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Petition for Ilham Tohti under detention presented by Wang Lixiong 2009-7-12 Dear friends： What happened in Xinjiang was heart breaking. Professor Ilham Tohit has committed himself to building a bridge of friendship between the Han and the Uighurs. His arrest shocks us. How far would those who hold power in this country want to keep pushing the already deteriorating ethnic confrontations? Ilham and I met before. I have the impression that he is more optimistic than I am about the prospects of positive Han-Uighur relations (though I am not quite, as he thought, one who thinks that collapse, hatred and killing are the only outcome, I do not consider that a solution is possible under the current system). Also, he works harder than I do. The media figure Huang Zhangjin is close to Ilham and has written about him in detail. I am sending this letter along with Huang’s article as an attachment. Please make your own judgment. The information on the Xinjiang Incident is at the present moment perhaps not sufficient for any comprehensive judgment. Yet we should speak out regarding Ilham’s detention. Repairing ethnic relations must start with individuals - to let the Uighur people realize that our demand for justice applies to all nationalities. The authorities might not take our petition seriously. But Uighurs will notice it and remember. At this crucial time, each signature counts. If you are willing to add your signature, please send it to [email protected]. In your message, please include your names, profession, location, and nationality. Signatures collected in the first 24 hours will be posted in the media along with the petition. Also, thank you for forwarding this letter to your friends. Let’s pray together for the future of all nationalities, Wang Lixiong 关于维吾尔学者伊力哈木·土赫提遭拘押的呼吁 Petition for Ilham Tohti, currently in detention In the speech he gave on July 6th, 2009, about the “7.5 Incident” in Urumqi, the Chairman of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Nu’er Baikeli, accused the website Uighurs on Line of having incited people and spread rumors. By the early morning of July 8th, Ilham Tohti, the website’s director and an assistant professor at the Central Nationalities University, had disappeared. His whereabouts are unknown, and it is believed that he has been detained. We therefore declare: 1. Professor Ilham is a Uighur intellectual who is well known for his commitment to creating a bridge of inter-ethnic friendship and to resolving conflict. He should not be treated as a criminal (see Good Bye, Ilham by Huang Zhangjin at http://www.bullogger.com/blogs/huangzhangjin/). 2. As a Chinese-language platform which allows Uighurs and Han Chinese to communicate, Uighurs on Line is an important resource. Its objectives have always been opposing separatism, opposing violence, and enhancing inter-ethnic understanding. 3. No website can be responsible for the statements made on it by individual participants. Moreover, these should not be used to make criminal accusations against the managers of a site. This distinction arises from the nature of the internet and from the regulatory practices of the internet profession. 4. The government should first examine its own errors which have led to the incidents first in Tibet and now in Xinjiang. It should not abuse the law nor seek scapegoats for matters that are its own responsibility. 5. Any improper treatment of Professor Ilham could certainly deepen ethnic hostility, narrowing the space for rational dialogue and constructive engagement. 6. In order to gain the trust of people in general and Uighurs in particular, any legal charge brought against Professor Ilham must be transparent. 7. Please respect the request made by Professor Ilham in his open statement to employ his own lawyers, rather than have the government assign lawyers for him. 8. We want to warn: If even an intellectual like Professor Ilham, who has been so involved in Han-Uighur communication, is seen as an enemy, then the entire Uighur people, except those who are enslaved, is the enemy. Signature: Names: Vocation or profession: Residential location: Nationality: July ___ 2009 © Copyright 2009 by Boxun News Top of Page |
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