China: Anniversary of ethnic unrest in Xinjiang

China: Call to release all journalists, writers and bloggers on 2nd anniversary of July 5 ethnic unrest in Xinjiang

An Open Letter

Hu Jintao
General Secretary
Standing Committee of the Political Bureau
CPC Central Committee
President of China

July 5, 2011

Dear President Hu,

During 90th anniversary celebrations of the Communist Party of China last week you rightly asserted that the CCP should place the people’s interest ahead of that of all others. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today calls on you to demonstrate your commitment to these sentiments by releasing all journalists, writers and bloggers who have acted in the public interest and simply exercised their right to freedom of expression, enshrined under Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution.

In the speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 1 you said: “We must always place the people's interests before everything else, and make sure that the aim and outcome of all our work is to realise, uphold and expand the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people.”

We appreciate that you place the interest of citizens so highly, to the point that you reminded all officials in China to “exercise their power for the people” and “work for their interests”.

The IFJ however has doubts that officials are able to carry out their duties, particularly in regard to media personnel in Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

Following the unrest that occurred in Urumqi on July 5, 2009, foreign media and human rights organisations reported that the local government targeted many ethnic Uyghurs, charging them on allegations of inciting unrest. Hundreds of journalists, editors and writers have been arrested and received harsh sentences for a range of charges.

Imprisoned members of the media include broadcaster and editor of China National Radio’s Uyghur service Memetjan Abdulla, who received a life sentence after a trial in April 2010 found him guilty of inciting unrest by translating Chinese language reports of the death of migrant Uyghur workers in Shaoguan, Guangdong province into Uyghur and then posting them on Salkin, an overseas Uyghur group website.

Hairat Niyaz, journalist and website editor of Uighurbiz, was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for endangering state security, by accepting an interview from a Hong Kong magazine Yazhou Zhoukan. It is believed that Niyaz was targeted for disclosing that he had warned the local government about the potential that ethnic violence would take place in Xinjiang, warnings that were apparently ignored by the authorities.

The IFJ believes there have been many more cases since the 2009 unrest, but information on trials or charges is obscure in the heavily restricted environment in Xinjiang.

The IFJ has learned that only a few selected media outlets, including foreign and Hong Kong-based media were allowed to attend a hearing of an ethnic Uyghur who was charged with endangering state security. Such cases are normally tried behind closed doors, but IFJ sources said that selected media were informed at extremely short notice, were placed in a separate room to watch the trial by video link and were unable to watch all of the proceedings. Media personnel were escorted to and from the trial by local propaganda department officials, and the hotel journalists stayed in was assigned by the local propaganda department. The suspect was convicted after less than half a day of court proceedings.

President Hu, you said in your July 1 speech:

“We will promote fairness and justice; long-term, steady and rapid economic development; social harmony and stability…we must consult the people on policies, learn about their needs, and seek suggestions from them. We must listen to their views, truthfully reflect their wishes, help alleviate their hardships, and protect their economic, political, cultural, and social rights and interests in accordance with the law.”

These words coincided with similar sentiments expressed by Premier Wen Jiabao in a speech to Britain’s renowned Royal Society on June 27. The IFJ believes that media personnel imprisoned in connection to the unrest in 2009 were expressing their needs and reflecting the truth. Some of them even wanted to help the local government to avoid disaster. For this, they were targeted and are paying a heavy price for exercising their constitutional rights and moral obligations.

Local media in the region, including websites and internet cafes, remains heavily restricted by the local and central propaganda departments. Local people have little, if any, reasonable opportunity to enjoy genuine of freedom of expression.

Accordingly the IFJ urges the Central Government of China to:

1) Re-try all cases relating to the unrest in a fair and open court, after the implementation of a fair and just legal process;
2) Dismiss charges that conflict with rights of individuals under Article 35 of the Constitution of China;
3) Allow legal experts from local and international organisations, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression to attend the hearing;
4) Allow the Special Rapporteur to conduct an investigation into whether detainees have been tortured when held in custody;
5) Release the full report of the 2009 unrest in Xinjiang that is known to exist;
6) Cease media censorship including on websites and at internet cafes in all ethnic Uyghur areas; and
7) Cease the targeting of Uyghur media personnel.

The Communist Party has a monopoly on power in China, and as such it should bear a much greater burden to protect its citizens and their constitutional rights, particularly regarding freedom of expression. Such rights were enshrined in China’s first constitution made in 1954 and have been maintained in later amendments.

IFJ appeals to the Standing Committee of the Communist Party Central Committee to release all people who have been imprisoned for merely exercising their right to freedom of expression including Hailaite Niyazi, Memetjan Abdulla, Ershidin Israil and Dilshat Perhat.

We urge the authorities of China to ensure that all government officials in Xinjiang, at all levels, uphold and promote Article 35 of the Chinese Constitution.

IFJ Asia-Pacific
July 5, 2011

Cc:

Wen Jiabao
Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee
Premier of China

Wu Bangguo
Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee
chairman of the 11th NPC Standing Committee

Jia Qinglin
Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee
chairman of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

Li Changchun
Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee
Oversight Communist Propaganda Department

Xi Jinping
Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee
Vice President of China

Li Keqiang
Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee
Vice-Premier of the State Council

He Guoqiang
Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau
Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee

Zhou Yongkang
Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau
Minister and Party secretary of the Ministry of Public Security

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific

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ENDS

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