DHARAMSHALA, August, 11: Pakistan deported five ethnic Uyghur immigrants back to China on Tuesday amidst fear that they will face harsh punishment upon return.
The Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that five “Chinese citizens” who were “blindfolded and handcuffed” were flown off to Urmuqi, the capital of East Turkestan.
"The deportation of Uyghurs are common nowadays, but it is very rare to be exposed to the media," said Omer Khan, founder of the Omer Uyghur Foundation in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
The Munich based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) in a statement Wednesday condemned Pakistan’s decision to extradite the five Uyghurs saying that Islamabad was in violation of the UN Convention Against Torture.
“Uyghurs who have been extradited to China in the past, were detained, imprisoned, sentenced, tortured, executed, or disappeared after their return to China,” the exile group said.
Following a series of violent clashes between Uyghurs and Chinese security personnel last month in the far western region of East Turkestan, China for the first time blamed Pakistan for being the nerve center of terrorism.
Pakistan immediately assured China of its full cooperation on the Uyghur issue, and this week, Pakistan fulfilled its promise by deporting the five Uyghur exiles.
This is not the first time China has used its political and economic clout to force countries to repatriate exiled Uyghurs who have fled the country after being accused of involvement in the violence that has hit the region over the years.
Another Uyghur, Nur Muhemmed, was detained and handed over to Chinese officials in Bangkok by Thai authorities without following due domestic and international legal procedures this week.
Human Rights Watch in a release Wednesday demand access to all Uyghurs returned against their will to China while entreating a public explanation from the Thai government for violating its own procedures regarding illegal entrants into Thailand.
“China’s record of torture, disappearance, and arbitrary detention of Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, puts Muhammed at grave risk of torture,” the global rights group said.
Source: Phayul.Com
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
