Ilham Tohti
Encyclopedia
Ilham Tohti (b. October 25, 1969) is an ethnic Uyghur
and mainland Chinese economist. Just days after the July 2009 Ürümqi riots, he was detained in Beijing
by PRC authorities because of his criticism of that government's policies toward Uyghurs in Xinjiang
. He has since been released.
, Xinjiang province on October 25, 1969, the son of Mahmud Tiernan Tohti (b. January 25, 1937 in Artux, Xinjiang) and Burhanduxt Meryem Ehlin Tohti (b. October 11, 1941 in Bole, Xinjiang). He graduated from the Northeast Normal University
and the Economics School at what was then called the Central Nationalities University, now named Minzu University of China, in Beijing. Later, Tohti received appointment as a professor of economics at Minzu University of China.
In 2006 Tohti founded a website called, Uyghur Online, which published articles in Chinese
and Uyghur
in order to promote a greater understanding between Han Chinese
and ethnic Uyghurs. Radio Free Asia called his blog "a moderate, intellectual Web site addressing social issues." In mid-2008 authorities shut down the website. On several occasions authorities have closed the site. In March 2009 in an interview with Radio Free Asia
Tohti criticized the Chinese government's policies in Xinjiang. He specifically criticized the policy of encouraging Han Chinese migrants to relocated to Xinjiang, claiming that it exacerbated the unemployment problem among ethnic Uyghurs in the province. Tohti claimed that while doing research for the Chinese government in the 1990s, he discovered that in Xinjiang there were 1.5 million unemployed workers, out of a population of less than 20 million. In addition, he singled out the governor of Xinjiang, Nur Bekri
, for criticism, calling him "unqualified" and stating that "I don't know how he became governor of Xinjiang, and I don't recognize him as a qualified governor." Tohti also called for the full implementation of China's 1984 Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law.
That same month, Tohti was detained by authorities and repeatedly interrogated. He said that during the interrogations authorities accused him of separatism
. In a May 2009 interview with Radio Free Asia's Uyghur service Tohti stated that "...in terms of freedom and democracy, Xinjiang's situation is the worst of the worst, compared with other regions of China. What I have encountered at this time is typical. My Web site was shut down without notice. I was interrogated many times and threatened. I am a legal Beijing resident, and by law I should not be interrogated by Xinjiang police officials, but it has happened. This shows how long the local authorities' reach is. They accused me of separatism ... But is demanding implementation of the autonomy law separatism?"
, the capital of Xinjiang. The government reported that more than 150 people were killed during the clashes. On July 6 Uighur Online was cited in a speech by Governor Bekri as a catalyst for the violence because it had helped instigate the rioting by spreading rumors. On July 6 Tohti told Radio Free Asia
's Cantonese service that he had gathered information about the riots but that he would not release it because the timing was too sensitive. On July 7 Tohti reported that police had been watching his home and had called him. Tohti's last blog entry published on July 7, and now blocked in China, read, "As the editor of Uyghur Online, I want only to tell Nur Bekri, 'You are right, everything you say is right, because you will decide everything. I have already offended too many powerful people, including yourself and others whom I don't want to and don't dare to offend. But right or wrong, there will be justice. I always tell myself [to be] cool and calm and make rational analyses. Going to court to resolve disputes is the fairest course of action in a lawful society. I have my own lawyer. When my trial comes up, don't appoint a lawyer for me. I will refuse any court-appointed lawyer. Even if we say that Uyghur Online and outsiders stirred thing up—stirred what up? People can think for themselves. If everything were working so well, why did so many people suddenly come out and riot? I think after this event the central government and the local government should give this some thought."
On July 8, 2009, Radio Free Asia reported that Tohti's whereabouts were unknown after he had been summoned from his home in Beijing. On July 14, 2009, international news agencies reported that Chinese author Wang Lixiong
and his wife Woeser, a noted Tibetan
activist, had started an on-line petition calling for Tohti's release. The text of the petition stated that "Professor Ilham is a Uighur intellectual who is well known for his commitment to creating a bridge of inter-ethnic friendship and to resolving conflict. He should not be treated as a criminal." Within a day the petition had attracted more than 250 signatories, many of them Han Chinese and members of Chinese ethnic minority groups, including Ran Yunfei
, a well-known magazine editor and blogger who is of Monguor ethnicity. On July 12 Chinese journalist Huang Zhangjin (黄章晋) wrote a blog entitled "Good-Bye Ilham" that condemned Tohti's detention. On the same day Wang and Woeser started their petition, PEN American Center
issued an appeal to Chinese President Hu Jintao
"to express serious concern regarding the detention of Uighur writer, academic, and PEN member Ilham Tohti." On July 20 Amnesty International
issued an urgent appeal calling for Tohti's release. On August 7 Reporters Without Borders
released a report stating that the organization was very worried by the absence of information on Tohti.
