Live replay of the award ceremony of 2019 Sakharov Prize during the EP plenary sitting (16-19 December) in Strasbourg. Mr Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize, who is currently imprisoned for life in China on separatism-related charges, is represented by his daughter Jewher Ilham. She makes a statement and receives the prize from David SASSOLI, EP President. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check Against delivery.

Plenary session: Award of the Sakharov Prize 2019 - Statement by David SASSOLI, EP President, and by Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti (12.15 - 12.32)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues. Today we are awarding the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought to Professor Abraham Tohti because he can't be here with us because he is imprisoned and has been since 2014. The fight, which he is paying a very dear price for, should be a source of inspiration for us.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: I would like to express my genuine thanks to his daughter, Mrs. Jewher Ilham, who had the courage to come here to represent her father and in Europe as part of democracy.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: We can listen to the voices of those that can't speak in their own countries through the conferring of the Sakharov Prize. This parliament has to act as a spokesperson for freedom of thought, for freedom of speech, a freedom which is extremely precious for too many people and which is under threat in too many parts of the world. I am particularly proud and honoured to be able to award this Prize to professor Ilham Tohti.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: His struggle shows how important it is to have mutual understanding, moderation and reconciliation and to respect cultural diversity. These are the same values that underpin the European project. I am told he is an economics professor, but he is also somebody who calls on all of us for moderation and reconciliation.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: He has committed himself to defending the rights of the weaker minority in China with the hope of improving their living conditions. The weaker minority are constantly the victim of persecution of all kind cultural, religious, economic. And since April 2017, more than a million innocents have been arbitrarily arrested and thrown into a series of prison camps where they are forced to renounce their ethnic identity and renounce their religious beliefs.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: And yet that people is a great people with a deep rooted identity, with a history that goes back thousands of years, over which time they have developed a cultural culture which is worthy of preservation. And Ilham Tohti, through his activities as a militant, has given a voice to that people.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: Although he is detained in prison, his voice, along with that of his daughter, can still be heard today asking that of so many other workers. He has worked tireless for less leave for over 20 years for mutual understanding and dialogue between the weak people and others.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: And yet he was sentenced to life imprisonment, accused of separatism. The European Parliament asks for his release immediately from president, unconditionally.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: His fight and all of the suffering that he has experienced remind us that we have to fight for freedom of thought, which is a fundamental right. Sometimes this, though, is only something that can be won when human lives are paid.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: I would like to tell you something about the laureates of earlier Prizes who are still in prison and who are persecuted for having defended human rights and fundamental values and freedoms, and who fight for the simple fact and the simple fact that they have in fact won the Sakharov Prize helps their fight.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: Raif Badawi, the ladies in White, various members of the Democratic opposition in Venezuela, Asmaa Mahfouz for so many people, this parliament would therefore call on the High Representative to take all the necessary steps in his contacts with the countries involved to obtain their immediate release, as well as the ceasing of the persecution of the laureates of the Sakharov Prize.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: That is a request that we also pass on to the member states of the European Union and our governments as a part of their bilateral relationships. We would like them to also pass on the common values of the European Union and of defend human rights and freedoms. Today should be a day of celebration celebrating the freedom of thought. Instead, it is a sad day.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President,: Once again, this seat is empty because in the world that we live in, being free of thought doesn't necessarily mean being genuinely free in the hope that in fact he told he will be released, that we will be able to meet him. We send our greetings to him and to those that are unfortunately in prison with him. His daughter, Jewher Ilham has honoured us by being here with us today, representing him. And I would like to pass her the floor now. Go ahead, please.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: As-salamu alaykum, peace be upon you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: I want to thank the European Parliament and all those who made it possible for my father to receive the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought. You have highlighted not only my father's work and the persecution he has endured because of it, but you bring it to the attention of the European Union and the rest of the world. The plight of over one million Uyghurs who have been forcibly detained in concentration camps in the Uyhhurs region.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Thank you. Ahmad. It is an honour to be at the European Parliament today to accept the Sakharov Prize on behalf of my father, I'm grateful for the opportunity to tell his story because he cannot tell it himself. To be honest with you. I don't know where my father is. 2017 was the last time my family received word about him.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: At that time, he was being held in item to first prison. I have not seen my father since we were separated at the Beijing airport in 2013. We were on our way to Indiana University, where my father was invited as a visiting scholar.

