Witnesses at 'Uyghur Tribunal' liars

The made-up stories given by "witnesses" at the recent hearings at the "Uyghur Tribunal" held in the United Kingdom have once again shown people how lies are turned into evidence to support accusations against the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, a spokesman for the region said.

"The 'Uyghur Tribunal' is packed with lies and false information. Many stories told by the "witnesses" at the hearings may seem to be creditable, but little do people know those personal experiences are often made up," Xu Guixiang, a spokesman of the Xinjiang regional government, said at a news conference held in Beijing on Friday.

Halimet Rozi claimed at the hearings that he suspected that his brothers were detained by Chinese government operatives. "In fact, none of his direct relatives have ever been detained. They are all living a normal life in Xinjiang," said Xu, adding that Halimet, who left China in 2006, is a key figure of the Japan Uygur Association, an anti-China group.

Yerken Rozi, the elder brother of Halimet, said he was never put under surveillance or detained as Halimet claimed.

"He also claims that (during detention) I was even beaten up by others, who broke my legs, bruised my face and severely damaged my waist. When did he see those things?" Yerken said during an online interview on Friday.

Yerken, who works at the tax bureau of Tacheng prefecture, said he doesn't understand why his brother has started to smear and slander others since he went to Japan.

"You don't respect facts. What do you mean when you say those words?" said Yerken, who wants to get the answers from Halimet. "You are still a Chinese citizen. Maybe you cannot do things for your country, but you cannot smear our country by speaking nonsense."

China has repeatedly stated that the "Uyghur Tribunal" is a non-governmental entity funded by anti-China forces. It is fake and has no legal basis or validity whatsoever. Its second set of so-called hearings were held from Sept 10 to 13 in London.

Xu said the so-called tribunal is in nature a political manipulation aimed at discrediting China over accusations about Xinjiang including "forced labor", "genocide" and "illegal detention of people from non-Han ethnic groups".

People who actually live and work in Xinjiang are the ones people should listen to. They are the real witnesses of the region's actual situation, Xu added.

Twenty-five Xinjiang people from all walks of life and different ethnic groups took part in the online interviews. They shared how their lives have improved after the region stepped up its efforts in various sectors including maintaining social stability, improving ethnic unity, protecting the freedom of religious beliefs and promoting ethnic cultures.