Chinese hacker-attacks on Uyghur human rights activists

Just before the third anniversary of the serious riots in Urumqi on July 5, 2009, Chinese hackers attacked the computer systems of several Uyghur human rights activists living in exile – trying to obstruct any commemorative events for the more than 200 victims of the incident. On Tuesday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) in Göttingen reported that Chinese hackers had recently sent e-mails infected with trojans to leading human rights activist of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) in order to get insight into their correspondence. Also, fake emails are sent to third parties in the name of the Uighur human rights activists. "This is not a trivial matter, but a serious interference with the freedom of the internet," criticized the STP's Asia-consultant, Ulrich Delius. "The attack shows that China's state security does not stop at national borders, but is also trying to silence human rights activists in Europe in particular."

All leading representatives of the WUC in Munich were affected by the hackers. The first hacker attacks were already registered in May 2012, prior to the fourth general assembly of the WUC in Tokyo. Now the attacks with infected e-mails were again intensified – as confirmed by the computer experts of Kaspersky Lab in Moscow, a leading global provider of IT security solutions, who was able verify that the emails were definitely distributed from IP addresses in China. The Chinese security authorities keep up a well organized and loyal para-military "hacker army", which is run by secret military units. Also, there are young hackers who are trying to silence critics living abroad for reasons of "patriotism" alone. "The exact timing of the attacks suggests that the security authorities were at least involved in instructing the hackers," said Delius.

The WUC is planning events for the 5th of July in Munich and other major cities all around the world to remember the victims of the riots in Urumqi. "Even three years after the heavy clashes between Uyghurs, Han-Chinese and riot police the situation in northwestern China is still volatile," said Delius. "Security measures in Urumqi and other cities in the region were intensified significantly in the last few days – despite official assertions about the harmony between the population groups. Devout Muslims are treated as potential terrorists. "For instance, women with headscarves and bearded men are no longer allowed to visit shopping centers and markets. "This is a serious violation of religious freedom and sheer racism." In the city of Hotan, an Uyghur was sentenced to ten years in prison for distributing religious tracts just recently, near the end of June.

The STP also criticized sharply that – despite the continued attacks – Uyghur refugees are still deported from Europe to China, because they face years of imprisonment or even the death penalty there. In the next days, Sweden and the Netherlands are planning to deport several Uyghurs to China. "If China is expected to respect human rights, the Uyghurs should not be surrendered to their persecutors," warned Delius, "because Uyghurs become suspects for China's national security just by filing an application for asylum in Europe."