Adopted Prisoner of Conscience - ABDURAZZAK SHAMSEDEN

Abdurazzak Shamseden is believed to be in jail in GULJA city (YINING in Chinese) in the YENGI HAYAT district of the ILI prefecture. This is close to the border with Kazakhstan.

The Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region represents almost 17% of the territory of the Republic of China (PRC) and has common borders with Mongolia, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Tibet. The region or parts of it have in the past been referred to by various names, including Uighuristan and Eastern Turkestan. It was given the Chinese name “Xinjiang”, which literally means “new frontier” or “new dominion” in the late 19th century when it was incorporated into the Chinese Empire.

The indigenous peoples of the XUAR are Turkic people who are predominantly Muslim. They include Uighurs, Kazaks, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Tatars and other groups officially classified as “national minorities” of the PRC, including the Huis who are ethnic Chinese Muslims. The Uighurs are the largest indigenous group. According to official statistics, in 1997 the region had over 17 million inhabitants, divided approximately into 47% Uighurs, over 42% ethnic Chinese (over 38% Han and 4% Hui), about 7% Kazaks, and the rest divided between other ethnic groups. These figures however are believed to be below the real number of both Han Chinese and “national minorities” in the region.

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