On the 11th anniversary of Ilham Tohti’s unjust imprisonment, Germany-based human rights organizations called on German politicians to take action for his release.
On the 11th anniversary of Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti’s arrest by the Chinese government on January 15, the Society for Threatened Peoples (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker, GfbV), the Ilham Tohti Initiative, the Verein Freiheit für Hongkong, and the Uyghur community in Europe urged German politicians to act for the release of the Weimar Human Rights Award laureate.
Hanno Schedler, an expert on genocide prevention and the responsibility to protect at the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV), stated, “Ilham Tohti is guilty of no crime. He was silenced by the Chinese government because he publicly criticized the marginalization of Uyghurs in East Turkistan. His case is a typical example of the systematic oppression of minorities and human rights defenders by the Chinese government. We call on the current German government and the democratic opposition parties to intensify their efforts for Tohti and many other political prisoners in China.”
Schedler also emphasized that Germany’s China policy should not solely be shaped by the interests of large corporations but must also include the fight for human rights. He added, “A commitment to human dignity requires advocating for people like Ilham Tohti, who fight for peaceful dialogue and understanding.”
The president of the Ilham Tohti Initiative, Enver Can, stated, “It is time for German politicians, together with their EU partners, to make greater efforts for Ilham Tohti’s release. He is being held in solitary confinement, with insufficient food and in unsanitary conditions.”
Peace Emissary
Asgar Can, president of the Uyghur community in Europe, said, “Ilham Tohti worked to build bridges between communities and was, and continues to be, a peace Emissary. If we stay silent and fail to make strong statements for him, there is no point in talking about democracy, human rights, and human dignity.”
Amy Siu, vice president of the Verein Freiheit für Hongkong, added, “Ilham Tohti was imprisoned for peacefully advocating for mutual respect between peoples. We support his release from this unjust imprisonment.”
In their press statement, the organizations concluded, “Since 2016, the Chinese government has been committing genocide against Uyghurs through policies of re-education camps, long prison sentences for hundreds of thousands of people, forced sterilization, forced labor, and family separations.”
The City of Weimar Firmly Stands Behind Ilham Tohti
Ilham Tohti has received several prestigious awards, including the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize and the Václav Havel Human Rights Award. He has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for several years as a defender of Uyghur human rights.
Thanks to joint promotional efforts by the Ilham Tohti Initiative and GfbV, Ilham Tohti was in absentia awarded the Weimar Human Rights Award in 2017. The award was accepted at the time in Weimar City Hall by Enver Can and Ulrich Delius from the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV).
The Weimar city administration noted on its website, “The harsh sentence against Ilham Tohti, which has been criticized worldwide, raises doubts about whether the Chinese government is genuinely interested in a peaceful and substantive resolution to the issues in the region where Uyghurs are the majority.” The city council expressed hope that this award would ensure Ilham Tohti’s message of peace and dialogue would not be forgotten and that efforts for his release would intensify.
His Family Hasn’t Seen Him Since 2017
Based on his academic findings, Ilham Tohti presented concrete proposals on how Uyghurs, other Turkic ethnic groups, and Han Chinese could coexist in East Turkistan. Through his articles and the “Uyghurbiz” websites he created as discussion fora, he sought to foster understanding between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. Because of these efforts, he was constantly harassed by state security forces and placed under house arrest.
Ilham Tohti was detained on January 15, 2014. On September 23, 2014, he was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of “inciting separatism.” His family has not been able to see him since 2017.