Seven Chinese students of outspoken Uygur scholar Ilham Tohti jailed for separatism
Seven ethnic minority students of a prominent Uygur professor – sentenced to life in prison for separatism – have been jailed for between three and eight years after being convicted of the same charge, a rights lawyer said yesterday.
Li Fangping, the defence lawyer of economics professor Ilham Tohti, said he had been told of the verdicts against the students by people close to their cases, but it was not clear when the decisions were announced.
It looks like the prosecution targeted Ilham Tohti, and the students were used to strengthen the case against the professor
The students had stood trial for separatism late last month for working on a website run by Tohti in Urumqi in Xinjiang.
Tohti – jailed for life in September at Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court – was known for his criticism of Beijing’s ethnic policies in the restive far western region of Xinjiang.
His sentence drew widespread international condemnation.
Authorities had accused the professor and the students of forming a criminal gang, which had sought to split Xinjiang from China.