Tohti was released from detention on August 23. The international press reported that the release of Tohti and two other Chinese dissidents, Xu Zhiyong
and Zhuang Lu, was due in part to pressure on Beijing from the administration of American President Barack Obama
. After his release Tohti gave a telephone interview to Radio Free Asia. In this interview Tohti revealed that he had been confined to his home and a hotel and that he had been in the constant companionship of several police officers. While he noted that the police had been "courteous" and "civilized", he criticized his detention as "illegal" because he had not been charged with any wrong doing. He stated that after his release from detention the police warned him against speaking out against the government's handling of riots in Xinjiang or else he could "soon be sentenced—be sentenced to death, be 'dealt with'."
In a further phone interview in February 2011, Tohti stated that a travel ban aimed at preventing him from leaving Beijing had been extended to his family members; this disrupted his daughter's plans to study in the United States. Tohti ended the interview after five minutes, stating that "Right now someone is with me. I have a lot of things to tell you, but I’m looking at his face and he is very angry."
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
and mainland Chinese economist. Just days after the July 2009 Ürümqi riots, he was detained in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
by PRC authorities because of his criticism of that government's policies toward Uyghurs in Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
. He has since been released.
Background
Tohti was born in ArtuxArtux
Artux, Atush or Atushi is a county-level city in Xinjiang. The area is 15,509 km² and the total population is 200,000 . Artux is the seat of Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture....
, Xinjiang province on October 25, 1969, the son of Mahmud Tiernan Tohti (b. January 25, 1937 in Artux, Xinjiang) and Burhanduxt Meryem Ehlin Tohti (b. October 11, 1941 in Bole, Xinjiang). He graduated from the Northeast Normal University
Northeast Normal University
Northeast Normal University is one of the six national universities in People's Republic of China located in Changchun, Jilin.- History :Northeast Normal University is an institution of higher learning under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education, being selected as one of the...
and the Economics School at what was then called the Central Nationalities University, now named Minzu University of China, in Beijing. Later, Tohti received appointment as a professor of economics at Minzu University of China.
In 2006 Tohti founded a website called, Uyghur Online, which published articles in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Uyghur
Uyghur language
Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other...
in order to promote a greater understanding between Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
and ethnic Uyghurs. Radio Free Asia called his blog "a moderate, intellectual Web site addressing social issues." In mid-2008 authorities shut down the website. On several occasions authorities have closed the site. In March 2009 in an interview with Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
Tohti criticized the Chinese government's policies in Xinjiang. He specifically criticized the policy of encouraging Han Chinese migrants to relocated to Xinjiang, claiming that it exacerbated the unemployment problem among ethnic Uyghurs in the province. Tohti claimed that while doing research for the Chinese government in the 1990s, he discovered that in Xinjiang there were 1.5 million unemployed workers, out of a population of less than 20 million. In addition, he singled out the governor of Xinjiang, Nur Bekri
Nur Bekri
Nur Bekri is the current Chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China. He is of Uyghur ethnicity and was born and raised in his native Xinjiang. He has spent his entire life in the Region, aside from a short stint as the Deputy Mayor of Feicheng, Shandong...
, for criticism, calling him "unqualified" and stating that "I don't know how he became governor of Xinjiang, and I don't recognize him as a qualified governor." Tohti also called for the full implementation of China's 1984 Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law.
That same month, Tohti was detained by authorities and repeatedly interrogated. He said that during the interrogations authorities accused him of separatism
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
. In a May 2009 interview with Radio Free Asia's Uyghur service Tohti stated that "...in terms of freedom and democracy, Xinjiang's situation is the worst of the worst, compared with other regions of China. What I have encountered at this time is typical. My Web site was shut down without notice. I was interrogated many times and threatened. I am a legal Beijing resident, and by law I should not be interrogated by Xinjiang police officials, but it has happened. This shows how long the local authorities' reach is. They accused me of separatism ... But is demanding implementation of the autonomy law separatism?"
