Sentencing reports worry wife of Canadian held in China

The wife of a Burlington, Ont., man facing terrorism charges in China said Monday she has yet to receive confirmation of reports that her husband has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

"I keep calling [Canadian Foreign Affairs] every day but they are not answering. I want to know if it is true or not," Kamila Telendibaeva told the Toronto Star on Monday.

Huseyin Celil, 37, was arrested in March in Uzbekistan, and then extradited to China three months later to face charges he was first arrested for in the early 1990s.

Celil's sister, Heyrigul,said this weekend she had learned of the sentence from police in Kashgar in northwest China, but Celil's lawyer urged caution due to the absence of official information from Canada or China.

"With no access to him these rumours take a on life of their own," Chris McLeod said.

In 1994, Celil was arrested in China on charges of establishing a political party for the country's minority Muslim Uyghurs. Chinese officials also alleged he helped assassinate a political leader in Kyrgyzstan, an accusation Celil's family and lawyer have denied.

Celil escaped prison and fled China for Uzbekistan in the mid-1990s. He applied for refugee status in 2001in Turkey and subsequently became a Canadian citizen.

Human-rights activists have been pressuring both the Canadian and Chinese governments,expressing concern that Celil could be facing the death penalty.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said it considers Celil a citizen of their country. The ministry confirmed in early August that Celil was being tried but since then no official word on his status has been given.

At that time,parliamentary secretary Jason Kenney said Ottawa was involved in negotiations with China at "a high level" on Celil's behalf

A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs said Monday night she had heard media reports of the 15-year sentence but could not confirm them.

Celil has seven children — four in Ontario and three who live in China. Friends have claimed he was in Uzbekistan in March to try to get his three children out of China.