Gulinuer, Wife of Imprisoned Uyghur Christian Alimujiang Yimiti, Petitions for Prayer
ICC Note: Uyghur Christian asks for prayer for her husband via internet. See Video at: http://www.vocn.tv/vocntv/?q=vocn_testimony
2/4/10 China (ChinaAid)–On January 18, 2010, Gulinuer issued a call to Christians around the world to pray for her husband, Uyghur Christian-convert Alimujiang Yimiti. In a recorded video message, Guli shares her determination and persistence in her faith, despite the persecution against Alim and their family. The video was first posted on January 28, 2010, but within 24-hours, had been blocked by Chinese censors on more that 10 different websites.
Gulinuer’s husband Alimujiang was issued a notice In September 2007 by the Kashgar, Xinjiang Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, accusing him of spreading Christianity in the Kashgar area. On January 11, 2008, he was arrested by Kashgar Public Security officers. He remained incarcerated with no verdict for almost two years. On November 25, 2009, the Kashgar Intermediate Court harshly convicted him on the fabricated charge of “illegally providing state secrets to overseas organizations” and giving him the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and 5 years deprivation of his political rights. The verdict was stamped August 6, 2009, but was not received by Alim’s lawyer Li Dunyong until December 7th.
On January 10th, Attorney Li Baiguang filed Alimujiang’s appeal to the regional and national courts, calling for a re-evalution of the case, and denouncing the procedural violations of the court proceedings.
Alimujiang was illegally detained in prison without a verdict for over one year between his case trial in May 2008 and the announcement of his verdict in July, 2009. He was tried and convicted on the charges of “illegally providing state secrets to foreigners.” Alimujiang’s defense lawyer, Li Dunyong, did not receive a copy of the verdict until December 7, 2009. ChinaAid was able to obtain a copy of both the Indictment and the Verdict papers of Alimujiang’s trial from a sympathetic inside source in December and early January, 2010.
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Through it all, Gulinuer has thrived in her faith and persevered. When she first heard about Alim’s severe sentence, Guli responded, “I am no longer thinking about this from a human perspective: Our Heavenly Father must have his perfect will in it.”
Gulinuer has remained an active and well-respected leader in the small Christian community within the Uyghur society of Kashgar, and even in the midst of her trials, she encourages and comforts others.
She thanks her husband’s supporters for their prayers. In her petition, she points to two specific scripture passages that have seen her through these dark times, Romans 5:2-5 and Matthew 7:13-14. Despite the persecution of her family, since her conversion to Christianity, she has “always felt, or could even say have been slightly blinded by, a life of happiness, harmony, and love in the presence of the Lord.”
She urges her fellow Christian brothers and sisters to continue to “offer up your most fervent prayers and move the hand of God to change this present situation.”
