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| Request for intervention on
behalf of Huseyin Celil |
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| Posted: 26 April 2006 |
The Right Honorable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario. K1A 0A2
April 26 , 2006
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing out of concern for the plight of Huseyin
Celil, a Canadian citizen of Uighur origin from the
Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwest
China. Mr. Celil has been imprisoned in Uzbekistan for
the past month, following his arrest by Uzbekistani
authorities on March 27. We urge that his case become a
matter of utmost priority for the Canadian government,
and for you personally.
We are gravely concerned that Mr. Celil may imminently
be extradited to China, where he would be at serious
risk of grave human rights abuses, including torture,
arbitrary detention and execution. In the 1990s, he
suffered persecution and detention in China for his work
advocating for the religious and political rights of the
Uighur people. After fleeing China, he ultimately made
his way to Turkey, where he was recognized as a refugee
by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR). He was resettled to Canada in
2001.
His experience is consistent with well-documented human
rights concerns in China and in central Asia. In the
midst of an ongoing crackdown in Xinjiang by the Chinese
government, widespread human rights violations directed
against the region’s Uighur community continue. Many
Uighurs have fled the country as a result. Those who
have fled to neighbouring central Asian countries
continue to be at risk, as there is a well-established
pattern of governments in the region forcibly returning
Uighurs to China, often as a result of direct pressure
from the Chinese government. In some recent cases,
returnees have been subjected to serious human rights
violations, including torture, unfair trials and even
execution.
We are concerned that the government of Kyrgyzstan is
also seeking Mr. Celil’s extradition. Mr. Celil would
not be safe in Kyrgyzstan, as there is a strong
likelihood that he would be sent from there to China.
Prime Minister, please intervene personally and do all
that you can to press relevant governments to protect
Mr. Celil’s fundamental human rights, including by:
Insisting that the Uzbekistani government immediately
and unconditionally release Mr. Celil and allow him to
return to Canada, unless he is charged with a
recognizable criminal offence and given prompt access to
a fair judicial process that meets international
standards.
Asking for assurances from the Uzbekistani government
that Mr. Celil will not be handed over in any manner to
authorities of either Kyrgyzstan or China.
Obtaining regular, private consular access to Mr. Celil
while he is in detention, as well as guarantees that his
rights to independent legal representation, contact with
family, and access to health care will be fully
respected.
Seeking assistance from other governments, notably
Russia and the United States, in raising Mr. Celil’s
case with Uzbekistani authorities such as through a
personal request from you to Russian President Vladimir
Putin and US President George Bush.
We look forward to hearing of intensified Canadian
efforts on Mr. Celil’s behalf.
Sincerely,
Alex Neve
Secretary General
Amnesty International Canada
English Branch
Michel Frenette
Directeur General
Amnistie Internationale
Section canadienne francophone
Elizabeth McWeeny
President
Canadian Council for Refugees
Canada Tibet Committee
General Counsel
Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association
Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada
Democracy China-Ottawa
Islamic Social Services Association
Writers in Prison Committee
PEN Canada
Rights & Democracy
Toronto Association for Democracy in China
Uyghur Canadian Society
World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of
Falun Gong (Canada) |
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