The European Parliament has awarded this year's Sakharov Prize for human rights to Uyghur intellectual and dissident Ilham Tohti, who has been sentenced in China to life imprisonment on charges of "separatism."
The former economics professor at a university in Beijing was convicted in 2014 by Chinese courts in a trial that already provoked protests from foreign governments and human rights organizations at the time.
The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, urged China upon the announcement to immediately release Ilham Tohti. The awarding of this prestigious European human rights prize will almost certainly lead to diplomatic tensions with Beijing.
Despite advocating moderation and reconciliation, he was sentenced to life imprisonment following a show trial, said Sassoli during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
In September, Tohti also received one of Europe's other human rights awards, the Vaclav Havel Prize, for "giving a voice to the entire Uyghur population."
Tohti has advocated for more than twenty years for the fate of the Uyghur minority and promoted interethnic dialogue and understanding in China, said the Council of Europe after nominating Tohti for the Vaclav Havel Prize.
China severed contacts with the Council of Europe after he was nominated for the Vaclav Havel Prize in August.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Tohti a "separatist who supports extreme terrorism."
He has also been nominated by American politicians for the Nobel Peace Prize, amid increasing international attention on China's treatment of the Uyghurs.