卫报：拉什迪等50名作家、艺术家联署呼吁中国政府释放伊力哈木•土赫提

中国必须马上释放伊力哈木・土赫提

来源：卫报 2014年4月27日

译者：@Buxoro

作为作家与艺术家，我们今天与美国中心笔会一道，抗议对我们的同仁，维吾尔作家、学者伊力哈木・土赫提的拘捕。他只因和平表达了他的人权观点就被指控为分裂国家罪。2014年笔会暨芭芭拉・戈德史密斯自由写作奖的获得者土赫提先生，通过他的写作，始终不渝地为汉人与维吾尔人的沟通搭建桥梁。他的命运目前掌握在中国政府的手中，将会对中国的未来产生深远影响。我们敦促习近平主席尊重土赫提先生自由表达的权利，立即将他释放，并撤销一切对他的指控。

2014年1月15日，北京官方将土赫提先生从家中逮捕，他的两个年幼的儿子在现场被迫目睹了几十名警察的抄家。随后的一个多月，他音信全无，直到2014年2月25日，他的妻子古再丽努尔才接到他被控分裂国家，羁押在数千公里之遥新疆乌鲁木齐看守所的正式通知。这是非常严重的罪行，还不能见他的律师。我们获知，如果在这种毫无根据的指控下定罪，他有可能面临无期徒刑，甚至是死刑。我们尤其关注当局用土赫提先生的网站——维吾尔在线，作为迫害他的藉口。土赫提先生创办维吾尔在线的明确目的是要增进维吾尔人与汉人之间的了解，他从未宣扬暴力，或鼓励某种政治主张。在习近平政府以稳定为名，对维吾尔人采取过激措施的形形势之下，他的网站起到的反而是至关重要的缓和作用。没有对话，就不会有稳定。

对人权的关注，不分国界，不分种族。自由表达作为基本人权，被国际法所承认，也被中国宪法承认。伊力哈木・土赫提所做的无非是行使本国法律给予他的权利。实际上，尊重与保护人权不会损害任何国家，反而会显示其力量。中国政府把创造和谐、稳定社会为其目标，要达到这个目标，国家必须允许作家、艺术家、知识分子，以及所有公民畅所欲言，用他们自己选择的论坛互相交流，与世界互动。

释放伊力哈木・土赫提，以及其他因为行使自由表达权利而被监禁的作家，包括刘晓波、刘霞，将会向全世界显示中国是一个世界强国，能把接受异见视为健康社会的重要部分。我们知道中国人民已准备好走出这一步，我们希望他们的政府也能同行。

安德烈・艾席蒙

爱德华・阿尔比

安东尼・阿皮亚

肯・奥莱塔

保罗・奥斯特

卡尔・伯恩斯坦

朱迪・布兰德尔

詹尼纳・布拉斯基

罗伯特・卡洛

罗兹・查斯特

罗恩・彻诺

塞尔吉奥・德拉帕瓦

堂・德里罗

E・L・多克托罗

珍妮弗・伊根

黛博拉・艾森伯格

尼尔・盖曼

彼得・戈德温

芭芭拉・戈德史密斯

亚当・戈普尼克

菲利普・古里维奇

贝丝・谷琴

莫莉・哈斯凯尔

亚历山大・赫蒙

西瑞・阿斯维特

妮科尔・克劳斯

李昌来

艾瑞尔・利维

瓦莱里娅・路易塞利

拉里莎・麦克法夸尔

凯特・曼宁

凯迪・马尔顿

苔丝・奥德怀尔

弗朗辛・普罗斯

维多利亚・雷代尔

大卫・雷姆尼克

萨尔曼・拉什迪

詹姆斯・索特

西蒙・沙玛

斯泰茜・西弗

拉里・赛姆斯

安德鲁・所罗门

黛博拉・所罗门

朱迪思・瑟曼

莉莉・塔克

约翰・沃特斯

雅各布・韦斯伯格

鲍尔・威利蒙

布伦达・维恩阿波

梅格・沃利兹

China must release Ilham Tohti now

The Guardian, Sunday 27 April 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/28/china-release-ilham-tohti-now

As writers and artists, we join PEN American Center today in protesting the arrest of our colleague, Uighur writer and scholar Ilham Tohti, who is being charged with separatism for the peaceful expression of his views on human rights. Mr Tohti, winner of the 2014 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, has been working peacefully to build bridges between Han Chinese and the Uighur people through his writing. His fate, now in the hands of the Chinese government, has profound implications for China's future. We urge President Xi Jinping to respect Mr Tohti's right to free expression by releasing him and dropping all charges against him immediately.

