The European Parliament this year awarded the Sakharov Prize for Human Rights to Uighur intellectual and dissident Ilham Tohti, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in China for & #8220; separatism & #8221 ;.
The former professor of economics at a university in Beijing was sentenced by Chinese courts in 2014 in a trial that led to protests from foreign governments and human rights organizations.
The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, urged the Chinese announcement to release Ilham Tohti immediately. The award of this high European human rights prize will almost certainly lead to diplomatic tensions with Beijing.
Despite giving voice to moderation and reconciliation, he was sentenced to life imprisonment after a show trial, Sassoli said at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg.
Tohti won one of Europe's other human rights awards in September, the Vaclav Havel Prize, because he & #8220; gave the entire Uighur population a voice & #8221 ;.
Tohti has argued for more than twenty years for the fate of the Uighur minority and for promoting inter-ethnic dialogue and understanding in China, said the Council of Europe following the appointment of Tohti for the Vaclav Havel Prize.
China had broken contact with the Council of Europe after the Tohti in August nominated for the Vaclav Havel prize.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Tohti a & #8220; separatist who supports extreme terrorism & #8221 ;.
He has also been nominated by American politicians for the Nobel Peace Prize, amid increasing international attention for the treatment of Uighurs by China.