page_title: Ilham Tohti
section_title: Detentions
hierarchical_section_title: Ilham Tohti / Detentions
caption_attribution_description: English: Elliot Sperling, -University of Indiana adn Jewher IIham © Ed Lederman/PEN American Center
context_page_description: Ilham Tohti is a Uyghur economist serving a life sentence in China, on separatism-related charges. He is a vocal advocate for the implementation of regional autonomy laws in China, was the host of Uyghur Online, a website founded in 2006 that discusses Uyghur issues, and is known for his research on Uyghur-Han relations. Tohti was summoned from his Beijing home and detained shortly after the July 2009 Ürümqi riots by the authorities because of his criticism of the Chinese government's policies toward Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Tohti was released on August 23rd after international pressure and condemnation. He was arrested again in January 2014 and imprisoned after a two day trial. For his work in the face of adversity he was awarded the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, the Martin Ennals Award, the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, and the Sakharov Prize. Tohti is viewed as a moderate and believes that Xinjiang should be granted autonomy according to democratic principles.
context_section_description: On July 5, 2009 ethnic rioting took place between Uyghurs and Han in Ürümqi, the capital of Xinjiang. The government reported that more than 150 people, mostly Han Chinese, were killed during the clashes. Many Uighurs claim the governments numbers do not account for the Uighurs killed by Han vigilantes and security forces. Governor Nur Bekri claimed in a July 6th speech that Uighur Online had spread rumors that contributed to the riots. Officials avoided discussion of issues such as the limits on Uighur religious practice, the asymmetry of economic opportunities for Han and Uighurs, the suppression of the Uighur language, or the increasing Han immigration in an Uighur majority province.
  On July 8, 2009, Radio Free Asia reported that Tohti's whereabouts were unknown after he had been summoned from his home in Beijing. The Chinese dissident Wang Lixiong and his Tibetan activist wife Woeser started an on-line petition calling for Tohti's release, which was signed by other dissidents including Ran Yunfei. PEN American Center, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders also issued appeals or statements of concern.
  Tohti was released from detention on August 23, along with two other Chinese dissidents, Xu Zhiyong and Zhuang Lu, after pressure on Beijing from the administration of American President Barack Obama. Tohti said that during his detention, he was confined to his home and a hotel with several police officers who did not treat him inhumanely. He stated that after his release, they warned him against criticism of the government's handling of riots, and prevented him and his family from leaving Beijing.
  Chinese authorities arrested and detained Tohti again in January 2014, and removed computers from his home. He was held at a detention center thousands of miles from Beijing in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
  On April 1, 2014, Tohti was awarded the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, an American human rights award given to writers anywhere in the world who fight for freedom of expression. According to the statement from PEN, Tohti, was "long harassed by Chinese authorities for his outspoken views on the rights of China's Muslim Uyghur minority. Tohti represents a new generation of endangered writers who use the web and social media to fight oppression and broadcast to concerned parties around the globe. We hope this honor helps awaken Chinese authorities to the injustice being perpetrated and galvanizes the worldwide campaign to demand Tohti's freedom." China's foreign ministry expressed anger at the award, saying that he was a suspected criminal.
  After a two-day hearing before the Ürümqi People's Intermediate Court in September 2014, Tohti was found guilty of "separatism", sentenced him to life imprisonment and ordered all of Tohti's assets seized. Amnesty International asserted Tohti's legal team were never shown evidence and furthermore denied access to their client for six months, and condemned the trial as an "affront to justice". His imprisonment is criticized by a number of human rights organizations around the globe; such as Electronic Frontier Foundation.
  On 24 September 2014, United States Secretary of State John Kerry criticized what he called a 'harsh' sentence, and called for Tohti's release.
caption: Mr. Tohti's daughter Jewher Ilham with Elliot Sperling at Lederman/PEN American Center, May 2014
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