PEN International reiterates calls for information about the welfare of detained writer Nurmuhemmet Yasin, following unconfirmed and disputed reports that he died in prison in 2010. Yasin was arrested in November 2004 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for “inciting seperatism” in his story “Wild Pigeon.” PEN considers Yasin to be detained in violation of Article 35 of the Chinese constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a signatory, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Take Action

Write a letter: Your voice matters. Use the information below to write and send a letter.

Spread the word: The simplest and most effective response to censorship is to spread the word. Use the social media tools below to share this page and get the word out.

Background Information

According to PEN's information, unconfirmed reports that Nurmuhemmet Yasin had died in prison, which have been circulating since 2010, were recently disputed by a family member, who claims to have visited him in Urumqi No. 1 Prison in July 2012 and found him in reasonably good health. She also reports to have received a letter from him in October 2012, which she believes to be genuine. Yasin has spent most of the past eight years detained incommunicado without access to family visits, fostering speculation about his condition and possible death. However, Yasin’s wife and two children have reportedly been given permission to visit him at the prison on January 16, 2013. In spite of repeated requests for information about his condition, the Chinese government has remained silent on the issue.

Nurmuhemmet Yasin was arrested in Kashgar on November 29, 2004, following the publication of his story "Wild Pigeon" ("Yawa Kepter") in a Kashgar literary journal. Authorities also confiscated his personal computer containing an estimated 1,600 poems, commentaries, stories, and one unfinished novel. After a closed trial in February 2005 at which he was not permitted a lawyer, Yasin was sentenced by the Maralbesh County Court to 10 years in prison for "inciting Uighur separatism" in the story. His sentence was upheld on appeal by the Kashgar Intermediate Court, and on May 19, 2005, Yasin was transferred to Urumqi No. 1 Prison, where he is thought to remain detained.

Yasin first published "Wild Pigeon" in the bi-monthly Uighur-language Kashgar Literature Journal, Issue No. 5, November 2004. The story tells the first-person narrative of a young pigeon—the son of a pigeon king—who is trapped and caged by humans when he ventures out to search for a new home for his flock. In the end, he commits suicide by swallowing a poisonous strawberry rather than sacrifice his freedom, as his own father committed suicide under similar conditions years earlier. "The poisons from the strawberry flow through me," the unnamed pigeon remarks to himself at the end. "Now, finally, I can die freely. I feel as if my soul is on fire—soaring and free."

Yasin's story was widely circulated and recommended for an award by one of the biggest Uighur literary web sites in the Uighur Autonomous Region. It also attracted the attention of the Chinese authorities, who consider the fable to be a tacit criticism of their government in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

Nurmuhemmet Yasin, aged 39, is an award-winning and prolific freelance Uighur writer. He has published many highly acclaimed literary works and prose-poems in recent years, including the poetry collections First Love, Crying from the Heart, and Come on Children. He is said to be a mature writer with an established literary credential among Uighur readers. He is married with two sons.
 

Write A Letter

  • Calling for information about the welfare of detained writer Nurmuhemmet Yasin, following unconfirmed reports that he died in prison in 2010;
  • Reiterating demands for Yasin’s immediate and unconditional release in accordance with Article 35 of the Chinese constitution and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a signatory.

Send Your Letter To

His Excellency Hu Jintao
President of the People’s Republic of China
State Council
Beijing 100032
P.R. China
 

Please note that there are no fax numbers for the Chinese authorities. PEN recommends that you copy your appeal to the Chinese embassy in your country asking them to forward it and welcoming any comments.