An Uighur professor sought to disprove accusations of separatism by showing the court that his lectures and writing were not done to promote separation of the Xinjiang region from China.

Professor Illham Tohti, who used to teach economics in Beijing and is a government critic, was accused of stirring up outrage among Xinjiang residents in a move to overthrow the Chinese rule from the region.

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Tohti is a scholar who reportedly used his teachings to encourage separatism between Uighur and China, and has given speeches saying that Uighurs were wolves while the Chinese were dragons.

He has been in custody since January after criticizing how the government responded to a suicide car attack in Tiananmen Square in China, wherein government officials blamed the incident on Xinjiang terrorists.

According to Tohti's supporters, the professor was moderate in his move to solve the tension against China.

On Thursday, he is expected to stand in a trial, which will be closed-off to the media.

Li Fanping, Tohti's lawyer, said the prosecution would most likely use his writings on his website, including his teachings about Uighur education, Christianity and rights against him. Their defense, on the other hand, would focus on proving that Tohti's writings were aimed at promoting separatism.

People who are proven guilty of separatism may face the death penalty, but according to Li, Tohti will most likely be sentenced from 10 years to life in prison.

According to 2010 reports, during one of Tohti's lectures, he said "We are not descendants of the dragon, but of the wolf," which suggested that the Uighurs and the Chinese were from different ancestry.

Additionally, the report cited Tohti saying that the Uigurs history dated back to more than 60 years longer than the Chinese Communist Party.

Li said that the prosecution lawyers have used Tohti's wolf-and-dragon remarks, but Li remains uncertain whether the 2010 reports is the only evidence by the prosecution that Tohti made the comparison.

Meanwhile, Tohti's wife, Guzulnur, who was present during the proceedings on Wednesday, said her husband has never opposed the government and has not done anything illegal.  

Tagsuighur xinjiang, uighur ethnic minority, arrested uighur professor, Xinjiang