Two Uyghur former government officials in China's Xinjiang have been handed death sentences for carrying out "separatist activities", a court said, as Beijing comes under increasing fire for its actions towards minority groups in the region.

Shirzat Bawudun, a former head of the Xinjiang department of justice has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on the charge of "splitting the country", according to a statement released Tuesday on the Xinjiang government website.

Bawudun had conspired with a terrorist organisation, taken bribes, and carried out separatist activities, Wang Langtao, vice president of the Xinjiang Higher People's Court, said at a press conference.

Bawudun was found guilty of colluding with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) -- listed as a "terrorist" group by the United Nations -- after meeting a key member of the group in 2003, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The US removed the group from its list of terror groups last November, saying there was "no credible evidence that ETIM continues to exist."

Bawudun also illegally proved "information to foreign forces" as well as carrying out "illegal religious activities at his daughter's wedding", Xinhua said.

The court statement said Sattar Sawut -- former director of the Xinjiang education department -- was also sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve after being found guilty of crimes of separatism and taking bribes.

Sawut was found guilty of incorporating ethnic separatism, violence, terrorism, and religious extremism content into textbooks in the Uyghur language, officials said.

The court said the textbooks had influenced several people to participate in attacks in the capital Urumqi including riots that resulted in at least 200 deaths in 2009.

Others became "key members of a separatist group" headed by former college teacher Ilham Tohti -- a Uyghur economist jailed for life on separatism charges in 2014.

Rights groups believe at least one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in camps across Xinjiang.

The United States says "genocide" has been inflicted on the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the region, while Beijing has denied all allegations of abuses and has insisted its policies in Xinjiang are necessary to counter violent extremism.

China keeps data on its use of the death penalty secret, although rights group Amnesty International estimates the country is the top executioner globally -- with thousands executed and sentenced to death each year.

A death sentence with a reprieve is usually commuted to a life sentence.

Turkey summons China's envoy over Uyghur tweets
Ankara (AFP) April 6, 2021 - Turkey on Tuesday summoned China's ambassador after his office took to social media to denounce two top Turkish politicians over their criticism of Beijing's crackdown on Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

The Chinese embassy said it "strongly" condemned Good Party leader Meral Aksener and Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas for posting tweets commemorating a deadly April 1990 conflict between Uyghur separatists and Chinese government forces.

Accounts of those events vary but they are believed to have been followed by mass arrests of Uyghurs, tens of thousands of whom have since taken refuge in Turkey.

Aksener, who forms part of the right-wing opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tweeted that Turks "will not remain silent to the oppression."

Turks will fight for the "absolute independence" of the Uyghurs' self-proclaimed republic of East Turkestan, Aksener said.

Yavas, who is a leading member of the main opposition CHP party, tweeted the Turks "feel the pain of the massacre in East Turkestan as if it happened today".

In its account of the 1990 standoff, Amnesty International said "protests and rioting, reportedly led by members of an Islamic nationalist group, resulted in many deaths".

The Chinese ambassador Liu Shaobin was summoned by Turkey's foreign ministry after his office said that "the Chinese side reserves the right to respond" to Aksener and Yavas's comments.

"China is opposed with determination to any challenge by any individual or power to its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Chinese embassy tweeted, tagging Aksener and Yavas's Twitter accounts.

The Turkish foreign ministry conveyed Ankara's "unease" over the embassy's tweet, press reports said.

Rights groups believe at least one million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in camps spread out across China's northwestern Xinjiang region.

Turkey's cultural bonds with the Uyghurs have made it a favoured destination for avoiding persecution in Xinjiang.

But many in the 50,000-strong community express unease over Ankara's growing dependence on Chinese investments and coronavirus vaccines.

Last month, hundreds of Uyghurs rallied in Istanbul to protest a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for meetings with Erdogan and Turkish officials in Ankara.

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China's 'wolf warrior' diplomats howl at Xinjiang critics
Beijing (AFP) April 5, 2021
China's "wolf warrior" diplomats are back after a brief lull, firing insults over Twitter, smearing critics and suggesting conspiracies. The hyperactivity of the envoys follows renewed global pressure over Beijing's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China's Xinjiang region. Here are five things to know as the wolf warriors once more bare their teeth: - When did it start? - The term "wolf warrior diplomacy" became common parlance in 2019, when Chinese envoys - most prominently s ... read more