The European Parliament awarded on Thursday the 2019 Sakharov Prize
for Freedom of Thought to Ilham Tohti, a renowned Uyghur activist who dedicated
his life to fighting for the rights of China's Muslim minority.
In 2014, the economist was sentenced to life imprisonment on
separatism-related charges after a two-day trial.
"By awarding this prize, we strongly urge the Chinese
government to release Tohti and we call for the respect of minority rights in
China," Parliament President David Sassoli said as he announced the
laureate.
Since 2017, Chinese authorities have detained
more than one million Uyghurs in a network of internment camps, according to
the European Parliament.
UN experts and activists say at least one million
Uyghurs and members of other largely Muslim minority groups have been detained
in camps in the remote Xinjiang region.
The Sakharov Prize prize, established in 1988, is "awarded to
individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the fight for human
rights across the globe, drawing attention to human rights violations as well
as supporting the laureates and their cause," the European Parliament says
on its website.
Other finalists for the prize this year included late Brazilian
politician Marielle Franco, indigenous Brazilian leader Chief Raoni, Brazilian
environmentalist Claudelice Silva dos Santos and anti-FGM Kenyan group The
Restorers.
https://www.euronews.com/2019/10/24/chinese-uyghur-activist-ilham-tohti-wins-eu-human-rights-award-the-sakharov-prize
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