Tohti wins Sakharov Prize for work defending Uyghur minority

The European Union has awarded economist Ilham Tohti its highest human rights award for his work defending China’s Uyghur minority.

A moderate though outspoken Uyghur critic of Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang, Tohti was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014.

He was convicted of fanning ethnic hatred, advocating violence and instigating terror through his classroom teaching and a website on Uyghur issues.