On 15 January 2014 authorities in Beijing arrested Mr Tohti at his home in front of his two young sons, who were forced to watch as dozens of officers raided their home. He was then effectively disappeared for over a month. Only on February 25 2014, did his wife, Guzaili Nu'er, receive formal notification that Mr Tohti was being held in a detention center thousands of miles away in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and was being charged with separatism, a particularly serious offence. He has been refused access to his lawyer. We understand that he could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty if convicted on this baseless charge. We are particularly concerned that authorities are using Mr Tohti's website, Uighur Online, as a pretence for his persecution. Mr Tohti founded Uighur Online with the express purpose of promoting understanding between Uighurs and Han Chinese, and he has never advocated violence or promoted a political agenda. Instead, his website has served as a critically important counterpoint to the aggressive measures that Xi Jinping's administration has imposed against the Uighur people in the name of stability. Without dialogue, there can be no stability.

Human rights are of concern to all peoples regardless of frontiers, and freedom of expression is a fundamental human right recognised both under international law, and by the Chinese Constitution. Ilham Tohti has done nothing more than exercise the rights guaranteed to him by his country's own laws.Indeed, respecting and protecting human rights is not a detriment to any state, but rather a sign of its strength. The Chinese government has stated that creating a harmonious and stable society is its goal. To do so, the country must allow writers, artists, intellectuals, and all its citizens to speak their minds freely and interact with each other and with the world through whatever platform they choose.

Releasing Ilham Tohti and other writers imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression, including Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia, would show the world that China is a strong world power that accepts dissent as a crucial part of a healthy society. We know the Chinese people are ready to take this step. We hope their government is as well.

André Aciman

Edward Albee

Anthony Appiah

Ken Auletta

Paul Auster

Carl Bernstein

Judy Blundell

Giannina Braschi

Robert Caro

Roz Chast

Ron Chernow

Sergio de la Pava

Don DeLillo

EL Doctorow

Jennifer Egan

Deborah Eisenberg

Neil Gaiman

Peter Godwin

Barbara Goldsmith

Adam Gopnik

Philip Gourevitch

Beth Gutcheon

Molly Haskell

Aleksandar Hemon

Siri Hustvedt

Nicole Krauss

Chang-Rae Lee

Ariel Levy

Valeria Luiselli

Larissa MacFarquhar

Kate Manning

Kati Marton

Tess O'Dwyer

Francine Prose

Victoria Redel

David Remnick

Salman Rushdie

James Salter

Simon Schama

Stacy Schiff

Larry Siems

Andrew Solomon

Deborah Solomon

Judith Thurman

Lily Tuck

John Waters

Jacob Weisberg

Beau Willimon

Brenda Wineapple

Meg Wolitzer

萨尔曼・拉什迪等作家抗议中国关押伊力哈木・土赫提

来源：卫报 2014年4月28日

作者：理查德・里亚

译者：@Buxoro

在中国西北新疆地区的紧张局势持续不断之时，包括保罗・奥斯特（Paul Auster），詹妮弗・伊根（Jennifer Egan）， 西瑞・阿斯维特（Siri Hustvedt）及萨尔曼・拉什迪（Salman Rushdie）在内的作家发表公开信，敦促中国国家主席释放维吾尔作家、学者伊力哈木・土赫提。

土赫提于2005年创建维吾尔在线网站，旨在促进有分歧族群之间的对话。今年1月他在北京家中被30余名警察羁押，消失一个多月之后，被指控“涉嫌分裂国家”。如果这个罪名成立，他有可能面临终身监禁，甚至死刑。

信中认为，土赫提的命运将会对“中国的未来产生深远影响” 。

“土赫提先生创办维吾尔在线的明确目的是要增进维吾尔人与汉人之间的了解，他从未宣扬暴力，或鼓励某种政治主张。”信中还提到，“在政府以稳定为名，对维吾尔人采取过激措施的形势之下，他的网站起到的反而是至关重要的缓和作用。”

