China targets Switzerland for accepting 2 Guantanamo Bay Uighurs

(TibetanReview.net, Feb05, 2010) In yet another move to condemn and possibly punish countries for displeasing it, China on Feb 4 criticized Switzerland for its decision to accept two detainees at Guantanamo Bay who are Uighurs from Xinjiang. The US is refusing to send the Uighurs cleared by it back to the PRC, fearing that they will be tortured there. China said the Swiss move would undermine bilateral relations.

China has made known its position on this issue and lodged solemn representations to Switzerland at the first meeting on joint study of the feasibility of China-Switzerland free trade area, being held in Beijing, China’s official Xinhua news agency Feb 4 cited the country’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu as saying.

Ma has claimed that the seven Chinese Uighur “terrorist suspects” are members of the "East Turkistan Islamic Movement," which is included in the sanctions list of the UN Security Council's 1267 Committee.

Even if the Uighurs at Guantanamo Bay belonged to it, the inclusion of the group in the UN list was highly controversial, based entirely on China’s pressure, rather than on any real evidence of terrorism.