The Chinese government sentenced two Uighur Muslims to life in prison for an unknown crime. The two Muslims were deported from Cambodia after requesting asylum. The American Uighur Organization (UAA) has criticized the Chinese government for secretly requesting the extradition of two Uighur Muslims from the Cambodian government.
UAA President Alim Seytoff said the Chinese government forcibly deported the two Uighur Muslims who had requested political asylum from the Cambodian government. "We are worried that there will be brutal treatment by the Chinese government towards them," said Alim.
The two Muslim Uighurs - the majority population in China's Xinjiang Province - named Nurahmet Kudret (35) and Islam Urayim (32) are being tried in secret in Xinjiang. They were then jailed separately in the capital Urumqi for unknown crimes. They were among the group of 20 Muslim Uighurs who sought asylum in Cambodia in December 2009, after riots in Xinjiang in July 2009.
Citing the rights group, Radio Free Asia said asylum seekers had fled persecution because they had witnessed Chinese security forces arrest and use deadly force against Uighur protesters during the July 2009 riots.
The World Uighur Congress (WUC) based in Munich, Germany, said last year Asian countries had forcibly repatriated at least 180 Uighurs to China since 2001.
During his congress in Munich, WUC President Rebiya Kadeer said China refused to confirm the whereabouts of Muslim Uighurs, citing media reports that said four people were sentenced to death after they returned to China and 14 others were jailed for life.
"Uighur Muslims are forcibly returned to China at the risk of extreme torture, detention and enforced disappearances," said Rebiya.
Uighur Muslims, a Turkish-speaking Muslim minority numbering more than eight million, continue to be victims of the crackdown by China's security apparatus. Muslims accuse the Chinese government of placing millions of ethnic Han Chinese in their territory (Xinjiang) with the primary aim of eradicating the Islamic identity and culture of Uighurs.
Beijing views the vast region of Xinjiang as an invaluable asset because of its strategic location, near Central Asia, and its large oil and gas reserves. (Mel / Onislam.net / ddhongkong.org). *
