World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
Newsletter No. 13 August 2011
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Top Story Statement by WUC President Rebiya Kadeer about Kashgar attacks Featured Articles WUC Strongly Condemns New Extraditions of Uyghurs from Pakistan to China Uyghur Refugee Nur Muhammed Turned Over to Chinese Officials by Thai Authorities Media Work UAA Press release on Kashgar Incident International Media Interviews with WUC Leadership Past Events Demonstrations on Hotan Incident in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Turkey and Japan First Action on China-Culture-Year in Germany Uyghur Youth Football Cup Activities by the Japan Uyghur Association on Nuclear Victims in East Turkestan Upcoming Events WUC Organizes Iftar Dinner in Munich 18th Session UN Human Rights Council IV International Uyghur Women’s Seminar 4th International March for Freedom of Oppressed Peoples and Minorities Highlighted Media Articles and reports on Uyghur Related Issues Western companies profit from state development in East Turkestan Article by UHRP Project Manager in OpenDemocracy Security and Islam in Asia: lessons from China’s Uyghur minority USCIRF Calls on China to End Violence and Restrictions in Uyghur Muslim Areas More Media Articles
1 / 9 www.uyghurcongress.org World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
TOP STORY
Statement by WUC President Rebiya Kadeer about Kashgar attacks
WUC , 1 August 2011
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) unequivocally condemns Chinese government policies that have caused another outbreak of violence in East Turkestan. Without a substantial change to policies that discriminate against Uyghurs economically, culturally and politically the prospect of stability in East Turkestan is remote.
According to Chinese and overseas media reports, incidents of bloodshed on the streets of Kashgar occurred between July 30 and 31, 2011. The tragic events over the weekend in Kashgar took place less than two weeks after a day of violence in the southern city of Hotan. Due to the tight control of information and the imposition of a street curfew, the WUC is unable to confirm the accuracy of information from Chinese state media of events in Kashgar. The latest reports conflict in the number of dead and injured from the alleged series of attacks in Kashgar. Chinese state media has accused Uyghur individuals of carrying out the attacks. There is no doubt that without providing any substantive evidence, the Chinese government will accuse these individuals of links to international terror organizations. Without independent verification of such accusations, the WUC must remain skeptical.
I do not support violence. I am saddened that Han Chinese and Uyghurs have lost their lives. At the same time, I cannot blame the Uyghurs who carry out such attacks for they have been pushed to despair by Chinese policies. I condemn the Chinese government for the incident. The Chinese government has created an environment of hopelessness that means it must take responsibility for civilian deaths and injuries caused by their discriminatory policies.
The WUC has repeatedly urged the Chinese government to immediately stop the implementation of unjust policies in East Turkestan. The WUC has also insisted that Chinese officials end the institutionalized national and racial discrimination against Uyghurs that deprive Uyghur youths of a future. During the May 2010 “Xinjiang Work Forum” held in Beijing, the WUC sincerely called on the Chinese government to discuss the future of East Turkestan with legitimate representatives of the Uyghur people. Nevertheless, the “Xinjiang Work Forum” went ahead without the participation of a single Uyghur, whose rights as an autonomous people are highlighted in the Chinese Constitution and the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law.
To read the full article, please go here .
See also:
Deadly attacks rock turbulent Xinjiang region AFP, 31 July 2011
Kashgar Attackers ‘Pakistan-Trained’ RFA, 1 August 2011
Tensions high after deadly unrest in China AFP, 01 August 2011
Beijing’s Ethnic Policies ‘Flawed’ RFA, 2 August 2011
China Executes Two Uyghur Suspects From Weekend’s Violence Radio Free Europe, 2 August 2011
Death on the Silk Route: Violence in Xinjiang BBC, 3 August 2011
‘Excessive’ Force in Suspect Killings RFA, 4 August 2011
Ramadan Curbs Follow Violence RFA, 4 August 2011
Analysis: Far west attacks expose violence’s homegrown roots Reuters, 4 August 2011
China launches 2-month Xinjiang terror crackdown AFP, 16 August 2011 back to top
2 / 9 www.uyghurcongress.org World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
FEATURED ARTICLES
WUC Strongly Condemns New Extraditions of Uyghurs from Pakistan to China
WUC Press Release , 11 August 2011
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent extradition of five ethnic Uyghurs, among them one woman and two children, from Pakistan to China where they will face harsh punishment. Uyghurs who have been extradited to China in the past, were detained, imprisoned, sentenced, tortured, executed or disappeared after their return to China.
The five people, blindfolded and handcuffed, were brought on 9 August 2011 to the Benazir Bhutto International Airport where they boarded a flight of China’s Southern Airline for Urumqi, East Turkestan, between 8-9 p.m. (local time). According to local sources, another Uyghur, Abduxur Ablmit (Abdushukur Ablimit), who was to accompany his compatriots, was taken from the plane before the departure for unknown reasons. The deportees were taken to the plane through a special gate meant for VIPs. According to media reports, the woman was identified as Manzokra Mamad (Menzire Memet) who was accompanied by a minor girl and a boy.
