We need your help!
200 Uyghurs from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China have been detained by Kazakstan authorities as of October 12, 2000.
From: TudiH@aol.com
Dear friends, according news from Kazakstan, 200 hundred Uyghurs were
detained by Kazak government to be returned to China. As we all know, their
lives will be in danger if they be returned to China. Your help migh make a
difference for them. Please email or fax the following letter to Kazakstan
Embassy in your country (http://www.un.int/kazakhstan/embas.html),
your contry’s Embassador in Kazakhstan, and the Kazak
government officials whose
address are attached at the end. If you live in US, you may send it
to your congressmen or to the US Congres officials whose email
adress and Fax numbers are attached as well. You just need to
add the recepient’s name to the greeding and modify the last
paragraph and sign your name. Thanks,
Huji Turdi
Uyghur American Association
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear _____
According to sources in Kazakstan, about 200 Uyghurs from the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China have been detained by
Kazakstan authorities as of October 12, 2000. These people are to be
forcefully returned to China.
The sources said Chinese authorities have exerted pressure on Kazakstan to
sign an agreement to return Uyghurs who are Chinese citizens to China. As
a result, Kazakstan police began a nationwide search for Uyghurs
from China. They have searched Uyghur homes randomly, and stopped
Uyghurs on the street to check ID. Many Uyghurs with Kazakstan
citizenship complained about the
police harassment. Kazakstan police have rounded up about 200 Uyghurs
since they started the search in late September. Many of these
Uyghurs have expired passport or visa, and have been living in hiding for
fear of forceful return to China where they are sought by the
authorities for their political or religious opinion or suspected
involvement in nationalist opposition activities. It is
well known that China persecutes Uyghurs returned by other countries.
Three Uyghurs, Hemit Memet, Kasim Mahpir and Ilyas Zordun who were forcefully
returned to China by Kazakstan in February 1999 were executed by Chinese
government. Amnesty International reported in 1999 that eight East
Turkistanis, four men and four children were forcibly returned from
Kazakstan in September 1998. The children were held for eighteen days and
the men are feared to have been
tortured to learn how they escaped. More recently, the Taldikorgan Court in
Kazakstan has refused to grant political asylum to 10 Uyghurs on March 20,
2000. These ten men initially filed for political asylum in August 1999 after
being detained by Kazak security forces while escaping the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region (XUAR) of the People's Republic of China. An
Amnesty International report published in 1999 has documented a pattern of
gross violations of human rights in the XUAR. These violations include
prolonged arbitrary detention in communicado, severe torture of political
suspects, unfair trials, and arbitrary and summary executions of 210
political prisoners. The report said XUAR is the only region of the PRC where
political prisoners are known to have been executed in recent years.
Repression of suspected political opponents and Muslim religious leaders
branded as "separatists" still continues and is getting worse today.
These 200 Uyghurs will definitely face serious human rights violations,
including arbitrary imprisonment, torture and possibly the death penalty,
if they are forcibly returned to the People's Republic of China.The
forcible deportation of these people violates Kazakstan's obligations
under international law, in particular the principle of non-refoulement,
which prohibits the return of a
person to a country or territory where they might face serious human rights
violations. I urge your government not to return these 200 Uyghurs to
China where their lives would be in clear danger. They are clearly the
victims of political persecution. We urge the Kazakstan government to
grant them political asylum or allow them to seek asylum in a third
country.
Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Embassy of the Republic of Kazakstan
Tel: 202/232-5488
Fax: 202/232-5845 email: Kazak@intr.net
Official: Ambassador: The Honorable Bolat K.
Nurgaliyev
Charge d'Affaires: Mr. Kayrat Abuseitov
Commercial Attache: Mr. Askar Tazhiyev
Kazakstan Mission to the United Nations
Address: 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 586
New York, NY 10017
Tel: 212/230-1900
Fax: 212/230-1172 email: kazakhstan@un.int
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Kazakstan at
the Kazakstan Mission to the U.N.:
Her Excellency Dr. Madina B. Jarbussynova
Consulate of the Republic of Kazakhstan in New York
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 586A, New York, NY 10012
Tel: (212) 888-3024 Faz: (212) 888-3025 email: Kzconsulny@un.int
Procurator General of Kazakstan Yuriy Khitrin,
Respublika Kazakhstan, g. Astana, pr. Pobedy, 31,
Prokuratura Respubliki Kazakhstan
Generalnomu prokuroru Khitrinu Yu.
Telegrams: Generalnomu prokuroru, Astana, Kazakstan
Faxes: (7 3172) 33 39 28
Salutation: Dear Procurator General
President of Kazakstan Nursultan Abishevich NAZARBAYEV
Respublika Kazakhstan, g. Astana, Apparat Prezidenta
Prezidentu Respubliki Kazakhstan NAZARBAYEVU N.A.
Telegrams: Presidentu Respubliki, Astana, Kazakstan
Faxes: (7 3172) 32 72 93 (Att: Imangali Tasmagambetov, Head of Presidential
Administration)
or (7 3172) 32 61 72 (Att: First Assistant to the President)
Salutation: Dear President
COPIES TO:
Chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Commission Zhabaykhan Abdildin,
Respublika
Kazakhstan, g. Astana, Komissiya po pravam cheloveka pri Presidente
Respubliki Kazakstan,
Predsedatelyu Abdildinu Zh.
Fax: (7 3172) 32 72 93 (Att: Imangali Tasmagambetov, Head of Presidential
Administration)
or (7 3172) 32 61 72 (Att: First Assistant to the President) or tel/fax: (7
3172) 32 17 67 (Att: Secretary
to the Commission Bolat BAIKADAMOV)
Minister of Internal Affairs Kairbek SULEYMENOV
Respublika Kazakhstan, g. Astana, ul. Manasa, 4
Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del Respubliki Kazakhstan
Ministru SULEYMENOVU K.
Fax: (7 3172) 34 17 38
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasymzhomart Kemel-uly TOKAYEV
Respublika Kazakhstan, g. Astana, ul. Mira, 10
Ministerstvo inostrannykh del Respubliki Kazakhstan
Ministru TOKAYEVU K.K.
Fax: (7 3172) 32 42 64
We ask that you write a letter/fax to the following US officials:
Benjamin A. Gilman, Chairman
House International Relations Committee
2170 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
HIRC@mail.house.gov
Jesse Helms, Ranking Republican Member
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
403 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3301
(202) 224-6342
(202) 228-1339(FAX)
jesse_helms@helms.senate.gov
Joseph Biden, Ranking Democratic Member
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
221 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-5042
Fax: 202-224-0139
senator@biden.senate.gov