EU condemns China's life sentence for Uighur scholar

BRUSSELS: The European Union condemned today China's "completely unjustified" life sentence against a scholar from the mostly Muslim Uighur minority and called for his immediate and unconditional release.
"The EU condemns the life sentence for alleged 'separatism' handed out today to Uighur economics professor Ilham Tohti, which is completely unjustified, "a statement said.
It added that Brussels "deplores that the due process of law was not respected, in particular with regard to the right to a proper defence."
Tohti is a prominent economics scholar and had been seen as a moderate critic of Beijing's policies in his restive home region of Xinjiang.
Xinjiang is home to about 10 million members of the Uighur minority and in the last year has been hit by a string of attacks on civilians and clashes which have left at least 200 people dead.
China blames the unrest on organised militant groups seeking independence for Xinjiang. Rights groups say that discrimination and government repression of the Uighurs' religion and language has fuelled violence.
In its statement, the EU said China should release all of Tohti's supporters detained in connection with the case.
"We also urge the Chinese authorities to respect the rights of all persons belonging to minorities and their right to freedom of expression," it added.
The EU has been a consistent critic of China's human rights policies, which Beijing insists are a purely internal affair, resenting any intrusion.
At the same time, the 28-nation bloc and China are huge trading partners, with extensive political and commercial relations. – AFP