Bournville Group
| Amnesty
International
Bournville Group |
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Name: Nurhamat Yusup Age: 22 Crime: taking down a flag and possessing a cassette of poems Sentence: 11 years imprisonment Nurhamat Yusup
belongs to the Muslim Uighur-speaking minority in the Xinjiang Uighur
Autonomous Region of China. In July 1996
then aged 22, he was arrested in Kashgar. It was reported that he had
taken down the Chinese flag in People's Square, Kashgar, and replaced it
with the banned flag of East Turkestan (the name preferred by Uighurs
seeking independence from China). According to unofficial sources, Yusup's
home was searched and police found a tape of banned poems by a well-known
Uighur poet.
Nurhamat was later charged with 'counter-revolutionary offences' and reportedly sentenced to 20 years imprisonment (this later turned out to be 11 years). Amnesty International considers Yusup a 'prisoner of conscience' as he is imprisoned solely because of his peaceful political activities. Amnesty therefore calls for his immediate and unconditional release. Individual members of the group and our supporters who are not able to attend meetings send letters to authorities on behalf of Nurhamat Yusup. We have heard that in China this action, whilst not leading to the release of prisoners, does lead to concrete changes in the daily conditions prisoners are subjected to. Individuals are often given more blankets and food when the authorities know that other governments, human rights organisations and ordinary individuals are aware of their situations. These external (non Amnesty) sites may tell you more about Uighur life and culture, but Amnesty bears no responsibility for their contents: New Internationalist article about Uighur independence BBC article about Uighur independence
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