Alimujiang Yimiti
Date(s) of Arrest:
February 20, 2008
Prison Terms:
15 years
Charges:
Illegally revealing state secrets to foreigners
Crime:
Proselytizing Christianity, disseminating religious propaganda
February 20, 2008
Prison Terms:
15 years
Charges:
Illegally revealing state secrets to foreigners
Crime:
Proselytizing Christianity, disseminating religious propaganda
Alimujiang Yimiti was born in Xinjiang in 1973. In 1995, he converted from Islam to Christianity and became a house church pastor. In 2007, the Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs in Kashgar found Alimujiang had been "illegally proselytizing Christianity to the Uyghur community and disseminating Christian propaganda under the guise of 'work' since 2002." In 2008, the Public Security Bureau in Kashgar detained Alimujiang and, a year later, charged him with releasing state secrets to foreigners. For these charges, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The government denied him a defense attorney citing “confidentiality” as the reason.