The extradition of the five people comes less than two weeks after the violent incidents in Kashgar. According to state-controlled Chinese media, on 30 and 31 July 2011 at least 14 people were killed and 42 injured in two separate incidents in Kashgar. In addition, on 18 July 2011, Chinese security forces brutally and lethally cracked down on Uyghur demonstrators in the city of Hotan, killing at least 20 people. The Chinese government responded to the Hotan and Kashgar incidents by ordering a full-scale security clampdown on East Turkestan, as well as a curb on "illegal religious activities.”
Instead of recognizing that the root causes of these incidents lie within the discriminatory policies against the Uyghur population, including mass arrests, detention and executions and the destruction of historical Uyghur sites like Kashgar, China blamed the Kashgar attacks on Uyghurs that were said to be part of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and trained in neighboring Pakistan. However, academics, scholars and Uyghur groups in exile have raised serious doubts about the existence of ETIM, which China considers a terrorist organization. All evidences on the existence of ETIM have been presented by Chinese sources whose credibility has to be taken with a lot of precaution. Chinese security forces shot dead two Uyghurs, Memtieli Tiliwaldi and Tursun Hesen, allegedly behind the Kashgar violence. Despite having the opportunity to capture the two men alive, Chinese authorities opted to kill them on the spot, sending not only a clear message to the Uyghur population in East Turkestan that any form of dissent would not be tolerated, but also preventing to get more information on the reason behind the attack and on ETIM itself.
After the Kashgar incident, Pakistan, which has as long been a close ally of China, immediately stated that it would extend its full support to China against ETIM. Although the reasons for the deportation of the five people could not be ascertained, the WUC believes that Pakistani authorities acted on the request of the Chinese government in order to underline the positive relations between the two countries. By extraditing these individuals to China, Pakistan violated the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT) which prohibits parties from returning, extraditing or refouling any person to a state "where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture."
“China is notorious for ill-treatment and torture in detention and no matter what these people are accused of, Pakistan should not have deported them back to China”, said the leader of the Uyghur Human Rights Movement Rebiya Kadeer. “In addition, China also has a track record of publicly executing, torturing and imprisoning Uyghurs who have been forcibly sent back from Pakistan.” A part from the deportation, Pakistan is violating the basic human rights of Uyghurs living within the country. For example, in June 2011, the brothers Akbar and Omer Osman, who co-founded a charity to teach Pakistani Uyghurs their own language in the northern city of Rawalpindi, were prevented from traveling abroad to attend an international Uyghur conference in Washington, DC. They were clearly told that the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad asked Pakistani officials to not allow them to travel.
Only two and a half month ago, on 30 May 2011, the Kazakh authorities handed Uyghur refugee Ershidin Israel over to China in severe violation of international law standards. Israel remains disappeared until today. In December 2009, Cambodia extradited 20 Uyghurs back to China and their whereabouts are still unknown.
See also:
China’s Uighur Problem: One Man’s Ordeal Echoes the Plight of a People TIME, 28 July 2011
Pakistan Deports Uyghurs RFA, 10 August 2011
Uyghurs deported from Thailand and Pakistan- Chinese influence wins out over international law Uyghur American Association (UAA) Press Release, 12 August 12, 2011
3 / 9 www.uyghurcongress.org World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
Uyghur Refugee Nur Muhammed Turned Over to Chinese Officials by Thai Authorities
Human Rights Watch (HRW) , 10 August 2011
The Chinese government should immediately allow access to Nur Muhammed, an ethnic Uighur who was handed over to Chinese officials in Bangkok on August 6, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. China’s record of torture, disappearance, and arbitrary detention of Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, puts Muhammed at grave risk of torture, Human Rights Watch said.
The Thai government should also publicly explain why it violated its own procedures regarding illegal entrants into Thailand, Human Rights Watch said.
“The Chinese government has again reached beyond its borders to force another Uighur into a black hole,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Even worse, it appears that Thailand – which so often has protected people fleeing persecution – has instead abandoned that proud tradition to do Beijing’s bidding.”
Muhammed was arrested on August 6, by immigration authorities at Soi Lat Phrao 112 and taken to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center (IDC), where he was charged under the Immigration Act with illegal entry. There was no arrest warrant or extradition request, and Muhammed was not brought to a court, as stipulated by Thai law, to hear charges of illegal entry or overstaying a visa. Instead, he was handed over directly into the custody of Chinese government officials who were already at the detention center awaiting his arrival. It is unclear whether he has already been sent back to China.
