Huseyin Celil, Testimony at the Bishkek High Court in 1998.

Huseyin Celil, Testimony at the Bishkek High Court in 1998.

Essalamu Alaikum we Rahmutullahi we Berakatahu.

Dear elders, emigrant brothers and sisters, travellers, ladies and gentlemen participating in this trial, masters! I
thank Allah for giving me this opportunity to say a few words and I thank you for spending your valuable time
through this trial. I am happy to be able to tell you about my problems, or instead my ill-fated people’s problems.

I am known as Dilaver Güler, my name is Huseyincan Qari Haji. I am a Turkish citizen, with Uyghur descent and I am
a merchant. Before I was arrested, I lived in Istanbul. I have been in Kyrgyzstan prison for 9 months and now I am
on trial with a chance to speak. You have all heard the reason of my incarceration throughout the trial. As I earlier
stated, there are two main reasons for my arrest: the first one is that I recite the Quran and the second is because I
became the voice against oppression because I could not stand the problems of my nation tied with a chain of
slavery. Anyone who has a mind knows that, in today’s world, especially in a democratic country like Kyrgyzstan, no
one can be arrested because of the reasons mentioned above, and no one can be deprived of his freedom.

This arrest is not right for two reasons. The first is that reading and teaching Quran is not a crime. It is true that
Kyrgyz People that make up of the majority population of Kyrgyzstan are Muslim. When I heard that Kyrgyzstan had
joined in International Islam Conference Organization, I thought that Kyrgyzstan regards itself as a Muslim country.
Therefore, it surely means that there is no ban in religion in this country; moreover, it guarantees the democratic
regime, freedom of belief, and freedom of speech. Because of these reasons, I made a test speech on the subject
of jihad through a video cassette which you have seen during the trial. But it was only in this cassette. As you have
heard the cassette, one of the commands of Allah to human being in the Quran, is jihad, as it is interpreted, is
based on surviving humans from being slave to other humans that carries the same meaning with human rights,
and there is an effort to practise it today. Therefore, because of my knowledge, it is my responsibility to inform my
people of that Islam is a modern religion and it already has predicted the principles that today’s modern world has
yet to bring up. It is also my responsibility that because I was a member of a nation, Uyghur, which is under
oppression. In that video cassette, I did not misinterpret the Quran for my personal benefits, and the cassette has
not been copied or distributed and no crime has been committed because of this cassette either.

The second is that our resistance against the government of imperialist colonialist China and the resistance
against colonization and invaders. This is a rightful action. It is not against international laws at all! It is not against
the principles of human rights, either.

Our rightful struggle has another factor directly related to Kyrgyzstan and the other Central Asian Republics: Our
freedom is a gain for our Central Asian Brothers, nothing is wrong at all! Eastern Turkistan has a role of defensive
city wall and bastion between China and the Central Asian Republics, and this could limit the Chinese invaders to
spread to the Central Asia. But now, since there is no such a wall to push back the Chinese, the Chinese invaders
have been expanding towards the Central Asia very fast! It is really very sad that they regard us as enemy, and our
brothers cannot exactly see the genuine threat which will be disastrous for them in the future, because they are
fooled by today’s very little benefits of China.

Just because of this reason, today, I am being interrogated as a criminal in the court of my own brothers! My
situation of today is contrary to the tradition of helping each other as it was used to be in the past, the time of our
forefathers and grand-fathers, and this trial is a proof of an animosity. I think my brothers have forgotten our
history.

