US Secretary of State John Kerry has slammed what he called a 'harsh' life sentence handed down in China against a prominent Uighur scholar for 'separatism', and called for his release.
Ilham Tohti, a member of China's mainly Muslim Uighur minority, is a persistent but moderate critic of the government in Beijing who campaigned for minority rights in the country's restive western region of Xinjiang.
Washington has repeatedly called for Tohti's release since his detention in January after he questioned Beijing's response to a suicide car attack in October in Tiananmen Square, which authorities blamed on Xinjiang separatists.
'The United States is deeply disturbed that Ilham Tohti has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment,' Kerry said in a statement on Tuesday.
'Peaceful dissent is not a crime. This harsh sentence appears to be retribution for Professor Tohti's peaceful efforts to promote human rights for China's ethnic Uighur citizens.'
'His detention silenced an important moderate Uighur voice,' Kerry added.
Xinjiang is home to about 10 million Uighurs, and in the last year has been hit by a string of attacks on civilians and clashes which have killed at least 200 people.
China blames unrest on militant groups seeking independence for Xinjiang.
Rights groups say discrimination and government repression of the Uighurs' religion and language has fuelled violence.
'Mr Tohti and those like him are indispensable in helping to resolve the underlying causes of unrest and violence. Silencing them can only make tensions worse,' Kerry said.
'We again urge the Chinese authorities to release Professor Tohti, as well as his students who remain in detention.
Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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