China has continued its crackdown on political speech with a truly disgraceful trial of Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti. The prominent scholar has written about the discontent in his region and lack of rights. The Chinese declared the writings as encouraging separatism. While that would not be a crime in any free nation, China handed him a life sentence after this supporters say that he was denied food and then denied copies of the evidence used against him.
Indeed, his lawyer said that police refused to even tell Ilham Tohti why he was being detained.
In a message from the scholar, he asked his family to tell his mother that he had received only a five-year sentence. He also said that he could hear one of his students, Pahati, pounding the door and moaning in the cell next to him.
To his credit, President Obama has discussed the case. However, when those remarks were raised with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, she reacted angrily and said some countries “made irresponsible remarks and brought up irrational requests in the name of so-called democracy and human rights, which were a harsh and unreasonable intervention over China’s internal affairs and sovereignty.” Once again, China views calls for the most basic human rights as “irrational requests.”
China’s state-controlled media also parroted the government’s position and Xinhua News Agency criticized the reference to Ilham Tohti as “a Uighur Mandela.” Xinhua said the analogy “displays not only a dangerous ignorance of history, but also a challenge to China’s determination to keep its 56 ethnic groups united.” The comment seems to struggle to show that there is even less protection of the free press as there is free speech in China.
Source: ABC News
Karen, My best friends daughter moved to Hong Kong earlier this year. She and her lesbian partner live in a US enclave. They had some trepidations but they are accepted. They have real good jobs and this is a stepping stone for both w/ their US companies. Their biggest problem is the oppressive heat/humidity.
Karen, Don’t beat yourself up! You have been doing great. I would tell kids I coached when they made an error, you learn form it and then LET IT GO. There’s another play to make, the game and life go one. I think one of the best life lessons you learn from sports is how to let it go. I hear girls singing that great song, Let it Go, from Frozen. What a wonderful flick and message.
Paul – I had friends who lived in HK, and really enjoyed their time there. Except that the air was always posted as extremely hazardous.
They would post the most hilarious signs and food labels there.
Karen – Chinglish is an art form. It is hilarious. Love it. Sadly, they got rid of a lot of it during the Olympics
Olly – true. If there is no longer a natural right to freedom, the government can posit what they believe people should be allowed to do.
Nick – I didn’t read further down, or I would have!!! I need to stop posting as I read, and complete the thread so I don’t get sucked into silly arguments.
No, Annie, you have also said we should emulate China. Don’t you recall? I’ve addressed similar remarks several times recently, and I cannot understand them at all.
What I admire about China are its martial arts, films (or at least what the government allows them to produce), stunning landscape, flora, and fauna. The repression of its people and toxic environment are atrocious.
Great job, Karen. Self discipline is key and you are showing some.
rafflaw – if it really is ‘double secret probation’ they didn’t get it from Gitmo.
The Legal Positivists should recognize this as merely the result of a government doing the will of the people. After all, there are NO natural rights. If the sovereign citizens of China wanted different rights then they need to ensure they get the government that will create them.
This secret evidence sounds like “double secret probation” to say the least. I think the Chinese got this idea from our actions at Gitmo.
Karen only ONE poster said we should emulate China, and THAT was YOUR BUDDY John.
Karen are you serious?! You don’t like it when I say you misrepresent commenters here, yet you continue to LIE about what someone said, even AFTER I came on the thread and told you I was being Facetious? You seriously still think I was serious? Wow. What is it with you? I was being FACETIOUS when John, YOUR BUDDY, said we should kill our politicians who do misdeeds in office, l,e China does. Then you went on to try to make it sound like I was being serious when I JOKED we “should emulate China”, in poking fun at John’s OUTRAGEOUS comment. Karen I sometimes wonder if you truly believe the stuff you accuse others of saying. Something is seriously wrong with that.
And yet how many times in just the past few days, on this blog, have posters declared we should emulate China???
Paul – China is still a major source for corporate espionage and hacking into American corporations. The only piracy they’ve cracked down on is on Western films. 🙁
Karen – it is very sad. My friend in China used to have three local sources for pirated films, now he is down to one and that one is not very good. So this last visit he was not able to bring the films he wanted to. They just were not available.
I closely follow the news in China since I have a friend there and they are fining foreign corporations, have put some foreigners in jail, stopped the Hong Kong elections from being democratic, etc. All the things people were hoping for have not happened. All they have done on a positive note is crack down on piracy, which means I cannot get Game of Thrones early.
The United States is on the “path” to a stealthy East German Stasi which created one of the highest death rates in the world during the Cold War. We haven’t arrived but we are speeding down that road.
Senator Patrick Leahy propsed a Truth Commission which would help restore the constitutional rule of law. The Stasi was deadly due to it’s excessive secrecy and lack of oversight by judges.
What is the ideal size of a sovereign nation? Do people get along better if smaller groups are independent, or is it better to have a Federal system governing many diverse groups with opposing interests? Should Uighurs have their own country? Tibetans? Jews? Or is a large diverse melting pot/tossed salad better?
truly disgraceful trial of Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti
At least he got a trial, Edward Snowden is already convicted…REALLY disgraceful!!
How can we complain here? The same thing happens most anytime the government wants to claim a defense of the defendant is classified. I love the Ollie north claim, I do not recall….
RIL…
How is that different from our post 9/11 justice system with rubberstamp courts that operate ex parte? Or an attorney general publicly announcing verdicts before charge or trial?
He may end up being part of the “chicken nuggets” China will now be selling us.