Detention and release
On July 5, 2009 ethnic rioting took place between ethnic Uyghurs and Han Chinese in ÜrümqiÜrümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, the capital of Xinjiang. The government reported that more than 150 people were killed during the clashes. On July 6 Uighur Online was cited in a speech by Governor Bekri as a catalyst for the violence because it had helped instigate the rioting by spreading rumors. On July 6 Tohti told Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
's Cantonese service that he had gathered information about the riots but that he would not release it because the timing was too sensitive. On July 7 Tohti reported that police had been watching his home and had called him. Tohti's last blog entry published on July 7, and now blocked in China, read, "As the editor of Uyghur Online, I want only to tell Nur Bekri, 'You are right, everything you say is right, because you will decide everything. I have already offended too many powerful people, including yourself and others whom I don't want to and don't dare to offend. But right or wrong, there will be justice. I always tell myself [to be] cool and calm and make rational analyses. Going to court to resolve disputes is the fairest course of action in a lawful society. I have my own lawyer. When my trial comes up, don't appoint a lawyer for me. I will refuse any court-appointed lawyer. Even if we say that Uyghur Online and outsiders stirred thing up—stirred what up? People can think for themselves. If everything were working so well, why did so many people suddenly come out and riot? I think after this event the central government and the local government should give this some thought."
On July 8, 2009, Radio Free Asia reported that Tohti's whereabouts were unknown after he had been summoned from his home in Beijing. On July 14, 2009, international news agencies reported that Chinese author Wang Lixiong
Wang Lixiong
Wang Lixiong is a Chinese writer and scholar, best known for his political prophecy fiction, Yellow Peril , which was ranked 41st in The 100 Most Influential Chinese Novels in 20th Centuryby Asia Weekly and has gained widespread popularity in China as well as worldwide media attention despite...
and his wife Woeser, a noted Tibetan
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
activist, had started an on-line petition calling for Tohti's release. The text of the petition stated that "Professor Ilham is a Uighur intellectual who is well known for his commitment to creating a bridge of inter-ethnic friendship and to resolving conflict. He should not be treated as a criminal." Within a day the petition had attracted more than 250 signatories, many of them Han Chinese and members of Chinese ethnic minority groups, including Ran Yunfei
Ran Yunfei
Ran Yunfei is a famous Chinese writer and a high-profile democracy activist and blogger. He was arrested in late March 2011, shortly after the start of the 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests, on charges of inciting subversion of state power....
, a well-known magazine editor and blogger who is of Monguor ethnicity. On July 12 Chinese journalist Huang Zhangjin (黄章晋) wrote a blog entitled "Good-Bye Ilham" that condemned Tohti's detention. On the same day Wang and Woeser started their petition, PEN American Center
PEN American Center
PEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
issued an appeal to Chinese President Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
"to express serious concern regarding the detention of Uighur writer, academic, and PEN member Ilham Tohti." On July 20 Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
issued an urgent appeal calling for Tohti's release. On August 7 Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
released a report stating that the organization was very worried by the absence of information on Tohti.
Tohti was released from detention on August 23. The international press reported that the release of Tohti and two other Chinese dissidents, Xu Zhiyong
Xu Zhiyong
Xu Zhiyong is a lecturer at the Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications. He was one of the founders of the NGO Open Constitution Initiative and an active rights lawyer in China who helped those underprivileged....
and Zhuang Lu, was due in part to pressure on Beijing from the administration of American President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. After his release Tohti gave a telephone interview to Radio Free Asia. In this interview Tohti revealed that he had been confined to his home and a hotel and that he had been in the constant companionship of several police officers. While he noted that the police had been "courteous" and "civilized", he criticized his detention as "illegal" because he had not been charged with any wrong doing. He stated that after his release from detention the police warned him against speaking out against the government's handling of riots in Xinjiang or else he could "soon be sentenced—be sentenced to death, be 'dealt with'."
In a further phone interview in February 2011, Tohti stated that a travel ban aimed at preventing him from leaving Beijing had been extended to his family members; this disrupted his daughter's plans to study in the United States. Tohti ended the interview after five minutes, stating that "Right now someone is with me. I have a lot of things to tell you, but I’m looking at his face and he is very angry."
External links
- Ilham Tohti's blog Uyghur Online
- Profile from Herald Sun, January 3, 2010
- Profile from The New York Times, August 21, 2010