First of all, we are the branches of a tree. We are the descendants of the same Turkish ancestors. We have never
been enemies to each other and we should never be! Second, because of the reasons I mentioned above, in the
history, whenever we are in trouble, we have always been a safe haven to each other, helped each other, solved
our problems and our goals have always been the same. For example, in the history, upon the invasion of Czardas
Russia, Kyrgyz, Kazak, Uzbek, Turkmen People who had to immigrate to Eastern Turkistan and had taken shelters
there. However, People of Eastern Turkistan had not surrendered them to the Czarist Russia. On the contrary, we
have provided safe shelters and helped them resettle in Eastern Turkistan. At a later time, our brothers who fleeing
from Bolshevik evil, had again taken shelters in Eastern Turkistan. Our grandparents had embraced them with
open arms. In sum, there had not been a demarcated border between us until the October Revolution. For
“Eastern Turkistan Islamic Republic” founded in 1933, they shed blood and lost their lives together. For example
Kyrgyz Osman Ali was one of the commanders with a high in foundation of this country. He had been attained as
the commander of the commandership in protection of the capital. Uzbek Setiwaldican had served for the
foundation of this country and been a martyr for its sake. If you remember the date of foundation of “Eastern
Turkistan Republic”, 1944, we will see the proofs that we struggled together hand in hand: Alihan Töre, Ishakbik,
Delilkan and many more are among the many of them. Because of the reasons mentioned above and the deep
historical roots of our people, considering all the Turkic People, we devoted the name of “Eastern Turkistan” to our
homeland. Today, the majority of our people are manipulated by the Communist China’s call their motherland as
“Uyguristan” externalizing other Turkish brothers. These so-called “nations” which were brought by separating
Turkish descendants are the findings of only these two Communist Empires! In such a way that; these brothers with
the same destiny are crushed under the iron feet of China in Eastern Turkistan today!

Today, considering our interrogation like an enemy as the Kyrgyzstan state seem to benefit as political factors and
diplomacy may seem to be reasonable in respect to its relations to China. It is not controversial that China is
providing with some little benefits today. But, have our brothers thought of tomorrow? How far can they understand
the Communist China? How much do they understand about the threatening national psychology of the Chinese?
With this opportunity, we caution our brothers to be deeply aware of Chinese Evil.

Now I will mention more in detail about the two points – two crimes thrown on me.

The first one is the matter of religious teaching. Qur’an Al-Karim is the holy book of Islam and it came to show the
righteous way to all human beings as a law of life and behaviour. The proofs of the science today is admirably
among the miracles of the Holy Quran and many scientists recognize and report the existence of Allah, the
righteous of Islam and that Quran is the Holy Book when they go deep in their fields of research in science. The
knowledge in the Quran includes all the phases of life and science. I, with my identity as a student reading this Holy
Book, have the responsibility to inform about the principles of this righteous religion as a mercy and grace of Allah
to human beings, because according to the principles of our principles, whoever has the knowledge of the right has
the responsibility to inform and teach the others. I only tried to perform my duty – duty of a believer, because I have
the knowledge. As submitted to Allah, we need the Quran as a guide to show us the true path. Since we are
Muslims, and further, we are an invaded nation, we had to hold the rope of Allah very tight, therefore I continued to
inform about my religion because we needed to find a way in the Book of Allah to survive as a nation under
oppression.

Our religion is at utmost level against injustice, tyranny, oppression of innocent people, being a slave to other
humans, suppressing others. Accordingly, our political goal is in harmony with the religion and was obligatory. Isn’t
it shocking to regard what I have done as a crime and consider it as an excuse to put me in prison depriving me of
my freedom? This action is also against humanity.

The second one is the crime of my resistance against the government of China’s illegal invasion and my passion of
my motherland.

It is a very simple knowledge that illegal invasion is a crime! It is not a crime to resist the invasion! It is a crime to
attack! It is not a crime to resist the attack! Colonialism is a crime! It is not a crime to resist colonialists! It is not a
crime to love your country! It is a crime to sell your country! If these are true, it is necessary to disregard the
second crime thrown on me!

Even if you do, with this opportunity, I want to go more in detail and share my problems with each of you about the
history and today of Eastern Turkistan.

