Email from Robert Harris to Nina E. Schou, Gilda M. Brancado, Francis M. Gaffney, Katherine M. Gorove, JoAnn Dolan and Samuel M. Witten forwarding a letter from Kofi Annan on behalf of the Uighur community about the oppression of the Uighur (Uyghur) people by the Chinese government. The email is also a forward of an email Kofi Annan received from the Uighur's to take up their cause for human rights in China.
UNCLASSIFIED
RELEASED TN FULL
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Brunson:Anne C (LLM)
From: Harris, Robert K (SBU) Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 10:44 AM To: Schou, Nina E (SBU); Brancato, Gilda M (SBU); Gaffney, Francis M (SBU); Gorcve, Katherine
M (SBU); Dolan, JoAnn (SBU) Cc: Witten, Samuel M (SBU) Subject: FW: Letter to Kofi Annan from the East Turkistan National Congress
FYI, The Uighurs are on a public diplomacy campaign, and have also sent a lette ) to the
Secretary. I think DRL is drafting a reply, which they will send to us.
Original Message
From: Osullivan, Susan X (DRL)
•
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 10:03 AM
To: Dugan, Elizabeth X (DRL); Craner, Lorne W (DRL); Jackson, Robert P
(DRL); Jackson, Ann M (DRL); Siu, Rana Ann H (DRL)
Cc: Morrow, Holly H (EAP/CM); 'pprosper@hotmail.coma; Miller, Ronald W;
Fujimura, Paul N; Harris, Robert K (SBU)
Subject: FW: Letter to Kofi Annan from the East Turkistan National
Congress
Letter to Kofi Annan from the Uighur community
Original Message
From: Nury A. Turkel [mailto:nuryturkelehotmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 10:54 PM
To: Gardner Bovingdon; Gene Sharp; AAtawulla®aol.com ; Abduselam Gopur;
'Ali Koknar'; Alpha Lillstrom; Anwar Can; Ayca Ariyoruk; Ayshem Niyaz; Betul Keskin; Bhuchung Tsering; Brad Armstrong; Brown, Lary; 'Bulent AliRiza'; Celim Yildizhan; 'CEVDET SEYHAN'; Christian Tyler; Clara Abdurazak; Craig Smith; Debbie Mason; Dilxat Rexiti; dolkun; Dolkun Kembari; 'Dr. Mahmudeli Cohreganli'; Dru Gladney; Dyson, Pat (E-mail); Enver Can; 'Ercument Kilic'; Erkin Alptekin; Frederick Starr; Greg Mergen; Gulamettin Pahta; Gulnara Miralieva; Gunay Evinch; 'Gurcan Balik'; Hakan Yavuz; Hans Hogrefe; 'Hasan Mesut Hazar'; Hiram Ruiz; Horowitz, Paul D; Ilyar Semseddin; 'Inci Bowman'; James Zirkle; Jana Mason; Jayadeva Ranade; 'Jayhun Mollazade'; Jilil Musa; John Fredrikson; John Kelly; Jiirgen Thierack; Louisa Coan Greve; Mahmure Bilkic; Mark Allison; Matthew McGinn; May Chow; Melissa Birchard; Mustafa Rouzi; Nabijan Tursun; Nazlanan@aol.com; 0. Faruk Logoglu; Omar Gokcek; 'Orhan Ketene'; Osullivan, Susan X (DRL); Reyhan Gahyit; Rugiya Fataliyeva; Saltanat Sulaimanova; Sara Han Jackson; Sarah Hymowitz; Sayora Nurmatova; Semih Lateu Turgut; Soner Cagaptay; Steve Baughman; T. Kumar; Taif_CamiigYahoo.Com; Terken Hacaloglu; Thierry Antoine Kellner; Tugluke Abdurazak; Tugrul Keskingoren; Uerkesh Daolat; UNPO; Wang Dan; William Farris (E-mail); Zakir Ali Cc: Turkistan List Subject: Letter to Kofi Annan from the East Turkistan National Congress
10th December 2003
Honorable Kofi. Annan
General Secretary
The United Nations
Dear Sir,
In this "The United Nations Human Rights Day" the global human rights
situation is far from being joyfull, on the contrary, in many countries,
including the Peoples Republic of China human rights activists and promoters
of democracy are increasingly being suppressed with the tacit approval of
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
REVIEW AUTHORITY: SHARON E AHMAD UNCLASSIFIED
DOS-001506
DATE/CASE ID: 14 DEC 2004 200303827
UNCLASSIFIED
Western democracies. Increasingly more and more Western Democracies,
contrary to their walues and ideals, putting short term economic and
national interests above human rights.
