China detains prominent Uygur academic for backing separatism

China has detained a prominent Uygur academic and outspoken critic of its ethnic policies, accusing him of fomenting separatism in the volatile Xinjiang region.
Ilham Tohti, an economist at the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing, supported the Islamic militant group fighting for the independence of the volatile Xinjiang province, the Chinese government said today.
Tohti has vocally criticised the Chinese government's policy towards the Muslim Uygur minority in Xinjiang. He was detained by police after a raid at his home in Beijing on January 15. His mobile phones and computers were also seized during the raid, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Police in Xinjiang region said Tohti has "severely compromised national security" and "social stability", it said.
The academic has been accused of colluding with the overseas East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and advocating independence for Xinjinag region on the Internet.
Tohti launched a website and used Internet to spread rumours and hyped some cases to spread separatism, instigate ethnic hatred and advocate "Xinjiang independence", said police.

He championed "the use of violence" and said "Uygurs should oppose the government as (China) once opposed the Japanese invaders" at classrooms, they said.
Police claimed to have uncovered evidence behind Ilham Tohti's separatist activities. The case is still being processed, the police said.

The academic has been detained on a number of occasions in the past few years, including for more than a week in 2009.
The western region has for many years seen unrest by Uygurs, which rights groups say is driven by cultural oppression, intrusive security measures.
Beijing attributes the unrest to religious extremists and separatism.