United States Condemns Life Sentence for Imprisoned Uyghur Researcher in China

The U.S. Department of State condemned the life sentence issued for Rahil Dawut, a prominent Uyghur researcher in China. A U.S.-based human rights group stated that Rahil Dawut, 57, was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of 'endangering national security' during his appeal in December 2018. Human rights advocates have accused China of widespread repression against Uyghurs, including forced sterilization and cultural suppression, which some countries, including the U.S. State Department, have termed 'genocide.' However, China denies such allegations. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated on Friday, October 7, 'We condemn the life sentence for Rahil Dawut, which was issued following secretive legal proceedings.' Before his arrest, Rahil Dawut was a professor at the College of Humanities at Xinjiang University and a prominent anthropologist in Uyghur cultural and folklore studies. He collaborated with many prestigious Western institutions, including Harvard and Cambridge universities, which have called for his release. He has been detained since December 2017 in the northwestern Xinjiang region, where Beijing has been accused of violating the rights of the predominantly Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority. The U.S.-based 'Dui Hua Foundation' stated that Rahil Dawut is just one of over three hundred Uyghur intellectuals who have been detained or imprisoned by Chinese security forces since 2016. Some Xinjiang experts say that the mass detention of Uyghurs peaked in 2018, with increased harassment, including forced labor. A journalist and a labor activist in China were tried after two years of detention. Taiwan identified '40 Chinese warplanes' in its air defense zone. Joint naval exercises were held between the U.S. and the Philippines in the South China Sea. The Pentagon stated that Iran and North Korea are 'perennial threats,' Russia is a 'acute threat,' and China is a 'growing threat.'