Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

An independent non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

Another Uyghur Professor Imprisoned in China Facing Two-Year Suspended Death Sentence

Halmurat Ghopur was sentenced for “separatist tendencies,” allegedly for plotting to “create a Muslim Caliphate” in the region by 2030. There is no evidence to support these charges. Ghopur is a distinguished medical professional who has served as President of the XinJjiang Food and Drug Administration’s Department of Inspection and Supervision in the Urumqi Regional capital and formerly was Presidesnt of Xinjiang Medical University Hospital. CCS has written China’s President requesting a review of this case, Ghopur’s immediate release, with charges dropped and a return to his former employment.

October 18, 2018

Xi Jinping
President
The State Council General’s Office
2 Fuyoujie
Xichengqu, Beijingshi 100017
People’s Republic of China

Dear President Xi:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.

We write to express our concern over the treatment of Halmurat Ghopur, who faces a two-year suspended death sentence for “separatist tendencies”, allegedly for plotting to “create a Muslim Caliphate” in the region by 2030.

There is no apparent evidence to support these charges, but there is some evidence that he may have been targeted because of professional disagreements with Xinjiang Medical University ‘s Secretary, Li Bing. It seems clear to us that Halmurat Ghopur is one of thousands being severely punished simply because of Uyghur ethnicity.

Halmurat Ghopur is a distinguished medical professional whose successful career includes official accolades for developing a treatment for respiratory illnesses which combined Western and traditional Uyghur medicine. Most recently, he served as President of the Xinjiang Food and Drug Administration’s Department of Inspection and Supervision in the regional capital Urumqi, and prior to that he was the President of Xinjiang Medical University Hospital, also in Urumqi.

As a community of scientists and scholars, we are greatly concerned that our colleague, Halmurat Ghopur, along with four other prominent Uyghur intellectuals, have been sentenced to punishments of either death or life in prison, and forced to appear in an official film that all Xinjiang government employees are required to watch.

As an emerging leader in the global academic and scientific world, it is critical that China respect human rights and the rights of the Uyghur community – a community that has been a big contributor to China’s admirable scientific and intellectual endeavors.

We urge you to release Halmurat Ghopur immediately and unconditionally, and to protect his right to pursue his important work that benefits humanity. We thank you for your attention to this most serious matter, and we look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

cc:
Cui Tiankai
Ambassador
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
3505 International Place NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 202-495-2266
Email: chinaembpress_us@mfa.gov.cn

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

Committee of Concerned Scientists
Public Affairs and Administrative Office
PO Box 3708
Silver Spring, MD 20918

Carol Valoris, Executive Director
(202) 812-8074
carolvaloris@concernedscientists.org