前线保护组织：关注维吾尔人权捍卫者伊力哈木·土赫提被禁止出境呼吁书（全文）

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President Hu Jintao Guojia Zhuxi The State Council General Office 2 Fuyoujie Xichengqu Beijingshi 100017 People's Republic of China

Your Excellency,

On 2 February 2013, prominent Uyghur intellectual Mr Ilham Tohti and his teenage daughter were prevented from boarding a flight bound for the United States at Beijing Capital Airport by a number of security officials. Ilham Tohti is a professor at the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing and has been consistently outspoken on Uyghur rights in China. He has been detained numerous times previously as a result of his advocacy.

At approximately 8.45am on 2 February 2013, Ilham Tohti and his daughter were reportedly detained as they were going through security clearances at Beijing Capital Airport. The two were due to fly to the United States where Ilham Tohti was to take up a year-long position at Indiana University. He and his daughter were taken to interrogation rooms at the airport and questioned for a lengthy period of time. While his daughter was eventually permitted to board a US-bound flight, Ilham Tohti told reporters he was held until 9pm that evening before being sent back to his Beijing residence. He was provided with no information by the police officers questioning him as to why he was being detained or prevented from travelling to the US.

Ilham Tohti has been subjected to regular surveillance, interrogation and house arrest in Beijing. He and his family have also been previously targeted with travel bans. In October 2012 he was sent back to his home town in Xinjiang province for the duration of the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. In 2010 he reported that he had been denied permission eight times to travel abroad to attend academic conferences.

In 2006 Ilham Tohti set up the moderate Uyghur Online website to discuss social issues involving Uyghur-Han relations, in articles published both in Chinese and Uyghur. Chinese authorities alleged this website played a role in instigating the violent unrest in Xinjiang province in 2009 which left up to 200 people dead. Following this the site was shut down and Ilham Tohti was questioned repeatedly by police who accused him of separatism. He currently runs the Uyghur Biz website which is hosted overseas and is blocked in China.

I believe that the prevention of human rights defender Ilham Tohti from leaving China is directly related to his work in defence of human rights and the exercise of his right to freedom of expression, and constitutes a flagrant breach of his right to freedom of movement.

I urge the authorities in China to:

1) Immediately and unconditionally lift the travel ban imposed on Ilham Tohti, as it is believed this measure has been taken in relation to his legitimate and peaceful human rights advocacy;

2) Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in China are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.

Yours Sincerely,

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