A Conference on Uyghur crisis and professor Ilham Tohti
Post Tagged with: "Wu’er Kaixi"
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Open Letter by Wu’er Kaixi, Founding Member of the Ilham Tohti Initiative
Open Letter by Wu’er Kaixi, Founding Member of the Ilham Tohti Initiative, in Support of Ilham Tohti’s Nomination for The Sakharov Prize 11 September, 2016 Exiled democracy activist Wu’er Kaixi presents an open letter to the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament in support of Ilham Tohti’s candidature for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2016. Dear Presidents, I write to you on behalf of the Ilham Tohti Initiative to urge your support in nominating Ilham Tohti for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Ilham Tohti is the most respected intellectual Uyghur spokesperson in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Before being jailed for life in September 2014, Ilham Tohti strived to achieve dialogue and understanding between the Chinese and the Uyghurs – a Muslim-Turkic people who largely inhabit the PRC’s northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The Uyghurs are subject to religious, cultural and political repression imposed by Beijing. Ilham Tohti’s voice was one of moderation and reconciliation. For this, he received a lifetime jail sentence. For too long we have conveniently ignored the fact that the PRC’s values do not coincide with those of the civilized world – and let us remember that China not only jails its minorities; it jails anyone who defends human rights and gender rights, as well as lawyers and journalists who work in the interest of transparency. In the face of a refugee crisis unprecedented since World War II, as Europe embraces values of tolerance and inclusiveness, the PRC continues to leverage Chinese nationalism to the cost of those on the peripheries it claims governance over – Uyghurs, Tibetans, the citizens of Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Beijing rejects religious, cultural, and political pluralism. As a result, Ilham Tohti, a moderate intellectual who advocated dialogue and mutual understanding, will spend the rest […]
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The world is ready for a New China
It’s not the time to celebrate with China, it’s time to call for change to an evil regime By Wu’er Kaixi As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) congratulates itself on yet another year in power, we should not forget that this so-called People’s Republic comes into the world “dripping from head to toe, from every pore, with blood and dirt.” It is also about the time the leaders of the free world got together and talked about how a new China could emerge from the shadows. On Thursday (Oct. 1) the CCP will praise itself to the heavens for making China a “moderately prosperous society in all respects,” becoming a strong military nation, and managing to control the spread of Covid-19. For me, a survivor of the Tiananmen massacre 31 years ago, this is like a poke in the eye. It is also a kick in the teeth for the people of Taiwan, protestors from Hong Kong, the oppressed Uyghur people, and everyone else around the world affected by the deadly coronavirus. On the 71st anniversary of the violent seizure of power by Mao Zedong that created the People’s Republic of China, it is time to reflect on all the evil that the CCP is doing, rather than join the party and celebrate. We have often heard China’s leaders claim the narrative of development is one of a “peaceful rise” — but it is anything but that. After the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fired on the peaceful Tiananmen protesters in 1989 and the tanks rolled in, I was put on a government hit list. Thankfully, I was smuggled out of the country into what was then the British-controlled enclave of Hong Kong. I will be forever grateful to those who helped me in my darkest hour, and to the city […]