Robert Stribley reminds us that it's banned books week and links to an Amnesty International sight reminding us that this is even more serious stuff beyond people freaking out about The Chocolate Wars. Let's take a look at the story of Tohti Tunyaz, who's currently in jail in China for researching the history of his Uighur people:
During his trial, the court referred to documents he obtained in the XUAR, and to a book advocating “ethnic separatism” called The Inside Story of the Silk Road, which he was accused of publishing in Japan. His professor in Japan, Sato Tsugitaka, has asserted strongly that the so-called “state secrets” consisted of a list of 50-year-old documents provided by an official librarian, and that Tohti Tunyaz has not published any books advocating “ethnic separatism”. According to an article published in the January 2001 issue of China’s national security newsletter, Tohti Tunyaz “turned his back on his homeland” by going to Japan to study for his PhD, where he “came under the influence of western liberal thinking” and “engaged in Xinjiang minority splittist activities”. . . .In May 2001, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Tohti Tunyaz’ imprisonment was arbitrary and in violation of his right to freedom of thought, expression and opinion.I thought it particularly sad that the fact that Tunyaz left China for his Ph.D. was held against him--China famously encourages bright young scientists and engineers to study abroad.
