In a speech that I delivered in 1997 as a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, I laid out some of the most pressing problems facing the Uyghur population. I talked about widespread poverty and the dismal state of education for Uyghurs, among many other issues. I also spoke about the right of Uyghur people to self-determination, and expressed the belief that this would bring the stability and peace desired by both the government and the Uyghur people. Unfortunately, there is no place within Chinese officialdom for the expression of concern over ethnic policies, and my dissent led to my imprisonment from 1999 to 2005. While in prison, I was subject to extended periods of solitary confinement and medical neglect. But far more horrifying were the times I was forced to witness torture of my fellow prisoners — those who had not held an official government position, and who were not the subject of campaigns undertaken by groups such as Amnesty International. Today, when I speak to world audiences, I speak out for them. When I was released from prison and allowed to come to the United States in 2005, I tasted freedom for the first time. Before I was allowed to board the plane bound for the United States, my Chinese minders told me that I was not allowed to speak out about human rights once I was overseas. They believed they had the right to control my voice outside of China. I believe they also underestimated the power that one human voice can have when it speaks truth to power, and when it is not constrained by the binds of a repressive government. As Eleanor Roosevelt said: "It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." Thank you.