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In Custody: Recent Arrests in Xinjiang

Human Rights in China, 28 September 2004

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HRIC — Following is a list of known arrests in Xinjiang over the past five years. Unlike CRF’s previous prisoner lists, this one contains many people who are no longer in prison, in most cases because they have received the death penalty.

This list also differs from those previously published in CRF in that many of the prisoners were arrested outside of China and forcibly repatriated. Although the situation following repatriation is not always known, in practice these prisoners are often executed under terror- ism-related charges. Those who are not executed typically face torture and ill-treatment during lengthy prison sentences.

Finally, readers should note that few arrests are recorded after mid-2002. This does not necessarily indicate that no arrests took place, but rather the difficulty in obtaining updated information. In addition to the persons listed below, at least 11 Uighurs are currently being held in Guantanamo Bay by the U.S. authorities after being apprehended during the war in Afghanistan. Amnesty International has issued an appeal for these prisoners not to be deported to China, where they might well face execution.

This report can be downloaded here.