UA: 263/10 Index: ASA 17/050/2010 China Date: 20 December 2010

URGENT ACTION SON OF UIGHUR ACTIVIST ALLEGES TORTURE Ablikim Abdiriyim, a prisoner of conscience and son of Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer, is being tortured in prison, in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China, according to his family. His health has deteriorated since he was placed in solitary confinement on 3 November, and his family are seriously concerned for his well-being.

Ablikim Abduriyim’s relatives visited him in prison on 13 December, and he told them that he has been tortured and held in solitary confinement since 3 November. He said that he was placed in solitary confinement after having witnessed an incident that the prison authorities wanted to keep quiet. He was asked to sign a document denying what he had witnessed but refused.

According to his relatives, Ablkim Abdiriyim appeared weak. They are concerned about his vision and report that he “had black specs in his eyes”.

Ablikim Abdiriyim was sentenced in April 2007 to nine years in prison for “instigating and engaging in secessionist activities” for articles published on the internet. According to state media sources, his legal rights were protected during the trial, the information concerning the trial was publicised three days in advance, and he confessed to the charges against him. However, his family claims that he was not given the right to legal representation of his choice, they were given no advance notice of the trial, and that any “confession” was likely to have been made under torture.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English, Chinese or your own language:  Calling on the authorities to release Ablikim Abdiryim immediately and unconditionally;  Urging the authorities to guarantee that Ablikim Abdiriyim is not tortured or otherwise ill-treated;  Calling on the authorities to initiate a full, independent and impartial investigation into allegations that he has been tortured or ill-treated and ensure that anyone responsible for torture or ill-treatment is brought to justice in accordance with international standards;  Ensure that he is allowed access to his family, lawyer and any medical treatment that he may require.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 31 JANUARY 2011 TO: Prison Governor Chairman of the Xinjiang Uighur And copies to: Jianyuzhang Autonomous Regional People’s Premier of the People's Republic of Xinjiang Weiwuer Zizhiqu di si jianyu Government China Kashidonglu Nur BEKRI Zhuxi WEN Jiabao Guojia Zongli Wulumuqi 830013 Xinjiang Weiwuer Zizhiqu Renmin The State Council General Office Xinjiang Weiwuer Zizhiqu Zhengfu Bangongting 2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu People’s Republic of China 2 Zhongshanlu, Urumqi 830041 Beijingshi 100017 Salutation: Dear Prison Governor Xinjiang Weiwuer Zizhiqu People's Republic of China People's Republic of China Fax: +86 10 65961109 (c/o Ministry of Fax: +86 991 2817567 or 2803621 Foreign Affairs) Email: [email protected] Salutation: Your Excellency Salutation: Dear Chairman

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Date: 20 December 2010 URGENT ACTION SON OF UIGHUR ACTIVIST ALLEGES TORTURE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Ablikim Abdiriyim had no access to his family for 18 months after he was first detained in June 2006. During their first 15- minute visit to Baijiahu prison, just outside Urumqi, capital of the XUAR, on 6 December 2007, his relatives found him to be extremely pale and weak and claimed that he had difficulty in recognizing them. He told them he had fainted frequently and fallen into a coma on two occasions while in prison. When his family questioned the prison authorities about his health, officials apparently attributed this to a heart condition, suggesting that it could deteriorate further if he refused to "cooperate" or "admit his guilt."

Torture and other ill-treatment are endemic in all forms of detention, even though China ratified the UN Convention against Torture in 1988. Amnesty International also receives regular reports of deaths in custody, many of them caused by torture, in a variety of state institutions, including prisons, Re-education Through Labour facilities and police detention centres.

The authorities have passed numerous regulations intended to strengthen the formal prohibition of torture contained in China’s Criminal Law. However, the categories of prohibited behaviour are limited, and do not comply fully with definitions of torture under international law. Articles 247 and 248 of the Criminal Law list several offences related to the prohibition of torture; however, these charges can only be brought against a limited range of officials in particular circumstances or places. The prosecuting authorities, who also investigate and prosecute torture offences, set criteria for taking up cases which further limit the application of these provisions.

The Chinese authorities often label any independent expression of Uighur ethnic identity as “separatism” or “religious extremism” and have since mid-1990s mounted an aggressive campaign against these so-called “three forces”. Subsequently many Uighurs are arbitrarily detained and imprisoned as prisoners of conscience. The situation has worsened following the attacks in the USA on 11 September 2011 as the Chinese authorities have used the global "war on terror" to justify harsh repression against Uighurs.

Rebiya Kadeer's family has been targeted by the authorities since she was first detained as a prisoner of conscience in 1999. This intensified after she was released on medical parole on 17 March 2005, and left China for the USA. Rebiya Kadeer claims to have been warned that if she engaged with members of the Uighur ethnic community or spoke publicly about "sensitive issues", her "businesses and children would be finished". On 27 November 2006, the day after Rebiya Kadeer was elected president of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), a court sentenced two of her sons, Alim Abdiriyim and Kahar Abdiriyim, to fines amounting to millions of US dollars, and Alim to seven years’ imprisonment on charges of tax evasion. In addition, at the beginning of April, the Chinese authorities reportedly began a process to assess and liquidate the Kadeer family businesses.

On 5 July 2009, a police crackdown on an initially peaceful demonstration by Uighurs in Urumqi was followed by violent riots. Chinese authorities, within hours, blamed overseas Chinese groups, including the World Uyghur Congress and Rebiya Kadeer, for what they described as “premeditated violence”. Rebiya Kadeer has denied the allegation.

The demonstration in Urumqi was in reaction to the perceived inaction by the authorities following killings of migrant Uighur factory workers in Guangdong province, southern China. The protests took place against a back-drop of Uighur resentment, built- up over years of official repression and discrimination. Chinese officials said that 197 people died in the violence on 5 July. Of those killed, 156 were described as "innocent people" who included 134 ethnic Han Chinese, 11 Hui, 10 Uighurs and one Manchurian. Amnesty International interviews with eyewitnesses following the unrest suggest that excessive force on the part of security forces resulted in possibly hundreds of additional Uighur deaths.

UA: 263/10 Index: ASA 17/050/2010 Issue Date: 20 December 2010