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CNN CAME AND COVERED OUR DEMONSTRATION!!!
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From: "Kathy Polias"
<kpolias@uyghurs.org>
The UHRC's and UAA's demonstration for Abdulhelil Abdumijit in front of the
Chinese Embassy yesterday was awesome. CNN CAME AND COVERED OUR DEMONSTRATION!!!
One of the Uyghur Human Rights Coalition's (UHRC) executive board members had
contacts with one of the CNN producers and convinced them to come. Before
the demonstration started, CNN interviewed me for about 10 minutes, asking me
questions about Abdulhelil, the Uyghurs' plight in general, and the purposes,
goals, and activities of the Uyghur Human Rights Coalition. It was
excellent! After the interview, we started the demonstration. CNN
STAYED AND FILMED US FOR OVER AN HOUR!!!! First, I gave an introductory
speech explaining that we were demonstrating in front of the embassy to demand
that the Chinese government investigate reports that well-known Uyghur political
prisoner Abdulhelil Abdumijit was TORTURED TO DEATH and that the government make
the causes of his death public. I told the 50+ demonstrators that we we!
re there to demand justice and truth for Abdulhelil, and I read the UHRC's
and UAA's joint demonstration statement, which is posted below.
Afterwards, American and Uyghur activists led slogans in both English and
Chinese, such as "Justice for Abdulhelil Abdumijit!" "What
Happened to Abdulhelil?!!...Tell Us the Truth!!" "Abdulhelil's
Death Is On Your Hands!!" "Abdulhelil Was A Hero!...CCP Is A
Coward!!" "Stop Torturing Uyghurs!" "Stop
Terrorizing Uyghurs!" "Human Rights for Uyghur People!"
It was wonderful!! Though we were only about 50 people we were extremely
loud and powerful!! And CNN got the whole thing on tape!!
Then came one of the most exciting parts of the demonstration. Timothy
Cooper, International Director of the Free China Movement, suggested that we try
to get a meeting with Ambassador Li Zhaoxing about Abdulhelil. We led our
demonstrators across the small street to the sidewalk directly in front of the
embassy. Timothy and I assembled a group of people of five people to go
into the embassy and request a meeting. Our small group consisted of
Timothy, myself, one of UHRC's executive board members, and 2 Uyghurs. We
went into the embassy (the door was unlocked because the police had just been in
there) while our demonstrators continued shouting slogans. CNN filmed us
going in. When we got inside, we met up with 1 lady embassy official and 2
men officials. Timothy said we really wanted to meet with the Ambassador
about Abdulhelil. They immediately told us to get out and that we were on
Chinese territory at that moment and needed to respect their wishes. I
pleaded with!
them, telling them that we were very concerned about this man who died
while he was in prison in their country and that there were reports that he was
tortured to death. All they said was, "Get Out!" repeatedly.
They showed absolutely no concern for this poor Uyghur man. It was as if
his life meant ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to them. The police officers started
pushing us out saying we had to respect the officials' wishes. I tried to
get the embassy officials to at least take one of our flyers and pass it onto
the Ambassador, but they refused to do even that. When we got outside,
Timothy made a speech (which CNN filmed) that completely embarrassed the
officials and made them look like heartless fools. He was so eloquent and
powerful. He told our demonstrators and CNN that the five of us went into
the embassy very diplomatically and peacefully asking for a meeting with the
ambassador and trying to engage the officials in a dialogue about what happened
to this poor man, Abdulhelil Abdumijit, and they said "NO". He
said that we went in there with the utmost concern about this activist who died
in prison in their country and they PUSHED US OUT. He said that they did
not even give us even a few minutes to talk about this man who lost his life.
Timothy REALLY embarrassed the embassy on camera. His words were amazing.
I can't even do his speech justice in this e-mail. He made the officials
look really bad on camera, which was awesome!! Right after Timothy gave
his report, we all started screaming "Shame On China! Shame On Chin! a!"
Then we moved back across the small street in front of the embassy and continued
our demonstration. We marched around the small park across the street from
the embassy with our signs and yelled slogans. After marching for about 20
minutes, Timothy and Karma Zurkhang from the Capital Area Friends of Tibet gave
touching speeches about Abdulhelil Abdumijit and what his death means for the
Uyghur people and the Uyghur human rights movement. Then, the embassy
officials were starting to leave the embassy and we got very loud with our
slogans. A group of about 10 officials headed around the corner to their
cars and a couple of us followed them screaming, "Stop Killing Uyghur
people!" "Stop Torturing Uyghur People!".
We ended the demonstration with a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Abdulhelil
and all of the other Uyghur peace activists who have lost their lives at the
hands of the Chinese government. One of the Uyghurs, who was a friend of
Abdulhelil, gave a touching speech about Abdulhelil's life. We had a
moment of silence and ended with "We love you, Abdulhelil."
Abdulhelil Abdumijit will be in our hearts forever. Let's never stop
trying to achieve his dream of human rights and freedom for the Uyghur people.
Kathy Polias
Executive Director, Uyghur Human Rights Coalition
http://www.uyghurs.org
****************************************************************************************************
Demonstration to Obtain Justice for
Well-Known Uyghur Political Prisoner, Abdulhelil Abdumijit
Joint Statement of the Uyghur Human Rights Coalition and the Uyghur American
Association
In front of the Chinese Embassy, Washington, DC, November 3, 2000
We demonstrate in front of the Chinese Embassy today on Friday, November 3,
2000, to demand that the Chinese government publicly disclose the circumstances
surrounding the recent death of well-known Uyghur political prisoner, Abdulhelil
Abdumijit. Last week Amnesty International received reports that Mr.
Abdumijit, one of the lead organizers of the Uyghur human rights demonstrations
in Ghulja City, Xinjiang in 1997, was tortured to death on October 17, 2000
while in detention in Chapchal Su Detention Center in Yili County, Xinjiang.
The reports received by Amnesty International also claimed that Mr. Abdumijit's
body was brought to a cemetery in Chapchal under heavy police guard and buried
in a shallow grave, and that his relatives were denied access to his grave.
Although Chinese officials have confirmed Mr. Abdumijit's death, they have not
disclosed the causes of his death. We demand that the Chinese government
conduct a full and impartial investigation into the reports!
that he was tortured to death and make the causes of his death public.
China is a party to the UN Convention Against Torture and therefore has an
international obligation to refrain from using methods of torture as a form of
punishment, as well as an obligation to investigate allegations of torture.
Mr Abdumijit was a 31-year old street trader in Ghulja city in the Xinjiang
Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. In 1997, he was one of the lead
organizers of the Uyghur human rights demonstrations in Ghulja, Xinjiang.
He was arrested soon after the Chinese government's violent crackdown on the
peaceful demonstrations. His detention has been marked by secrecy since
his arrest in 1997. His family was reportedly denied access to him as well
as information about his situation. In organizing the Ghulja
demonstrations in 1997, he used nonviolent methods to try to achieve basic human
rights and freedom for his people. He was a hero for the Uyghur human
rights movement and is honored by Uyghurs all over the world. He is
survived by his wife and 3 young children. We will never forget the
ultimate sacrifice that Abdulhelil Abdumijit made for his people. He will
remain in our hearts forever. We gather here today to obtain truth and
justice for Abdulhelil and to help achieve his dream of human rights and freedom
for the Uyghur people.