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Uyghurs Demand Inherent Dignity and Respect on this 64th World Human Rights Day

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

WHRD

The World Uyghur Congress, while commemorating the 64th International Human Rights Day, would like to call attention to China’s alarmingly opaque justice system and calls on China to immediately put a stop to its capricious use of the death penalty. Another 8 Uyghurs were sentenced to death in Urumqi which takes the total to at least 47 people in the last 12 months. Although the WUC recognizes the need to combat those perpetrating genuine crimes, this must be achieved through transparent and judicial processes, and without the use of violence or collective punishment.

Most troubling has been the absence of transparency or proper observance of internationally recognized legal procedures. The most recent death sentences doled out in 2014 have shown that the majority, if not all, of these decisions are implemented hastily with no effective chance for appeal. None of these sentences have been delivered transparently or with any opportunity for external scrutiny by third parties. There has been no evidence that the suspects were provided any kind of legal representation or defence.

The most recent one year anti-terror campaign began at the end of May and has led to an increasingly harsh campaign of intimidation and violence on the part of China’s security forces, along with house to house searches, hundreds of arbitrary arrests, and even greater curbs on cultural and religious freedoms. Twenty-two imams were recently sentenced to anywhere between five and sixteen years in prison for “illegal preaching”.

Amnesty International has called the death sentence “the ultimate denial of human rights” and reminded us that its use is in clear violation of the right to life under the Universal Declaration. The WUC reminds the international community that China has consistently been in clear violation of a number of internationally recognized human rights norms and continues to disregard the essential principles of freedom of speech and assembly as well as the right of legal due process.

China remains the world leader in the use of the death penalty, executing more people than any country last year combined. Executions rose from 682 in 2012 to 778 in 2013, according to Amnesty International, suggesting that China continues to move against the overwhelming trend away from its practice. Although Amnesty’s estimates are based on factual information taken from inside the country, many have suggested that the real figure is likely much higher.

Relatedly, the imprisonment of Uyghur scholar, Ilham Tohti, has also continued with few signs that the situation is improving after the expected denial of his appeal. Chinese authorities appear bent on ensuring that he stands as an example for anyone choosing to speak out against abuses. What is more, seven of Tohti’s students were sentenced earlier this week to up to eight years in prison simply for their association with Tohti – a blatant illustration of how far the regime will go to punish dissent.

As Human Rights Day serves to remind us of our collective effort to enhance the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of each and every human being, we should remain vigilant in the face of these continued abuses. Not only should the day act as a poignant reminder of past and present abuses, but it should also provide us with an intimation of some of the successes that the human rights regime has bestowed. While keeping the latter in mind we can better address the current climate of human rights abuses.

We must let the past serve as a potent reminder of how the international system both failed and succeeded in improving the lives of so many. For the Uyghur people living in China, there remains real potential for a constructive future as long as we are able to engage with the international community to bring about positive change.

With this in mind, we must now look at avenues for such change. Change cannot come purely from within or without, but should be a collective effort where all parties recognize the importance of a resolution and see the benefits of cooperation.

Likewise, the WUC urges the international community to play a responsible role in a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The power of those that influence, and are influenced by, China, carries tremendous weight in the international arena. We must also understand the disparity between those that criticise and those that act against whom those criticisms are levelled. We do not walk in their shoes and they not in ours, but it should not forestall our chance for mutual understanding and progress. We urge the Chinese leadership to practice restraint in these situations and to communicate with those whom they perceive have wronged them.

Alternatively, root causes will continue to go unaddressed with the hope that the problem will resolve itself. Far from a reasonable approach, Chinese authorities maintain that instability should be met with unrestrained force targeting the Uyghur people generally. This will never serve as an appropriate response to violence. This will only exacerbate an already perilous situation in the region and likely drive even more down a path of violence. Violence begets violence, but it is crucial that we remember that peace begets peace, and understanding, understanding.