Yimiti's wife provides for their sons, who haven't seen their father in nearly two years. (Photo courtesy China Aid)
China (MNN) ― For almost two years, Chinese house church leader Alimujiang Yimiti sat in prison on false charges. Earlier this week, China Aid learned his harsh legal sentence: 15 years imprisonment for "providing state secrets to overseas organizations." Yimiti's attorneys have filed an appeal and are awaiting a response.
"This is the harshest sentence against house church believers in nearly a decade," says China Aid President Bob Fu. "The whole world should be appalled at this injustice."
Until recently, Yimiti was held without a verdict at the Kashgar Detention Center. He was originally detained on January 11, 2008 by Chinese officials on false charges. The next month, these charges were altered to "suspicion of instigating separatism and providing national secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations or individuals." Secret trials were held in the following months, and at the end of October, Yimiti heard his final verdict while imprisoned at Kashgar.
China Aid reports a ruling from the UN Working Group of Arbitrary Detention stating that the arrest and detention of Yimiti is illogical and in violation of international law.
"The whole case is about religious faith issues," says Li Dunyong, Yimit's defense attorney, "which are being used against Alimujiang for his conversion from Islam to Christianity, by biased law enforcement agents, prosecutors and the court."
Key to Yimiti's arrest were flawed and forged documents that were defended by court officials. According to Dunyong, a key certificate used against Yimiti was missing a vital signature, and therefore violates Chinese law.
"The 15-year sentence is far more severe than I originally expected," Dunyong said. "It is the maximum penalty for this charge of 'divulging state secrets.'"
Yimiti's charges were derived from interviews he granted to media outside of China. On China Aid's Web site are various contacts and resources you can access to speak out on Yimiti's behalf. Click here to visit the Web site.
"We call upon the UN and people of conscience throughout the world," Fu states, "to strongly protest to the Chinese government for this severe case of religious persecution."
Until further action is taken to free Alimujiang Yimiti, continue to pray for his family. They continue to face separation and persecution with their husband and father's absence.
