URUMQI, China — As China deals with the fallout of protests in Tibet and alleged protests in neighboring Xinjiang province, the family of a Uyghur Christian fears he may be sentenced to death in April after officials accused him of endangering national security.
Officials closed Alimjan Yimit’s business last September and accused him of using it as a cover for "preaching Christianity among people of Uyghur ethnicity." When they detained the former Muslim on Jan. 12, they told his family only that the arrest was a matter of "national security."
Friends said a verdict is expected by the end of April. Alimjan’s arrest followed that of another Uyghur Christian, Osman Imin, on Nov. 19, 2007, accused of assisting foreigners in illegal religious activities and revealing state secrets. Sources said authorities have arrested at least one other Uyghur Christian in Urumqi, the provincial capital, and another in the city of Kashgar, since the beginning of the year.
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