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The World Uyghur Congress calls upon the Indonesian government to act prudently, fairly and independently in dealing with the four Uyghurs who were arrested recently in Indonesia

Press Release – For immediate release
17 September 2014
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) calls upon the Indonesian government to act prudently, fairly and independently in dealing with the four Uyghurs who were arrested recently in Indonesia on charges of suspected terrorist ties. There must be an independent investigation to reveal the true intention of those detained and Indonesian authorities must resist pressure from China for their extradition.

Four Uyghur men were arrested on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and were said to be attempting to join Islamic militant leaders in the country with ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The police, however, found no evidence to suggest the men had any connection to ISIS in the Middle East. The Wall Street Journal reported the men were believed to have travelled from China to Cambodia, then to Thailand before flying to Malaysia and finally on to Indonesia. According to Indonesian police, the men appeared to be travelling to meet with Santoso, a man said to be a wanted terrorist in the region and supporter of the efforts of ISIS in the Middle East.

The WUC remains skeptical over the allegations of a link to international terrorism, as there has been no evidence to link Uyghurs to participation in such efforts in the past. Although Uyghurs were detained in Guantanamo Bay, the men were never charged and no links were ever discovered in relation to a supposed global terror network. As it is evident that the Uyghur plight extends only to emancipation from Chinese colonialism, it remains inconceivable that any Uyghur group would maintain links with radical international organizations like those mentioned.

There has also been a historically concerted effort on the part of the Chinese to consistently attempt to link the Uyghur people, as a collective, to these terror networks as a means to delegitimize their genuine grievances. By reducing the entire Uyghur population to a vague and unfounded label, not only do they entirely misrepresent their cause, but deny any potential variation within the ideologies of the community. If the four men are subsequently extradited to China, it will only illustrate capitulation and the unwillingness of the international community to stand up for truth and justice in international affairs.

We therefore call on the Indonesian authorities to be sensitive, responsible and fair in their judgment and act independently without external influence. If, however, the four men are found to be acting in association with ISIS or any other international group, we cannot allow such a conclusion to reflect our perception of Uyghurs generally. Those that espouse violence as a means to achieve their objectives cannot be tolerated and do not adequately represent Uyghurs as a collective. We urge Indonesian officials to conduct their own investigation and resist submission to the Chinese wish for extradition of the men to China, where they will likely face harsh punishment regardless of their affiliation.

Finally, we remind the world that Indonesian people were some of the first to stand up against Chinese brutality following the violent incidents in Urumqi on July 5, 2009. We urge the Indonesian people and its government to maintain that attitude and follow such a tradition of justice and humanitarian sympathy towards the Uyghur people. The international community must also exercise impartiality and scrutinize the ongoing situation to ensure that proper actions are taken towards a genuine solution.