FAIR AND OPEN INVESTIGATION IN UYGHUR REGION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 21/07/2009

World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) Statement on the recent situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region .

World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP) is seriously alarmed by the threat of death sentences made by Chinese officials in Urumqi following recent unrest in Urumqi. This threat by the Chinese officials not only indicates the lack of rule of law in China but is also detrimental to the alleviation of tension between Han Chinese and Uyghur. It also violates the core values and spirit of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) that China has signed and repeatedly stated its intention to ratify as well as the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) which China has ratified.

Therefore, World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP), representing member organizations, urges:

1. The initiation of an open, independent, transparent, fair and impartial investigation following the recent reports of violence on the part of both demonstrators and security forces. The Chinese authorities should also ensure unconditional media access in the Region;

2.  All the suspects arrested in this incident be guaranteed fair and open investigation and trial, defence lawyers be independent of government pressure, and all defence lawyers be able to freely carried out their role as defence lawyers;

3. Right to life is one of the basic human rights. The death penalty is not only a cruel and inhuman punishment but is also applied discriminatorily utilized as means of suppressing minorities and dissidents. The Chinese government should act in accordance with International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) instead of using death penalty as means of governance and suppressing the dissidents. The threat of death penalty from the Chinese officials concerning those arrested in this incident is opposed by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
 
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The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
Created in Rome in 2002, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty brings together 96 bar associations, trade unions, local governments and non-governmental organizations. It aims at strengthening the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty and at contributing to put an end to death sentences and executions.

For more information: www.worldcoalition.org