2014年，新疆的反恐行动预算增加了一倍，在这个地区政府加强对所谓打击恐怖主义和宗教极端主义的斗争，引起人们对压制升级的关注。

土赫提还无法接触他的律师。这位在中央民族大学经济学教授，多年来一贯为维吾尔问题直言。

2009年，在乌鲁木齐发生造成200人死亡的暴力冲突之后，他被关押了一个多月。 2013年2月，他在北京机场被阻，无法前往美国印第安纳大学做访问学者。据美国笔会，他的女儿，菊尔・伊力哈木，错上了飞机，独自到了美国。土赫提现在被关押在离家数千里的新疆首府乌鲁木齐，她将于5月5日在纽约代表父亲接受2014笔会暨芭芭拉·戈德史密斯自由写作奖。

土赫提是目前在中国被监禁的约35名作家之一，2010年诺贝尔和平奖获得者刘晓波也在狱中。2008年北京奥运会以来，被监禁的作家数量基本没变，但对作家的监视与骚扰一直在加剧。

信中继续提到中国宪法也承认言论自由，土赫提“所做的无非是行使本国法律给予他的权利” 。信的作者还认为尊重人权是“国家实力的标志” 。

“释放伊力哈木·土赫提，以及其他因为行使自由表达权利而被监禁的作家，包括刘晓波、刘霞，将会向全世界显示中国是一个世界强国，能把接受异见视为健康社会的重要部分。我们知道中国人民已准备好走出这一步，我们希望他们的政府也能同行。”

Salman Rushdie joins writers' protest at China's jailing of Ilham Tohti

Richard Lea

theguardian.com, Monday 28 April 2014 03.00 EDT

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/28/salman-rushdie-condemn-china-jailing-ilhan-tohti-paul-auster

 As tensions continue in China's north-western area of Xinjang, writers including Paul Auster, Jennifer Egan, Siri Hustvedt and Salman Rushdie have written to the Guardian urging the Chinese president to release the Uighur writer and scholar Ilham Tohti.

Tohti, who founded the website Uighur Online in 2005 to promote dialogue in the ethnically divided region, was seized at his Beijing home by more than 30 police officers in January, disappearing for a month before being charged with "separatism" – a charge which leaves him facing life imprisonment or even the death penalty if convicted.

The letter argues that Tohti's fate will have "profound implications for China's future".

 "Mr Tohti founded Uighur Online with the express purpose of promoting understanding between Uighurs and Han Chinese, and he has never advocated violence or promoted a political agenda," the letter continues. "Instead, his website has served as a critically important counterpoint to the aggressive measures your administration has imposed against the Uighur people in the name of stability."

Xinjiang's budget for anti-terrorism operations has doubled in 2014, raising concerns of increased repression as the region steps up operations which the government describes as a battle against terrorism and religious extremism.

Tohti, who has been refused access to his lawyer, teaches economics at the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing and has spoken out on Uighur issues for many years.

In 2009 he was detained for over a month after violent clashes in Urumqi left 200 dead. In February 2013 he was prevented from travelling to the US, where he was due to take up a fellowship at Indiana University, and held at Beijing airport. Officials allowed his daughter, Jewher Ilham, to board the plane in error, according to American PEN, stranding her in the US. With Tohti currently being held thousands of miles from his home in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi, she will accept the 2014 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write award in her father's place at a ceremony in New York on 5 May.

Tohti is one of about 35 writers currently imprisoned in China, including the 2010 Nobel peace laureate, Liu Xiaobo. The number of authors in detention has remained roughly constant since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, while surveillance and harassment have steadily increased.

With freedom of expression recognised by the Chinese constitution, the letter continues, Tohti "has done nothing more than exercise the rights guaranteed to him by his country's own laws". Respecting human rights is a "sign of … strength", the authors argue.

"Releasing Ilham Tohti and other writers imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression, including Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia, would show the world that China is a strong world power that welcomes dissent as a crucial part of a healthy society. We know the Chinese people are ready to take this step. We hope you are as well."