Noorpolat Abdulla is an Australian citizen born in China's Xinjiang
province (what the Uighur people call Eastern Turkestan). His family came
to Australia as refugees from China in 1982. After getting married in 1994
he and his wife [Rabiya] lived in Australia for a few years before moving
to the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan.
Noorpolat was a merchant trading wool and was also assisting Uighurs with
their UN refugee applications.
In a separate incident in October 2000, two policemen in Kazakhstan were
shot and killed - allegedly by ethnic Uighurs. This sparked a crackdown
and 100 people were arrested. Those accused of the shooting were later
killed in a police raid.
Unfortunately Noorpolat found himself amongst those 100 people taken into
custody. That night when the KNB (formerly KGB) raided Noorpolat's house
they said they found two grenades in his backyard under the dog kennel. One
of those had half a thumb print on it. It was enough evidence to convict him.
Noorpolat's family were never detained and are adamant that the KNB got
Noorpolat's thumb print off a forced confession. The KNB claimed Noorpolat
was financing an insurgency in Kyrgistan and was getting his orders from a
Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. Their only witness who made that claim
mysteriously "disappeared" before Noorpolat's first trial in April 2001.
Even the Australian Intelligence Agency [ASIO] did not have any records to
support the Russians claim that Noorpolat was involved in such serious
activities.
The trial was closed to even the Australian consular officials who tried
applying under the Vienna Convention for Consular Relations. As it turned
out the judge was so unimpressed he sent the evidence back to police for
"re-examination".
Just before September 11 Noorpolat's [local] lawyer wrote to the Australian
embassy saying he expected Noorpolat to be granted amnesty that was being
negotiated by the Australian Government. But then September 11 happened and
everything changed. Nations were being pressured to be seen to be
supportive of the "War on Terrorism".
Noorpolat was caught in the middle. He went to trial in October 2001 and
was convicted and sentenced to 15 years for 'planning a terrorist act'.
Noorpolat should have then been transferred to a foreigners prison but
instead is the only foreigner being held in Karaganda [Kazakhstan], which
is one of Stalin's former gulags and not easily accessible to the
Australian Embassy. If he's lucky, he gets one consular visit every SIX months.
Mr. Abdulla's family live in Sydney and fear he won't survive this ordeal.
We are aware that prisoners are being tortured in his location and Mr.
Abdulla himself is still visited by interrogation police who are still
seeking a confession.
