For immediate release

February 3, 2010, 14:40 Munich, Germany

Contact: World Uyghur Congress +49 89 5432 1999

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) welcomes the Swiss government’s decision to accept two Uyghur detainees from the Guantánamo Bay detention center. Bahtiyar Mahmud and Arkin Mahmud had been held in Guantánamo Bay since 2002 without being charged of any crime. WUC believes that the two men, who have been the center of media reports for their legendary story of brotherly love, are about to be opened up to a new life in a free society, full of possibilities, of happiness and, above all, of liberty.

WUC deeply appreciates the remarkable, humanitarian gesture demonstrated by the Swiss government in making such a courageous, gracious and compassionate decision to accept these innocent men. Only very few countries have dared to take in Uyghurs from Guantánamo to date for fear of possible reprisals by the Chinese government. The act of the Swiss government sets an example of refusing to kowtow to the threat of loss of financial benefits through the trade relations with China in favor of defending the values of justice and irrevocable commitment to human dignity.  Equally important is the message the act sends to the whole world: the innocence of freedom can promise the freedom of the innocent. WUC is grateful as much to the Swiss government as to the United States government for not sending these men to China, where they would face severe persecution and, possibly, merciless execution.

More encouraging still is the fact that the act of the Swiss government could reassure Uyghurs that they are not alone in the world, and that they are not abandoned in the darkness. The world can no longer turn a blind eye to the continued plight of Uyghurs, whose sorrows and grievances are fully highlighted in the story of Guantánamo Uyghurs, including that of the two recently released Uyghurs. Once again, we see through the humanitarian perspective of the Swiss government that China cannot continue to justify its oppression of Uyghurs in the name of the “global war on terrorism”, regularly jailing and executing Uyghurs accused of acts of “terrorism, separatism and extremism” without providing evidence of their alleged crimes.  For no matter how many allegations China may attach to the peaceful resistance of Uyghurs against Chinese rule in East Turkestan, the world remains vigilant to discern what is ethically justifiable and what is not.

WUC considers the resettlement of the two Uyghurs in Switzerland to be a major step once again to close the Guantánamo Bay prison. It also hopes that five remaining Uyghur detainees in Guantánamo who are guilty of no crime and who have been approved for release will soon be resettled in a country where they will be able to enjoy the blessed taste of freedom, to reconstruct their new identities and to create a productive life. At that time, nothing will be more cherished to them than an actual full pronunciation of justice as manifested by the admirable courage of the Swiss government.

Background of Uyghurs held at Guantánamo Bay

On October 7, 2001, the U.S.-initiated Operation Enduring Freedom found the Uyghur refugees in Afghanistan in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once coalition bombing started, the twenty-two Uyghurs later detained in Guantánamo escaped to Pakistan. None of these men were picked up on a battlefield, and most of them were captured by Pakistani bounty hunters and sold to American forces for $5,000 each.

Since their detention, the U.S. government has determined that all of the Uyghurs in Guantánamo are non-enemy combatants. As early as 2003, most of the Uyghurs in Guantánamo were cleared for release. In 2008, U.S. congressional representatives from both sides of the aisle called for the release of the Guantánamo Uyghurs to the United States. In a landmark ruling on October 7, 2008 U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina paroled the remaining 17 Uyghurs detained at Guantánamo Bay into the United States. On appeal, a temporary stay was issued on the ruling on October 8, 2008. On February 18, 2009, the D.C. Circuit Court reversed the lower court’s decision. On April 3, 2009, the Uyghurs asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case.