A court in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region, on Tuesday sentenced secessionist Ablikim Abdiriyim to nine
years in prison on charges of instigating and engaging in
secessionist activities.
Ablikim Abdiriyim was also deprived of his political rights for
three years, according to a verdict of the Intermediate People's
Court of Urumqi.
The verdict said Ablikim Abdiriyim had spread secessionist
articles over the Internet, turned the public against the Chinese
government and written articles which distorted China's human
rights and ethnic policies.
It said on July 17, 2004, Ablikim Abdiriyim emailed two articles
he had downloaded from the Internet entitled "Issues to be aware of
and prohibited in Jihad" and "Struggle toward Independence" to the
Uygur-language webmaster of Yahoo.Com, asking it to publish the
articles online.
It also said that on April 2004, Ablikim Abdiriyim, along with
his brother Alimu Abdiriyim and Roxingul Kadeer, circulated the
rumor that the government was going to close down Rebiya Building
Co. Ltd, a company named after his mother Rebiya Kadeer.
Rebiya Kadeer, a former businesswoman in China, was detained in
1999 on charges of harming national security. She was released on
bail on March 17, 2005 so she could seek medical treatment and left
for the United States.
The court document said Ablikim Abdiriyim, Alimu Abdiriyim and
Roxingul Kadeer, under the instruction of Rebiya Kadeer, had made
plans to distribute 450 copies of written proposals and slogans in
an attempt to stir up public protest against the local
government.
The verdict also said the three people, instructed by Rebiya
Kadeer and Sidikaji Rozi, Ablikim Abdiriyim's stepfather, also
wrote an article which distorted China's human rights system and
ethnic policies.
On May 28, 2006, Ablikim Abdiriyim emailed the article to his
mother and stepfather in the United States and then, at the request
of his mother, rewrote the article and planed to give it to some
overseas visitors who were going to Xinjiang, the court said.
Ablikim Abdiriyim had confessed to the charges during the
trial.
Ablikim Abdiriyim's legal rights were protected during the trial
and the information concerning the time and venue of the trial was
publicized three days beforehand.
(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2007)