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Amnesty Slams China's "Harsh Repression" of Muslim-Majority Xinjiang
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| China
has used 'terrorism' to detain a broad range of people, some
of whom may have done little more than practice their
religion or defend their culture," Amnesty says
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BEIJING,
March 22 (News Agencies) - Human
rights group Amnesty
International accused China Friday of stepping up "harsh
repression" in its Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang under the
justification of the global war against terrorism.
Since
September 11, the Chinese government has stepped up its harsh
repression of ethnic Uighur opponents of Chinese rule and others
branded as "separatists" in the name of countering
"terrorism", Amnesty International said Friday, March 22,
in a press release carried by its website.
The
report describes new anti-terrorism provisions in Chinese law and
the crackdown against "terrorist, separatist and illegal
religious activities" currently underway in the Xinjiang Uighur
Autonomous Region (XUAR).
"The
Chinese government has claimed that 'ethnic separatists' are linked
with international 'terrorists' and has called for international
support for its crackdown. However the subjective yardstick of
'terrorism' has been used to detain a broad range of people, some of
whom may have done little more than practice their religion or
defend their culture," Amnesty International said.
Amnesty
is calling on the international community to use the opportunity of
the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in Geneva to urge the Chinese
authorities to justify human rights violations in the name of the
"war against terrorism".
Although
hardly any "terrorist" acts have been committed in the
XUAR over the past few years, the authorities have detained
thousands of people over the last six months, and imposed new
restrictions on freedom of religion and cultural rights. Some people
have been sentenced to long prison terms and others have been
executed.
The
Islamic clergy has been subjected to heavy scrutiny and
"political education." According to official sources, by
the end of last year, 8000 imams had been "trained" to
give them "a clearer understanding of the party's ethnic and
religious policies". Some Muslim clerics have been detained for
teaching the Qur'an, Amnesty's report said.
Fasting
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan was banned in schools,
hospitals and government offices. One teacher in Khotan said that
students might face expulsion if they refused to break the fast.
Mosques have been closed down because they were located near schools
and deemed a "bad influence" on young people, the report
added.
Earlier
this year, the crackdown was expanded to include other sectors of
society. "Study classes" for key personnel in literature
and art, the media, cultural management, social science research and
other fields have been introduced. "All potential dissent and
opposition activities, including peaceful expression of views via
poems, songs, books, pamphlets, letters or the Internet have been
targeted," Amnesty International said.
There
have been a number of reports that "separatists" have been
sentenced at "public sentencing meetings". Some were
reportedly sentenced to death and executed immediately after the
meetings. Amnesty International's report cites several cases,
including one on 15 October 2001 where 12 Uighurs received sentences
ranging from five years imprisonment to death. Two people were
executed immediately after the rally.
Amnesty
International's report also details recent amendments to the
Criminal Law. The new provisions enlarge the scope of the
application of the death penalty and may criminalize peaceful
activities, freedom of expression and association. The law makes it
a criminal offense to be a member of a "terrorist
organization" but as there is no definition for such an
organization, the law could be interpreted as referring to political
opposition or religious groups.
Amnesty
International's report makes several recommendations, calling on the
Chinese government to end the extensive human rights violations
resulting from the current political crackdown in the XUAR. It also
calls on governments to refrain from returning to China anyone who
is allegedly associated with any radical Islamic movement. Such
individuals are likely to face torture or the death penalty on their
return.
Background
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| Chinese
authorities have detained, tortured and unfairly tried tens
of thousands of Muslims, Amnesty says.
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In
the continuous political crackdown in the XUAR over the past ten
years, the authorities have detained tens of thousands of people,
held many of them in complete secrecy, preventing all independent
investigation into the cases, while periodically releasing selective
information about a few of those who have been prosecuted. Many of
those prosecuted have been held incommunicado for months on end,
subjected to torture, and sentenced after grossly unfair trials,
most of these either held in secret or in front of large crowds
during "mass sentencing rallies".
In
this context, there are reasons to doubt the credibility of the
government's information about those it accuses of involvement in
"terrorist" activity.
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