UAA welcomes moves toward accepting Uyghur detainees from Guantanamo, and urges nations not to repatriate Uyghurs to China

For immediate release
December 23, 2008, 6:00 pm EST
Contact: Uyghur American Association +1 (202) 349 1496

The Uyghur American Association (UAA) is grateful to President-Elect Barack Obama for his expressed willingness to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention center. UAA urges the incoming Administration to prioritize the resettlement of the 17 Uyghur detainees at Guantanamo, and ensure that they are resettled in the United States or another democratic, Western nation.

UAA would also like to thank European nations, especially Germany and Portugal, for recent statements indicating their willingness to consider accepting detainees from Guantanamo. Germany has been very generous in granting political asylum to Uyghur human rights activists fleeing Chinese persecution over the past decade, and its recent statements on Guantanamo will likely help advance the release of the Guantanamo Uyghurs.

In light of recent comments by Chinese government officials, UAA urges the United States and European nations not to repatriate any of the Guantanamo Uyghurs to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). On December 23, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang reiterated the PRC government’s opposition to the settlement of the Uyghur detainees in other countries.

PRC assurances regarding treatment of the Guantanamo Uyghurs cannot be taken seriously, as torture is rampant in Chinese prisons. Uyghurs in government custody often suffer from physical abuse and other maltreatment. The U.S. State Department and human rights organizations have documented the extensive use of torture on prisoners and detainees in the PRC, as well as a lack of any independent judicial or legal mechanisms that could provide oversight or redress. Following a visit to the PRC in late 2005, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak reported that torture and ill-treatment remained widespread throughout the PRC, and stated that Uyghurs and Tibetans, among other groups, were among those most frequently subjected to torture.

“The willingness shown by European nations and the incoming U.S. administration on this issue ensures that the Guantanamo Uyghurs will be given refuge in a safe location,” said democracy leader Rebiya Kadeer. “I have seen with my own eyes the torture carried out on Uyghur prisoners in Chinese prisons. Now, rather than facing certain torture and possible execution upon their return to the PRC, these men will be able to live in free and democratic societies. I am thankful to the incoming Obama administration and European nations who have brought the release of the Uyghurs closer to reality.”

In recent years, the PRC government has widely used accusations of terrorism to brand even peaceful Uyghurs who have expressed disagreement with government policies in East Turkestan.PRC government officials have accused the Guantanamo Uyghurs of being members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which they claim is an active terror group. However, no evidence has been provided linking the Guantanamo Uyghurs to ETIM or to membership in any terror group. Moreover, prominent scholars on Uyghurs and terrorism have cast doubt on the existence of ETIM as an organized terror group, and have asserted that the group, such as it existed, if it did indeed exist, likely disappeared years ago.

Official Chinese claims regarding an alleged “East Turkestan Islamic Movement” aid the Chinese government in its vilification of peaceful dissent in East Turkestan. Many Uyghurs who peacefully disagree with government policies use the name “East Turkestan” to refer to the region, and the abbreviated Chinese term “Dong Tu” is often used interchangeably to refer to both ETIM and vague East Turkestan “separatist forces”, thus helping to delegitimize references to East Turkestan that are made by human rights organizations and other peaceful groups.