Tohti TUNYAZ

Uighur Autonomous Region

Tohti Tunyaz (pen name: Tohti Muzart) is an ethnic Uyghur historian and writer. Tunyaz graduated from the history department of the Central Institute of Nationalities, Beijing, in 1984 and was assigned to work for the China National Standing Committee. During this time he reportedly formed a close relationship with former Xinjiang governors Seyfundin Eziz and Ismail Emet, and was involved in the translation of Eziz's works. Tunyaz began studying for his Ph.D at Tokyo University's School of Humanities in Japan in 1995, specializing in Uighur history and ethnic relations. He has reportedly published several papers on Uighur history in Japan, and has published a book in Beijing.

Current Status

Tohti Tunyaz is currently serving his 11-year sentence in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region Prison No. 3 in the provincial capital of Urumqi. He has a wife and children in Japan. It is reported that he has exhausted his appeals and will therefore remain incarcerated until his sentence expires on March 31, 2009.

Case History

Tohti Tunyaz was first arrested on February 6, 1998, a few weeks into a trip to Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region for research purposes. His only proven “crime” appears to be that of obtaining and copying part of a 50-year-old document for his research with the help of an official librarian, which the authorities claimed was “theft of classified information”.

On November 10, 1998, Chinese authorities charged Tunyaz with “stealing state secrets for foreign persons” and “inciting national disunity”, the latter charge allegedly for publishing a book in Japan in 1998 entitled The Inside Story of the Silk Road. According to the Chinese government the book advocates ethnic separation; scholars in Japan, however, insist no such book exists. He was convicted by the Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court on March 10, 1999, and following an appeal, was sentenced by China’s Supreme Court on February 15, 2000 to 11 years in prison with an additional two years’ deprivation of political rights. In December 2001, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an official opinion declaring Mr. Tunyaz to be arbitrarily detained.