BEIJING — A state-run newspaper in China accused a recently detained Uighur scholar and government critic of splitting ethnic unity in a Saturday editorial, while his lawyer said he has received no official word about the academic. Ilham Tohti, an economics professor known for his criticism of Beijing's heavy repression of the Uighur ethnic minority, was taken away by police from his Beijing home on Wednesday. Lawyer Li Fangping said that police failed to inform the family of Ilham Tohti of his whereabouts and possible charges, as required by China's law. Li said he believed the professor had been taken to the western region of Xinjiang, home to most of China's ethnic Uighurs. China has tightened control over Xinjiang, which has been rocked by a series of riots and attacks on police and other symbols of Chinese power over the past year. European and American officials have urged China to explain why the scholar was detained. Xinjiang police could not be reached Saturday. Beijing police have not responded to repeated requests for comment. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular briefing Thursday that Ilham Tohti “is suspected of violating the law and committing a crime” and that police have placed him under criminal detention. — AP