Among the Turkic People, Uygurs are the people who make the first progress and know to found a state in very old
times. In the history, Uygurs founded countries such as “Uyghur Empire”, “Idıkut Uyghur Khan”, Kharahanlar Khan”,
Saidiye Khan”, “Kashgariya (Seven Region Khan)”, “Eastern Turkistan Islam Republic” and “Eastern Turkistan
Republic”. The surface area of some of these states reached to millions km2. Uygurs are amongst the first people
using the alphabet on the earth and brought paper and printing and press to human being. Although the lands of
Eastern Turkistan were first invaded by Manchu-China Empire in 1759, Chinese people could never live in these
lands. The actual colonization started in 1884 when China gave a name to our country in their own language. Since
then, our homeland has been treated as a colony of China. In today’s map, our land is 1.848.000 km2 and this is
the second largest land after Kazakhstan among the Turkic Republics. The Eastern Turkistan People have been
made slaves despite the fact that they have such vast lands, “the equal size oil reserves as all Arab world” and
furthermore 120 kinds of minerals as well as richness of its natural resources as the most ancient culture! Slavery
has ended and there is no more colonialism in the history. Today, there are international laws and regulations
about human rights and freedom, however, Eastern Turkistan people are forced to be slaves with most primitive
ways, with the most inhumane methods, the most ruthless, and the most brutal ways!

Today, even the wild animals are protected and their rights are defended, nevertheless, Eastern Turkistan People
are made slaves without any lawful defence not respecting their rights. Maybe, Central Asian Brothers compare
this to their own time of being colonized.

No! Do not do that! China cannot be compared to anything! From the old ages to today, there has been nothing
similar to China, and there will never be! Russia brought you new culture and development, but China brought us
poverty, uncivilization, backwardness and barbarous way of life!

The world is just watching silently the most ancient, civilized nation become uncivilized and barbarous day by day.
So-called intelligent authorized people take action for the wild animals which face extinction because of the
pollution in environment and the disorder in ecologic order, however, they stay quiet for the Eastern Turkistan
genocide, extinction moaning under this excessive cruelty! This unhappy people are slowly kicked out of life by the
contagious illnesses brought to artificial creature (by tests of biologic weapons), nuclear radiation, drugs which is
allowed on purpose and even test-practised secretly, children genocide under the name of “birth control”, poverty
and attitudes like masters of slaves, apparent tortures, beating as they beat a dog on the street!

However; the ‘merciful-compassionate’ world who has mercy on the wild animals, noisy for ‘human rights’, so-called
justice defenders ignore to see these disasters!

Is it a crime if the people mentioned above seek to survive and have their freedom? Then, what is the responsibility
of the governments that respect the human rights, and regard themselves as good country with democratic values
where there is freedom of belief - the government of the people, a blood brother to us? Should he help the enemy
and sell his brother? Should he jail his brother? Should he act against democracy and human rights?

Should he sell the peace, stability, the rights and the justice in return for little benefits that has yet to come from
China? Why not speed themselves up to become colonized at the end? Because, this action speeds up China to
invade the Central Asia! It is very sad that our brothers regard us as an enemy and threat to themselves, and
embrace China ignoring its beastly intentions to swallow them. China has green lights on just to expand their lands!
We have always been sincerely pleased with your freedom, unfortunately, you do not realize the worth of your
freedom, and see your enemy as an ally, and your ally as an enemy! We are afraid that this absurdity will shorten
your freedom that is not vouchsafed for us but you who do not know its value, because your happiness is our
happiness.

I will end my words demanding justice from you hoping that you remember my sincere warnings and distinguish
your allies from your enemies clearly. I thank everybody who has participated in this trial everyday spending their
valuable time and the court who has given me the right to defend myself.

May Allah bless my dear people who have broken hearts and great compassion not to have any homelands, and
who help me spiritually, support me with their words and attitudes, and encourage my efforts with their efforts.

May Allah bless us with freedom and a place among the people of the world, AMIN!