Unfortunately, the people of East Turkestan (also called Uyghur Autonomous
Region of Xinjiang by the Chinese Government) commemorating The United
Nation's Human Rights Day under more suppression than before, constant
intimidation and fear of existence.
Today their basic human rights, including political, economic and social,the
right for warship, assembly, free travel, receiving and disseminating
information are sistematically violated by the communist Chinese autorities.
The harsh oppression of Uyghur people includes arbitrary executions and •
detentions, denial of fair trials and horrific torture of dissidents. Under
the Chinese policy of "Strike Hard", forcible sinization, population
transfer (including Han Chinese migration into Eastern Turkestan) and
intimidation by executions, extra-judiciary killinigs and mass arrests the
Uyghur people are struggling for existence as a nation.
Especially after the 11th September terrorist attacks the Chinese leadership
has highjacked the international campaign against terrorism and stepped up
its crack down against any kind of Uyghur dissent by branding all Uyghurs ,
including di'aspora Uyghur organisations which operate lawfully, advocate
democracy and non-violance as "terrorists" to justify its campaign of
"ethnic cleasnsing" and persecution.
Neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Nepal and Kazakhstan forcibly handed
over several Uyghur refugees to China in recent years in violation of their
international obligations, many of whom have been executed on political
charges. One such Uyghur refugee who had received refugee statues by UNHCR
in Nepal, but was departed to China, was executed by the Chinese government
as recent as October 2003.
Most annoying for us is the reports about returning of an unspecified number
of Uyghurs who fled the Chinese persecution and were caught by the U.S.
forces in Afghanistan (since their capture have been held in Quantanamo,
Cuba) to the cruel disposal of the Beijing regime by the most powerfull
democracy of the world.
Dear Mr: General Secretary,
In commamoration of the Human Rights Day the East Turkestan (Uyghuristan)
National Congress*, on behalf of the Uyghur nation, would kindly ask you:
To use all available channels to persuade China to end its oppression of the
Uyghur nation and to permit the free expression of openions and practice of
religion in East Turkestan
To pressure the Peoples Republic of China to grant immediate free and open
elections in East Turkestan and allow it the UN granted right to
self-determination
To urge China for an immediate halt of arbitrary trials and executions, for
the release of all Uyghur prisoners of conscience, including Mrs. Rabiyee
Kadeer
To appoint special rapportuers to East Turkestan both to see the victims of
the inhumane torture perpetuated on the Uyghur prisoners of conscious, to
asses the real situation of the civilians and to expose to international
community what is happening in that region
Through UN Agencies, help to create conditions to safeguard Uyghur language
and cultural heritage
To persuade Beijing to immediately open political negotiations with
representatives of the Uyghur people with the aim of ensuring the
implementation of the basic human rights of the people of East Turkestan and
2
UNCLASSIFIED •.
DOS-001507
UNCLASSIFIED
to permit them to determine their own future
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Enver Can
President •
Volpinistr. 30a,
D-80638 Milnchen
Tel: 49-1738912048
e.cangionlinehome.de
* East Turkestan (Uyghuristan) National Congress (ETNC) is the legitimate
umbrella body of the Uyghur people abroad which includes 18 organisations
legally operating in 13 countries around the world. It abhores violance and
declares its uncondotional adherence to the internationally accepted human
rights standards as laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and International Covenant and Political Rights and Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights; adherence to the principles of democratic pluralism and
rejection of totalitarianism and any form of religious intolerance, and
rejection of terrorism as an instrument of policy.
UNCIASSIFIED DOS-001508