服役中のウイグル人学者に欧州議会人権賞、娘が代理受賞

【ストラスブールＡＦＰ＝時事】欧州連合（EU）の欧州議会は18日、人権擁護活動などで功績のあった人物に贈る「サハロフ賞」をウイグル人学者、イリハム・トフティ氏に授与した。フランスのストラスブールで行われた授賞式には服役中の本人の代理として娘のジェウヘルさんが出席し、イリハム氏が存命かどうかさえ分からないが、サハロフ賞の受賞がイリハム氏の助けとなることを期待していると語った。（写真はフランス・ストラスブールにある欧州連合（EU）の欧州議会での「サハロフ賞」授賞式で、演説する著名ウイグル人学者のイリハム・トフティ氏の娘のジェウヘルさん）
　経済学者だったイリハム氏は２０１４年、「国家分裂罪」で無期懲役を言い渡された。この裁判をめぐっては各国政府や人権団体から抗議の声が上がった。
　欧州議会は１０月にイリハム氏の受賞決定を発表した際、同氏を「穏健派と和解派の代弁者」と称賛。一方中国は、イリハム氏を「テロリスト」と称し、受賞決定を非難した。
　受賞式の前にＡＦＰの取材に応じたジェウヘルさんは、「最後に父のことを聞いたのは２０１７年で、父との面会が認められたのも２０１７年が最後だった」と述べ、さらに「だから家族が父と会ったのもその時が最後。父が生きているかどうかさえ分からない」と語った。ジェウヘルさんの隣のイリハム氏が座るはずだった席は空席となっていたのが象徴的だった。
　中国は、多数派である漢人文化へのウイグル人の同化を目指し、新疆ウイグル自治区に多数の収容施設を設置。この措置をめぐっては、国際的な非難が高まっている。ウイグル人の大半はイスラム教徒で、チュルク語を話す。
　トルコ系ドイツ人のメスト・エジル選手も１３日、ツイッターへの投稿で、ウイグル人をはじめとする少数派民族に対する同自治区での中国政府の弾圧を非難し、イスラム教の国々がそれについて沈黙を守っていることを批判している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/12/19-10:14）

The daughter of jailed Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti received the EU's top rights prize on his behalf Wednesday, saying she did not even know if he was still alive.
Jewher Ilham said she hoped the award of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize would help her father, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for separatism in a trial that provoked an outcry from foreign governments and human rights organisations.
The parliament hailed the former economics professor as a voice of moderation and reconciliation when it announced the award in October, while Beijing condemned the move, calling Tohti a terrorist.
The last time I heard about my father was 2017, that was also the last time a family visit was granted to my father, Ilham told AFP before receiving the prize next to a symbolic empty chair at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
So that was also the last time my family saw him. I don't even know if he is alive.
China has faced growing international condemnation for setting up a vast network of camps in its western Xinjiang region aimed at homogenising the Uighur population -- who are mostly Muslim and speak a Turkic language -- to reflect China's majority Han culture.
Rights groups and experts say more than one million Uighurs and people of other mostly Muslim ethnic minorities have been rounded up and put in the camps in the tightly controlled region.
- Fostering understanding -
Tohti ran the UighurOnline website, which wrote in Uighur and Chinese about social issues, gaining prominence as a moderate voice drawing attention to ethnic tensions in the region.
Ilham said the release of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov -- who also won the Sakharov Prize while behind bars -- gave her hope for her father.
I was just told one of the recent laureates of the Sakharov Prize was released from prison. I do hope same thing happen to my father, she said.
She insisted that contrary to the allegations against him, her father had never mentioned any word about separating the country, saying he had simply wanted to improve the situation in Xinjiang by fostering greater understanding between communities.
My father created a website to create a platform for Uighurs, Chinese and other minority people to post articles and their understanding freely on the website and join discussion forums, she said.
The EU's diplomatic chief Josep Borrell tweeted his support, saying the bloc would always uphold, stand up and take action for human rights.
We will continue supporting those who fight for human rights, all around the world, he said.
The Uighur controversy took an unexpected turn into football this week when China's state broadcaster pulled an Arsenal-Manchester City match from its programme after comments by the London club's midfielder Mesut Ozil.
Ozil, a German of Turkish origin, condemned China's crackdown on Uighurs and other minorities in the western region in a tweet on Friday, while criticising Muslim countries for failing to speak up against abuses.
Beijing said the footballer had been deceived by fake news but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo backed Ozil, saying the truth will prevail about Xinjiang.