According to Reuters (16 January 14), on January 15, 2014, security officials detained Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti at his home in Beijing municipality. On February 20, authorities formally arrested Tohti on the charge of "separatism" (CL, art. 103), detaining him at the Urumqi PSB Detention Center in Urumqi city, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (CHRD, 25 February 14). During a June 26 meeting with his lawyers, Tohti stated officials had subjected him to abuse while in detention, including by shackling him and depriving him of food and water (RFA, 26 June 14). According to the Global Times (31 July 14) and People's Daily (30 July 14), authorities indicted Tohti on July 30 on the charge of separatism. On September 23, 2014, an Urumqi court sentenced Tohti to life in prison on the charge of "separatism" (Xinhua, 23 September 14) and transferred him to the Xinjiang No.1 Prison in Urumqi. Tohti is an economics professor in Beijing and founder of the Web site Uyghur Online. Prior to his detention, authorities restricted his movement and subjected him to harassment in connection to comments he made on ethnic minority policy in China.