted of political offences after an unfair trial
and based on a confession that may have been extracted
through torture.
Dzhelil was first arrested in Uzbekistan, and
subsequently extradited to China in June 2006, where
he was tried on 2 February 2007 in Urumqi, the capital
of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in northwest
China.
During the 5-hour trial Dzhelil claimed that his
earlier confession had been extracted through torture.
These claims are not known to have been investigated.
Since his detention in China, he has been denied
access to Canadian consular representatives and family
members. Dzhelil was also denied the right to appoint
a lawyer of his choice. Representatives of the
Canadian government were not allowed to attend the
February trial or the hearing today. Dzhelil's mother,
who attended the hearing, reported that her son's
court-appointed lawyer did not make any statement on
Dzhelil’s behalf. She reported that after the verdict
was read by the judge, Dzhelil shouted “All is a lie,
nothing is true. Everything is a lie. I do not accept
anything that has been read now.”
Dzhelil’s life sentence follows only days after the
sentencing of Ablikim Abdiriyim, a son of former
prisoner of conscience Rebiya Kadeer, to 9 years in
prison on political charges of “instigation and
engaging in secessionist activities”following an
unfair trial. This was the latest in a series of
actions by the Chinese government targeting Ms
Kadeer's family members in China. Abdiriyim had
reportedly been severely beaten in detention.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Public Statement
AI Index: ASA 17/018/2007 (Public)
News Service No: 078
19 April 2007
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