An Urumqi court passed an unexpectedly heavy sentence of life imprisonment for separatism on Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti, even though he has long opposed Xinjiang independence.
The state news agency Xinhua offers more details of Ilham Tohti’s alleged crimes, including the accusation that he “bewitched and coerced young ethnic students to work for the website [Uighur Online] and built a criminal syndicate.” Seven of his students have also been detained and are likely to face trial.
Image: Ilham Is Innocent, by Badiucao for China Digital Times