Results tagged “uyghur”

Six more people have been sentenced to death over murders committed during the Xinjiang riots, bringing the total number of people facing execution up to twelve. Three of the six were given the death penalty with a two-year reprieve, which usually means that they will be commuted to life in prison. The new verdicts come after a Han Chinese man was put on death row for murdering two Uyghurs over rape rumors in Shaoguan, Guangdong - the act which triggered protests in Xinjiang in the first place.

Yesterday was my first time to Shenyang city. And it was the first time I was so “warmly” welcomed by Shenyang people that I almost slept on the street last night.

A lot has changed since we last reported on the recent syringe stabbings in Xinjiang. First, remember how we said that only a handful of people had been stabbed? Well, it turns out that the actual number is around 470, according to a recent post from AGI News in Beijing. What's worse, CCTV reported that the needles are now presumed to have been filled with AIDS contaminated blood. As a result, government officials have claimed the attacks were carried out by members of the Uyghur minority, which triggered a spat of protests by Han Chinese for more forceful persecution of Uyghur separatists related to the original protests in July.

Rumors that the syringe attackers in Xinjiang were Uyghurs bent on giving AIDS to Hans sparked a thousands strong protest yesterday. Witnesses described chanting crowds marching with Chinese flags, shouts of "Wang Lequan (regional secretary of Xinjiang) step down!" and at least one Uyghur being beaten up by a crowd while paramilitary police officers watched, according to the New York Times. Officials were loath to discuss the protests, telling the Times "You guys should not be so eager competing for the news. Just wait one day until the official news comes out." Well, we guess that's what you get asking for a political opinion here.

• James Fallows finds a sign advertising for restaurant staff at a hotel in Kashgar. Basically, it says that "No Uighurs Need Apply".
• Zhong Dajun, a prominent economic consultant in China who is definitely more "nationalist" than "left wing", is now circulating a piece (Chinese only) called “The Xinjiang Incident Reveals Significant Flaws in Government Management.”
• The Globe and Mail's Mark MacKinnon describes getting kicked out of Kashgar... well, kind of kicked out of Kashgar.

Photo from fateless_gypsy