A prominent Uyghur academic has been reportedly jailed for life by China for “endangering state security”.
Rahile Dawut’s sentence was confirmed after she appealed against a 2018, according to the US-based Dui Hua Foundation rights group.
The 57-year-old professor lost her appeal this month.
China has been accused of crimes against humanity against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls “re-education camps”.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls “re-education camps”.
“The sentencing of Professor Rahile Dawut is a cruel tragedy, a great loss for the Uyghur people, and for all who treasure academic freedom,” said John Kamm, executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation.
Ms Dawut’s secret trial in December 2018 in a Xinjiang court followed her arrest the previous year for “splittism”, a crime of endangering state security.
Ms Dawut is an expert on Uyghur folklore and traditions and had been teaching at Xinjiang University College of Humanities before her arrest.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday she had “no information” on Ms Dawut’s case, according to AP.
A series of police files obtained by the BBC in 2022 revealed details of China’s use of “re-education camps” and described the routine use of armed officers and the existence of a shoot-to-kill policy for those trying to escape.
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