Speaker: Unfortunately, he never made it to the US. On that day, we were pulled out of the security line. I was given the choice of boarding the plane and flying to the US or staying with my father. My father insisted that I continue.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: He said to me, don't cry. Don't let them think we are girls are weak. I went, and because of his encouragement, I am here, in Strasbourg with all of you. But while I travelled on, he was detained, beaten, questioned and now carries a life sentence at some undisclosed location.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: I will never be able to travel back to China and will likely never meet my family again. It is hard to believe that my father still physically resembles now the men I knew as a child. The man who worked at my bedroom desk in pyjamas after I complained he spent more time on his Website, Uyghurbiz than with me.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: When there was a problem, my father always had a solution. He believed that when there was a problem, you need to fix it. Just like when there is a hole in a fabric, you need to sew it. An unresolved problem he thought will lead to a bigger problem.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: And so he moved his laptop into my room and you worked at my desk while I sat on my bed doing homework. This way we could be together. Sometimes he would forget how late it was lost interest in his work until 4 a.m. in the morning. I would go in and out of sleep to the click of his fingers on the computer.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: I was a teenager then with little understanding of why my father would give up his profitable business career and our trips to the New year halal meat market. For the life that landed him in prison.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: There was a time when we could afford to buy a whole halal lamb or an entire sheep and share it with the neighbourhood. After my father committed himself to advocating for the rights of others, help them grow more scarce in our household.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: My father's wealth went to supporting that we good community from poor. We grew mothers to homeless children. When he purchased a server in the United States to secure his Website, Uyghurs biz, there was no more no money left for lamb.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: My father was not afraid of being poor as long as he could devote himself to the cause that came to define his life, fostering peaceful dialogue and understanding between the Han Chinese and that we was living in the western part of China.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: For him, the problem was clear. Workers were being denied basic rights, the right to believe what we believe, the right to worship the way we want to worship the right to think, we want what we want to think. For him, the solution was simple. To engage with the Chinese government in conversation about working with eager people in a peaceful, non-violent and instructive way.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: The Chinese government was not interested in conversations about working on the tensions building in the wider region. With a scholar. We were scholar like my father, a man who was committed to peaceful resolution where the Han and the Weavers could live in harmony.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Instead. They labelled him a separatist. And locked him in solitary confinement for empowering the very people the Chinese government wanted to control.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Today, there's no freedom for girls in China. You know this. Not at school, not in public. Not even in private homes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: My father, like most Uyghurs, have been labelled violent extremists with a disease that needs to be cured and minds that needs to be washed. It is under this false label of extremism that the government has put one million, probably even more into concentration camps.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Workers are forced to give up their religion, language and culture. Were forced labour is widespread and people are tortured. Some have died. History repeats itself. It didn't end well before. It won't end well now. China labels them as re-education centre, Sorry, but I don't buy this term and you shouldn't either.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Extremism is the kind of language that China's government uses to justify tearing family apart. Controlling and monitoring every move of the organs inside and outside of China and putting so many is an innocent people into camps.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Even in my home in Washington, DC, my phone and computer is often hacked. People ask me, am I scared? Yes, I am afraid. Sometimes I wake up in cold sweats. Sometimes I worry that my speaking out will bring harm to my family living in China.

Speaker: Even speaking to today makes me nervous. I'm sure my father was afraid, too, but when he identified a problem, he overcame his fear by working towards a solution. No matter the cost. I am here today because I want to support my father. So I ask you in this room and those who are listening.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Do you see a problem with the way that China's government is treating? We were people if you see a problem, please work towards a solution. We're from your place of influence. To the members of parliament.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Use your loss to hold Chinese government officials accountable to businesses. Don't be complicit in the Chinese government's persecution of the oil. Your people to the scholars. Continue your research to help expose these atrocities. To the NGO is keep up the good work and hanging there.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Tto students, educate yourselves and never stop your pursuit of the truth and your fight for justice. This is not about fighting China. This is about protecting human rights.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: A special mission goes to my father's students who are serving years in prison for supporting him and his projects. These brave people, as well as my brothers and sisters, are not alone in the camps. Kazakhs, Kirgyzs, those bags are gelt in concentration camps simply for being themselves.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Human rights lawyers and human rights defenders are held in prison simply for protecting the rights of other human beings. Elsewhere in China, Tibetans and Hong Kong laws that Chinese Christians continue to struggle to protect their identity and their basic human rights.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: In the spirit of the spirit of my father's work to promote a world of respect and understanding among different communities, I'd like to bring to your attention the other finalists. Although they have not received the Prize, their dedication and work deserve equal attention.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: Therefore, I ask you to discover more about the restorers who are doing amazing work in improving the lives of women in Kenya, elsewhere in Africa, in Brazil. The causes of late Marielle Franco, Chief Raoni, Miss Silva dos Santos must be supported for their tireless work on preserving the Amazon rainforest and the right of marginalized indigenous people who live in the region.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: These incredible people need to be heard. These people need your immediate support. Finally, while I don't know where my father is, I believe he's alive.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti, 2019 Sakharov Prize 2019,: I believe that his spirit as captured in the Sakharov Prize honours the father I know who moved his computer into my bedroom when I needed him. Now the Uyghur people in need, you. Thank you very much.

Plenary session: Award of the Sakharov Prize 2019 - Statement by David SASSOLI, EP President, and by Jewher Ilham, daughter of Ilham Tohti (12.15 - 12.32)

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