Brussels, 23/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Union expressed condemnation on Tuesday 23 September of the life imprisonment sentence imposed on prominent Uighur economics professor Ilham Tohti for alleged “separatism”. The sentence handed down by a Xinjiang court is “completely unjustified”, said the spokesman for High Representative Catherine Ashton. The EU “deplores that the due process of law was not respected, in particular with regard to the right to a proper defence”, Ashton's spokesperson continued. Tohti was arrested in January and held at an unknown location.
The EU calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Professor Tohti and the release of all his supporters arrested in connection with this affair. “We also urge the Chinese authorities to respect the rights of all persons belonging to minorities and their right to freedom of expression”, added the spokesperson. Ashton, speaking on behalf of the EU, called on 1 February for China to release all those who have been imprisoned or held for peacefully expressing their opinions. Among these people was Professor Tohti, an opponent of Beijing's policy of the forced assimilation of the Uighur and other minorities (see EUROPE 11010).
Foreign diplomats, including EU representatives, and the international press were not allowed into the courtroom. (CG)