Grave concern about the safety of 20 Uyghur asylum-seekers, whose whereabouts remain unknown more than a year after their return to China

Case CHN 241210Whereaboutsunknown/ Forcible return/ Fear for the safety The International Secretariat of the WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT)requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the People’s Republic of China. Brief description of the situation TheInternationalSecretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source and AntennaInternational, a member of OMCT SOS-Torture Network, that the whereabouts of 20 Uyghur asylum-seekers, including twochildren (see details below), whowere forcibly deported to China from Cambodia on 19 December 2009, remain unknown more than a year aftertheir return to China. The Chinese authorities have reportedlyrefused to provide information about their fates. OMCT is gravely concern abouttheir safety. According to the information received, on 19 December2009, Abdugheni Abdulkadir andfamily, Abulkadir Shahida, Abulkadir Bilal, Abulkadir Maymuna, AbdugheniHalil, Abdullah Kasim, Ali Ahmat, Ali Nur, Amat Eli, Ebrayim Mamut, Hazirtieli Umar, IslamUrayim, Kuban Kanwul, Mahmut Bilal, Mamat Ali, Mohammed Musa,Mutallip Mamut, Omar Mohammed, TuniyaziAikaebaier Jiang and Turik Muhamedwere forced aboard a plane in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, chartered by the Chineseauthorities despite the fact that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was in theprocess of reviewing their applications for refugee status. All except one ofthe Uyghurs had fled to Cambodia in the aftermath of a crackdown in theXinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of China in July 2009[1],fearing persecution by the Chinese authorities. The Chinese authorities have reportedly since thenrefused to disclose information about their whereabouts, legal statuses orwell-being. The InternationalSecretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about the safety of the abovementioned20 Uyghur asylum-seekers and accordingly urges thecompetent Chinese authorities to immediately disclose their whereabouts as wellas guarantee their physical and psychological integrity, at all times,in accordance with internationalhuman rights law, in particular the UNConvention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment orPunishment and the UN Conventionon the Rights of the Child, both conventions to which China is a state party. ActionsRequested Please write to theauthorities in the People’s Republic of China urging them to: i. Take all necessary measures to immediatelylocate and disclose the whereabouts of the abovementioned 20 Uyghurasylum-seekers; ii. Guarantee,in all circumstances, their physical and psychological integrity; iii. Order their immediate release in the absence of validlegal charges that areconsistent with international law and standards, or, if such charges exist,bring them before an impartial, independent and competent tribunal andguarantee their procedural rights at all times;iv. Grant themimmediate and unconditional access to a lawyer of their choice and theirfamilies, as well as guarantee that they are examined by independent doctorsand receive adequate medical care if necessary, in accordance, inter alia, with the UN Standard MinimumRules for the Treatment of Prisoners; v. Guaranteethe respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the countryin accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
Ø Mr. Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister of thePeople’s Republic of China, Guojia Zongli, The State Council General Office, 2Fuyoujie, Xichengqu, Beijingshi 100017, People’s Republic of China, Fax: +86 10 65961109 (c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs)Ø Mr. Wu Aiying, Minister of Justice of thePeople’s Republic of China, Buzhang Sifabu, 10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie,Chaoyangqu, Beijingshi 100020, People’s Republic of China, Fax: +86 10 65292345, minister@legalinfo.gov.cn / pfmaster@legalinfo.gov.cnØ Mr. Meng Jianzhu, Minister ofPublic Security of the People’s Republic of China, Buzhang, Gong’anbu, 14Dongchang’anjie, Dongchengqu, Beijingshi 100741, People’s Republic of China,Fax: +86 10 63099216Ø PermanentMission of the People’s Republic of China, Ch. De Surville, CP 85, 1213 Petit-Lancy 2, Suisse,e-mail: mission.china@ties.itu.int, Fax : +41 22 793 70 14 Please also write to the embassies of the People’s Republic of China in your respective country. ***Geneva, 24 December 2010. Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting thecode of this appeal in your reply.
[1] The crackdown wasone of the most violent in years with over 200 people killed in Urumqi, the regional capital, in July 2009.According to the information received, hundreds of Uighurs were detained afterthe violence and people were executed for involvement in the rioting.