Pékin2008

In China, there is no freedom of opinion and no freedom of expression

Uighur people celebrating the release of their compatriot Rebiya Kadeer, a well-known Human Rights activist.

Nurhahmat Yusup, 28 years old, is a Uighur from Kashgar, in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (North-West of China). The Uighur ethnic group is the target of particularly harsh repressive measures and human rights violations are frequent.

In July 1996, Nurhahmat Yusup was reportedly detained, after going to People's Square in Kashgar and replacing the flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) with the banned one of "Eastern Turkestan" (the name given to their region by Uighurs supporting independence from the PRC).

Police then searched his home and found a banned tape of poems from a well-known Uighur poet. The tape had at first circulated legally but was later banned by the authorities when the poems were found to be "reactionary". Possession of the tape itself was considered as an offence.

Charged with "counter-revolutionary" offences, though the exact charges against him are not known, Nurhahmat Yusup was tried in September 1997. He was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.

He is reported to be held in Urumqi n°1 prison, Urumqi being the administrative centre of the autonomous region.

The China 2008 Olympics Collective calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Nurhahmat Yusup.