Aug 18, 2014

WUC and UNPO Voice Concerns Over the Fate of Mr. Ababekri Rehim


After recieving news distributed by the official Chinese media and alleged confessions by an Uyghur blogger regarding the latest events in Yarkent region, the WUC (World Uyghur Congress) and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) are concerned about Mr. Ababbekri Rehim's well-being and would like to draw the world’s attention to his fate; his forced confession and imprisonment are a direct violation of his freedom of thought and speech, as well as the free exchange of information.

 

According to Chinese State media, Mr. Ababekri Rehim has confessed to providing the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) with misleading information about the latest events in Yarkent. The WUC allegedly posted this information on its website. The WUC would like to stress that the information about the latest events in Yarkent region was obtained via multiple sources on the ground. The identities of the sources are known to the WUC, and the name of Mr. Ababekri Rehim is not among them. Also, considering the images seen on television, and those of Mr. Ababekri, there are growing speculations whether these confessions were made under duress or torture.

Even if observers accept that those confessions were sincere (taking into consideration that the information, which was provided is trustworthy), it should be noted that the provided information was more or less the same and mirrored previously obtained statistics and updates on Uyghur victims in the region from different sources on the ground.

Regardless of whether this information was provided by Mr. Ababekri Rehim or not, the exchange of information by itself should not be considered a crime, and his forced confession and imprisonment are a direct violation of his freedom of thought and speech, as well as the free exchange of information.

Similarly, according to the allegations advanced by the Chinese State, Mr. Ababekri did not go to Yarkent, but collected his information from various sources on the streets; it is based on rumours, his own estimates and imagination.

It is also worth mentioning that the worsening situation in the region has led the Chinese authorities to refuse to disclose any information regarding the violence, which was taking place in the region until 6 July 2014. The WUC firmly believes that China implements such strategies with the sole purpose of hiding the truth. One of the alleged crimes charged against Mr. Ababekri by the Chinese authorities is that, “he tried to draw the world’s attention” to the events.

Therefore, his alleged crimes are not criminal, but exemplary; it is the behaviour of a concerned, responsible and heroic human being. Since he is accused in spreading false information by providing the inflated numbers to the media, the data can be verified by granting full and unrestricted access to international media in the region.

Chinese authorities have little leverage to accuse Mr. Ababekri Rehim of providing the false information, since they did not grant such an opportunity to the international independent media or even to its own Chinese media outlets. The long delay in announcing the number of victims (in the begining it was stated that 13 had lost their lives), was followed by the announcement made by Mr. Ababekri Rehim. Later, the Chinese media stated the number of victims was 96. The information provided by Chinese authorities is biased and there is no independent media present in the area reporting from Yarkent. The WUC believes that the information provided by Mr. Ababekri, in comparison, is trustworthy.

Most importantly, the letter which was allegedly sent by Mr. Ababekri accurately describes the overall deteriorating situation in the region, particularly in Yarkent, and is not far from reality.

One thing is clear. By sending out the alleged letters to the international community, Mr. Ababekri did not seek any material advantages for himself, but rather fulfilled his human, national, and ethnic duty. The WUC recognizes Mr. Ababekri Rehim as a prisoner of conscience.

There are two points, which worry the WUC: first, by extracting the forced confession from Mr. Ababekri Rehim, Chinese authorities are pursuing the goal of hiding the true scope of the massacres that happened in Yarkent, which has led the international community to believe the offical Chinese Government interpretation of the events; secondly, by punishing Mr. Ababekri, China is sending out a clear signal to all Uyghurs and forcing them into silence.

We ask all concerned human rights organizations, human rights defenders and democracies around the world to demand China to free Mr. Ababekri Rehim. His only alleged crime was to inform the world about the ongoing massacres happening in East Turkestan and to break the wall of silence imposed by China, and in doing so, he put his life in the danger.

 

Photo @ Flickr by dwb_photos