Attacks on the Press in 2010 - Committee to Protect Journalists

Journalists in Prisonimprisoned: july or august 2009Nureli, SalkinNijat Azat, ShabnamAuthorities imprisoned Nureli, who goes by one name, and Azat inan apparent crackdown on Uighur-language website managers. Azatwas sentenced to 10 years and Nureli three years for endangering statesecurity, according to international news reports. The precise dates oftheir arrests and convictions were not clear.Their sites, which have been shut down by the government, had runnews articles and discussion groups concerning Uighur issues. TheNew York Times cited friends and family members of the men whosaid they were prosecuted because they had failed to respond quicklyenough when they were ordered to delete content that discussed thedifficulties of life in Xinjiang.imprisoned: august 7, 2009Dilixiati Paerhati, DiyarimPaerhati, who edited the popular Uighur-language website Diyarim,was one of several online forum administrators arrested after ethnicviolence in Urumqi in July 2009.Paerhati was sentenced to a five-year prison term in July 2010 oncharges of endangering state security, according to international newsreports. He was detained and interrogated about riots in the XinjiangUighur Autonomous Region on July 24, 2009, but released withoutcharge after eight days.Agents seized Paerhati from his apartment on August 7, 2009, althoughthe government issued no formal notice of arrest, his U.K.-based brother, Dilimulati, told Amnesty International. Internationalnews reports, citing his brother, said authorities had demandedPaerhati delete anti-government comments on the website.imprisoned: october 1, 2009Gheyrat Niyaz (Hailaite Niyazi), UighurbizSecurity officials arrested website manager Niyaz, sometimes referredto as Hailaite Niyazi, in his home in the regional capital, Urumqi,according to international news reports. He was convicted undersweeping charges of “endangering state security.”According to international media reports, Niyaz was punishedbecause of an August 2, 2009, interview with Yazhou Zhoukan (Asia363