Huseyin Celil, a China-born Uygur described by Chinese
authorities as a prominent member of "East Turkistan" terrorist
organizations, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday for
taking part in terrorist activities and plotting to split the
country.
At a court in Urumqi, capital of the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region, Celil was convicted on separatism and terrorism
charges. He was sentenced to life on the separatism charge and 10
years imprisonment for the charge of terrorism.
In accordance to Chinese law, Celil, 37, will serve life in
prison and be deprived on his political rights for life, according
to court documents released by the Intermediate People's Court of
Urumqi.
Celil was given refugee status by Canada in 2001. He was
arrested in Uzbekistan in 2006 and extradited to China soon
afterward.
It is not known if Celil will appeal his conviction.
According to the court documents, Celil joined the East
Turkistan Liberation Organization (ETLO), a listed terrorist group
active in central Asia, in November 1997 and was appointed as a
senior instructor in Kyrgyzstan.
While there, Celil allegedly recruited several people to the
ETLO and sent them to terrorist training camps on the Kashmir
plateau in Pakistan, the documents said.
Celil was also active in another listed terrorist organization,
the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), for which he helped
raise funds, recruit members and organize training, the documents
said.
The documents said that in 1997, Celil met ETIM's former head
Hasan Mahsum, who was shot dead by the Pakistan army in 2003, and
worked directly under Mahsum's command.
Celil was a key member pushing for the alliance of the ETIM and
ETLO in 1998, the documents said.
The documents said Huseyin Celil, with the intention of
overthrowing the people's republic and the socialist system, in
1997 provided 80,000 yuan (US$10,256) for the establishment of a
new terrorist group, named "Hizbollah", in the southern Guangdong
Province.
The money was used for to purchase guns and provide terrorist
training, the documents said.
The documents said court had properly appointed a defense lawyer
to represent Celil and the time and venue of the trial was
publicized three days beforehand.
(Xinhua News Agency April 19, 2007)