UAA, Washington, 10 Sep 2009 – The Uyghur American Association (UAA) is concerned about the transparency of impending trials of Uyghurs detained in relation to the July, 2009 unrest in the East Turkestan regional capital of Urumchi. UAA is renewing its call for the international community to view trials of Uyghurs with skepticism in light of Chinese officials bowing to recent public demands by Han Chinese that Uyghur suspects be punished.
In the first week of September, 2009 large numbers of Han Chinese demonstrators took to the streets of Urumchi to protest the weak government response to a spate of alleged stabbings in Urumchi, in which victims were said to have been injured by syringes. In addition, Han Chinese demonstrators expressed anger that punishment against Uyghur detainees held in relation to the July unrest has been too slow in coming[i]. In an attempt to allay demonstrators’ fears, Xinjiang government officials stated last week that “196 suspects have been charged over the July riot. Fifty-one were indicted and will face prosecution.”[ii]
In a statement, Uyghur democracy leader, Rebiya Kadeer, said: “By bowing to public pressure to be seen to be taking action, the Chinese government has betrayed the politicized nature of the upcoming trials. I call on the Chinese authorities to conduct trials of Uyghurs in an open and fair manner according to Chinese and international laws. Foreign reporters, diplomats and observers should be allowed to attend the trials so as to be able to gauge the transparency of procedures. I also ask the Chinese authorities to publicize the number of Han Chinese to be tried for a rampage of killing of Uyghurs on July 6-7, 2009, and to bring to justice the perpetrators of the violence in Shaoguan, Guangdong.”
A lack of clarity has surrounded the most recent outbreak of Han Chinese demonstrations in Urumchi. Chinese authorities admitted[iii] that five people had died in the recent unrest; however, reports from Urumchi, unconfirmed in the official Chinese media, indicate that an ethnic conflict is escalating in the regional capital, with eyewitness accounts describing attacks on Uyghurs and Uyghur businesses in the most recent wave of unrest[iv]. Two prominent bloggers in China, Ilham Tohti and Woeser, reported the beating to death of Uyghur singer Mirzat Alim on September 2, 2009, and a severe beating suffered by Uyghur calligrapher and journalist Kaynam Jappar on September 3, 2009[v]. Both attacks were carried out by Han Chinese mobs, according to the bloggers. UAA believes that the Chinese government has been instrumental in increasing tensions in East Turkestan by blaming Uyghurs for the alleged syringe attacks, in which official reports claim 476 victims have been affected. UAA calls on the official Chinese media to balance its reporting and to accurately reflect the situation on the ground in Urumchi.
Confusion also remains as to how many Uyghurs have been detained for the syringe attacks, with reports stating that fifteen[vi], twenty-one[vii], twenty-five[viii] and thirty[ix] people are in custody. Chinese officials have also stated[x] that syringe attackers may face the death penalty, despite concern about legal procedures in capital cases tried in China[xi]. Chinese officials have further issued contradictory statements regarding the syringe attacks by asserting on the one hand that drug users[xii] were responsible, while on the other alleging that separatists[xiii] were behind the stabbings. UAA contends that the build up of contradictory statements indicate flawed criminal and judicial processes, a lack of official credibility, and rising public discontent over which Chinese authorities are losing control. UAA asks that in addition to concerns over trials for July, 2009 unrest suspects, the international community exercise caution over trials for syringe attack suspects.
In order to avoid a further deterioration of the security situation in East Turkestan and a descent into further ethnic conflict, UAA calls on the Chinese government to talk with Uyghur leaders from the World Uyghur Congress to find solutions to the current tension and to negotiate new approaches to the underlying and systemic problems in the region. While the dismissal of Urumchi Communist Party Secretary, Li Zhi[xiv], who was responsible for anti-Uyghur inflammatory rhetoric[xv] during the July, 2009 unrest, may be viewed as a positive move, his replacement by Zhu Hailun does little to assure Uyghurs that a new approach to Chinese government policies in the region is about to emerge. UAA believes that a precondition for peaceful coexistence between Uyghurs and Han Chinese is the resignation of Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary, Wang Lequan, leading to the appointment of moderate officials, who understand the legitimate grievances of the Uyghur people and the needs of the Han Chinese.
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