China separatism trial of Muslim scholar ends, verdict next week: lawyer

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0CA89CC9-7652-40DF-ADA7-50E761424BCA_w640_r1_sBY MICHAEL MARTINA

BEIJING Fri Sep 19, 2014 5:41am EDT

(Reuters) – China’s trial of a Uighur scholar on separatism charges completed its two days of evidence on Thursday, and his lawyer said a verdict in a case that has drawn international criticism would come next week.

Prosecutors in China’s western Xinjiang region said economics professor Ilham Tohti, an advocate for the rights of the Muslim Uighur ethnic group, had promoted independence for the region on a website he managed called Uighurbiz.net.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of death in extreme cases, though Tohti’s lawyers say he faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence.

The United States, the European Union and human rights groups have called for Tohti’s release after a nine-month detention widely seen as part of a government crackdown on dissent in Xinjiang, where tension between Uighurs and majority Han Chinese has led to violence.

Tohti was on Thursday able to speak in his defence, his lawyer, Li Fangping, said, telling the court that he established the website to promote dialogue between Uighur and Han scholars and that he had publicly opposed separatism and violence.

 
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