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Chinese authorities have accused Kadeer, head of the World Uighur Congress, of inciting unrest between Uighurs and Han Chinese in the northwestern city of Urumqi last month that left nearly 200 people dead and more than 1,600 injured.
The 62-year-old mother of 11 adamantly denies the charges and accuses China of repression against the Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim people who speak a Turkic language.
Kadeer, a former department store magnate once said to be the wealthiest woman in China, says authorities were planning to demolish the Rebiya Building, a landmark in Urumqi that was once part of her business empire.
The authorities have given eviction orders to more than 30 of her family members including children, grandchildren and siblings living there, according to her supporters.
Kadeer, speaking Monday at the recording of a program for cable public affairs network C-Span, said that the trade centers in the building also provided employment to some 2,000 people with nowhere else to go.
She passionately criticized the Chinese authorities, accusing them of earlier coercing her children into publicly blaming her for inciting the violence.
"When they pressured my children to talk against me, I thought that was the last revenge they were taking against me. But now I see that it wasn't and they're even taking my children from their homes," she said.
She said that others could not provide them housing for fear of getting into trouble.
"I don't know where my children will go," she said.
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The 62-year-old mother of 11 adamantly denies the charges and accuses China of repression against the Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim people who speak a Turkic language.
Kadeer, a former department store magnate once said to be the wealthiest woman in China, says authorities were planning to demolish the Rebiya Building, a landmark in Urumqi that was once part of her business empire.
The authorities have given eviction orders to more than 30 of her family members including children, grandchildren and siblings living there, according to her supporters.
Kadeer, speaking Monday at the recording of a program for cable public affairs network C-Span, said that the trade centers in the building also provided employment to some 2,000 people with nowhere else to go.
She passionately criticized the Chinese authorities, accusing them of earlier coercing her children into publicly blaming her for inciting the violence.
"When they pressured my children to talk against me, I thought that was the last revenge they were taking against me. But now I see that it wasn't and they're even taking my children from their homes," she said.
She said that others could not provide them housing for fear of getting into trouble.
"I don't know where my children will go," she said.
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