Career
He has spoken on behalf of the rights of the largely Islamic minority which makes up the majority population in that region. The government"s of China as well as the current Chinese Nationalist Party administration in Taiwan have linked his activities to terrorism. He is currently World Uyghur Congress secretary.
After enduring persecution from the Chinese government, Isa fled China in 1997 and sought asylum in Europe, and became a citizen of Germany in 2006.
China"s government claims Isa is the vice chairman of the East Turkestan Liberation Organization, however, this is denied by Isa. This claim by China has led to China"s issuance of a red notice to Interpol, but this has not been acted on by Germany or any other country in the West where he has since travelled.
He has been on a Chinese list of wanted terrorists since 2003. Contrary to China"s claims, Isa has condemned all terrorist activities.
Isa called for a boycott of the 2008 Summer Olympics which were held in Beijing due to the cultural genocide that was being conducted against the people of East Turkestan and Tibet.
Isa was admitted to Taiwan in 2006 to attend the meeting of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, a movement co-founded by Taiwan in 1991, during the administration of pro-localization president Chen Shui-bian. There were reports in Taiwan"s media in July 2009 that Isa had secretly entered the country in the lead-up to the World Games which were hosted in the southern city of Kaohsiung. This prompted the National Immigration Agency of the current China-friendly Chinese Nationalist Party government to issue a ban on his travel to Taiwan.
Rebiya Kadeer was denied a visa to visit Taiwan later in 2009, a move linked to Isa"s alleged connections with terrorists.
Premier Wu Den-yih noted that if Isa steps down from his position in the World Uyghur Congress or if Kadeer steps down from her position, the ban would be lifted. Isa was denied entry into the Republic of of Korea and was detained in September, 2009 while preparing to attend the World Forum for Democratization in Asia.
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization condemned the detention and warned the Korean government in a letter that China"s accusations are groundless and that extradition would certainly result in summary trial and execution at the hands of China"s authorities. After being held for two days, Isa was released without being admitted to the country, a move that was condemned by Amnesty International.
