Will this price contribute to the recognition of the suffering inflicted by Beijing on the Uyghurs? The European Parliament on Thursday (October 24th) awarded the Sakharov Prize for Human Rights to Uyghur intellectual Ilham Tohti, sentenced to life imprisonment in China for "separatism".
A former economics professor at a university in Beijing, Ilham Tohti was sentenced in 2014 by the Chinese judiciary to life imprisonment for "separatism", during a trial that sparked outcry from foreign governments and human rights organizations.
His candidacy for the Sakharov Prize, which includes individuals who have made "an outstanding contribution to the fight for human rights in the world," was presented by Renew Europe (Liberal).
Ilham Tohti is a predominantly Muslim Uyghur ethnic group, the largest population in Xinjiang, a vast region in northwestern China that has been hit by terrorist attacks for years and is now subject to drastic police control.
Already holder of the Václav-Havel Prize
In early October, China had strongly denounced its nomination for the Sakharov Prize, accusing the European Parliament of "supporting terrorism".
Ilham Tohti had already won, at the end of September, the Václav-Havel Prize awarded by the Council of Europe, an institution separate from the European Union, charged with promoting democracy and human rights.
"By brandishing the pretext of human rights and freedom, (the Council of Europe) whitewashes a separatist who supports violence and terrorism", then denounced the Chinese diplomacy.
The other Sakharov Prize finalists were Kenyan girls fighting FGM and three Brazilian personalities committed to the defense of minorities and the environment, including Indian leader Raoni, a media advocate for indigenous peoples threatened by deforestation.
With AFP