- Title: In blow to China, EU gives human rights prize to jailed Uighur activist
- Date: 24th October 2019
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (FILE - JULY 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF UIGHUR SCHOLAR, ILHAM TOHTI, SEATED AT TABLE LOOKING AT PHONE
- Embargoed: 7th November 2019 11:41
- Keywords: European Parliament prize for the defense of human rights Ilham Tohti Uighur activist China life sentence Sakharov Prize
- Location: STRASBOURG, FRANCE / BEIJING, CHINA
- City: STRASBOURG, FRANCE / BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2GIE6F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CAN BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH 4097-CHINA-RIGHTS/EU WHICH CONTAINS ARCHIVE FOOTAGE OF ILHAM TOHTI
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSLATION IN SHOT 5 WAS PROVIDED BY OFFICIAL INTERPRETER
The European Parliament gave on Thursday (October 24) its annual prize for the defence of human rights to Ilham Tohti, its president David Sassoli said, a blow to China where the Uighur activist is serving a life sentence on charges of separatism.
Tohti, an economics professor and Uighur rights advocate, has been in jail since 2014. The European Parliament chose him for his activity to "foster dialogue" between Chinese people and the Uighur Muslim minority who mostly live in China's western region of Xinjiang.
The prize is likely to infuriate China. Beijing has lashed out at any criticism of its policies in Xinjiang, where the government has faced international opprobrium for placing up to a million Uighurs in what Beijing calls de-radicalisation facilities.
Tohti, an ethnic Uighur, has criticized the government for not giving Xinjiang and its Turkic-speaking Uighurs more autonomy.
China has said Xinjiang faces a threat from Islamist militants and separatists. It rejects all accusations of mistreatment and denies mass internment, although Chinese officials have said some citizens guilty of minor offences were being sent to vocational centres to work.
The EU parliament's prize, named after the late Russian dissident Andrei Sakharov, has been awarded annually since 1988 to honour individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.
China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the prize.
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