Suspicious Ending in Trial of Uyghur Christian Yimiti

ICC Note:

The trial of Alimujiang Yimiti, a Uyghur Christian, began yesterday, May 27, and lasted 6 and a half hours before the court decided to send Yimiti’s case back to the first PSB prosecutors due to “insufficient evidence.” There are also reports that the Chinese Central Government has granted funds to the Ministry of Public Security to aid them in carrying out their campaign against House Churches in China.

_____________________

5/27/08 China (ChinaAid) CAA has learned that, the trial for Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti commenced on May 27 at 10am. The trial lasted for 6 hours and 30 minutes. The court recessed from 1pm to 4pm before resuming. Mr. Yimiti was allowed legal representation from two lawyers who were permitted to be present during the trial. Mr. Yimiti’s wife, Gulnur, however was prohibited from entering the courtroom as were members of the media due to the Government’s claims of the sensitivity of the case. At 7:30pm the court reached a verdict that the case be sent back to the original PSB prosecuters due to “insufficient evidence” against the accused.

…

In an interview this morning with CAA’s President Bob Fu, Mr. Yimiti’s wife, Gulnur, restated her husband’s innocence due to the fact that he is an agricultural worker and has no access to state secrets, nor was he engaging in separatist activities. She pleaded for the early release of her husband. She also relayed to Mr. Fu that her two year old son points to his father’s picture everyday and tells visitors that his dad is busy buying toy cars for her and will return soon.

…

CAA has also learned from two independent sources that the Ministry of Public Security has received funding from the Chinese Central Government to increase their campaign of eradicating House Churches throughout China. While the amount of funds allocated for this campaign is unknown, the steady increase of persecution against house churches continues to rise substantially across China.

… Go to Full Story