December 7, 2009
Last Updated: 12/10/2009
XINJIANG-–In a stunning development to both the lawyers and family members, ChinaAid learned today that 36-year-old house church leader Alimujiang Yimiti received 15 years imprisonment for allegedly “providing state secrets to overseas organizations.” He was allegedly read his verdict while in prison on October 27, 2009. Mr. Li Dunyong, one of the Alimujiang’s lawyers, confirmed that he has already filed an appeal on Mr. Alimujiang’s behalf.
Mr. Alimujiang has been held at Kashgar Detention Center for over a year without a verdict. He was first formally detained and charged on “suspicions of harming national security” on January 11, 2008, by the Bureau of State Security of Kashgar. The charges were then changed to “suspicion of instigating separatism and providing national secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations or individuals” on February 20, 2008. He was tried secretly in the Kashgar Intermediate Court on May 27, 2008, on these new charges. The case was then sent back for retrial. He was tried secretly again on July 28, 2008, with the first charge dropped.
Ethnic Uyghur and Christian convert Alimujiang Yiming helped pastor a house church in Xinjiang with his wife Gulinuer and two sons.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled the arrest and detention of Mr. Alimujiang to be arbitrary and in violation of international law. View the UN Working Group’s Official Ruling.
“The whole case is about religious faith issues which are being used against Alimujiang for his conversion from Islam to Christianity, by biased law enforcement agents, prosecutors and the court,” said Attorney Li Dunyong.
“The key for this case was the flawed “Certificate for the Evidence,” verified by the Bureau of Conservative Secrets. In both form and content, the Certificate was questionable. It even had no signature by the verifier at the Bureau, which violates Chinese law.”
“The 15-year sentence is far more severe than I originally expected. It is the maximum penalty for this charge of “divulging state secrets,” which requires Alimujiang’s actions to be defined as have “caused irreparable national grave damage.”
“This is the harshest sentence against house church believers in nearly a decade, ” said ChinaAid President Bob Fu. “The whole world should be appalled at this injustice against innocent Christian leader Alimujiang. We call upon the UN and people of conscience throughout the world to strongly protest to the Chinese government for this severe case of religious persecution.”
CORRECTIONS 12/8/2009: (1) Previous title read “15-Years Criminal Detention,” which is legally incorrect. Alimujiang Yimiti was sentenced to 15 -Years Imprisonment, a different and severe legal sentence. (2) Alimujiang will have been detained for two years in January 2010.
ChinaAid urges concerned citizens to pray for Alimujiang’s family, who continues to face separation and persecution with their husband and father’s absence. ChinaAid calls on the international community to voice their outcry against this unjust ethnic and religious persecution.
For English-speakers, contact the Chinese Embassy in Washington:
Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong
3505 International Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 495-2000
Fax: (202) 588-9760
NOTE: If you are a citizen of another country, please click here to find the contact information of the Chinese embassy in your own nation http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/2490/.
Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong
3505 International Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 495-2000
Fax: (202) 588-9760
NOTE: If you are a citizen of another country, please click here to find the contact information of the Chinese embassy in your own nation http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/2490/.
China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chinaaid.org