Thai officials have not explained why normal procedures were not followed. The Thai government should have alerted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) about Muhammed's case so that an assessment could be undertaken to determine whether he could make a claim for asylum, especially since the Uighurs are a group known to be vulnerable to abuse in China. As a party to the Convention Against Torture, Thailand is prohibited from forcibly returning (refoulement) an individual to a place “where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.”
Muhammed had reportedly been under surveillance after fleeing to Thailand two years ago after the July 2009 unrest [2] in Xinjiang. Police Major-General Phansak Kasemasanta, deputy chief of the Immigration Bureau, said at a news conference that the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok had informed Thai authorities that Muhammed was part of a Uighur “terrorist” network responsible for bomb attacks and riots in Xinjiang. According to Thai government sources, Nur Muhammed allegedly confessed to playing a role in the July 2009 unrest in Xinjiang, yet no credible evidence of criminal behavior has been made public. The Chinese government frequently and unilaterally characterizes peaceful calls for self-determination and other markers of Uighur identity as “terrorism, treason, and separatism.”
To read the full article, please click here .
See also:
Uyghur held in Thailand RFA, 8 August 2011 back to top
MEDIA WORK
UAA Press release on Kashgar Incident
On 1 August , the Uyghur American Association (UAA) published a press release on the incidents of July 2011 in Kashgar, calling on the international community to afford the utmost skepticism to Chinese government claims associating terrorism with the reported attacks in Kashgar. Chinese authorities consistently issue accounts of events involving Uyghurs in East Turkestan that are not substantiated by compelling evidence. The Chinese government follows a pattern of issuing such accounts accompanied by accusations of terrorism and charges that outside forces were to blame for orchestrating violence. It also has a record of failing to allow journalists to freely report on such incidents.
International Media Interviews with WUC Leadership
The WUC Leadership, including WUC President Rebiya Kadeer, WUC Secretary General Dolkun Isa, and WUC Spokes Men Alim Seytoff and Dilshat Rexit gave several interviews on the Hotan and Kashgar incident to international media, among them BBC, VOA, AFP, Reuters, Al Jazeera, FAZ, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Financial Times Deutschland. back to top
4 / 9 www.uyghurcongress.org World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
PAST EVENTS
Demonstrations on Hotan Incident in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Turkey and Japan
On 21 July , demonstrations took place in Stockholm and Istanbul and on 22 July a demonstration was held in Ankara to protest against the brutal crackdown on peaceful Uyghur demonstrators in Hotan , East Turkestan.
On 25 July , the WUC staged a demonstration in front of the Chinese consulate in Munich, Germany.
On 1 August , the WUC and the Uyghur community in Austria protested the Hotan incident as well as the human rights abuses against the Uyghur people in East Turkestan in Vienna, Austria. Austrian media reported on the demonstration.
On 29 July , the Japan Uyghur Association (JUA) held a protest in front of the Chinese embassy regarding the Hotan incident.
First Action on China-Culture-Year in Germany
2012 has been declared China-Culture-Year in Germany. Although so far, few details on next year´s events have been published, on 26 July the WUC together with the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) staged a first action “No China-Culture-Year without Human Rights” in Munich to demand that human rights abuses, especially against Uyghurs, Tibetans and Inner Mongolians, are addressed during the activities planned for the China-Culture-Year. In addition, the WUC and STP handed over a petition to the Mayor of Munich to ask for an inclusion of Uyghur related activities in planned events.
Uyghur Youth Football Cup
The WUC Uyghur Youth Committee organized the first International Uyghur Youth Freedom Cup, a football championship that took place from 27 – 30 July in The Hague, Netherlands. Seven teams from Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, France and the US participated. A total of 500 people attended the event. The Dutch team won the football cup, Sweden was second and Germany third. The next football championship will take place in Germany in 2012.
Activities by the Japan Uyghur Association on Nuclear Victims in East Turkestan
On 31 July , the Japan Uyghur Association (JUA) showed a movie in Tokyo about the nuclear victims in East Turkestan and held an emergency session on the Kashgar incident during which Tibetan, Mongolian, Japanese journalist gave a speech. On 6 and 7 August , the Japan Uyghur Association (JUA) staged an action in the city of Hiroshima, distributing leaflets about the nuclear victims in East Turkestan and giving speeches on this topic. In the evening of 7 August, the JUA held a meeting in Hiroshima and screened a film about the Uyghur nuclear victims. back to top
UPCOMING EVENTS
WUC Organizes Iftar Dinner in Munich
On 17 August , the WUC will organize an Iftar dinner for its supporters in Munich. The WUC invited member of Turkish organizations in Germany, parliament members, politicians, NGO representatives, journalists, and business people to join the WUC in the Iftar-meal and expects that more than 100 people will attend.
18th Session UN Human Rights Council
From 12 – 30 September the 18th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) will take place in Geneva, Switzerland. The WUC is currently lobbying for the inclusion of a mention of the Uyghur human rights situation in the oral and/or written statement of the country delegations or of the NGOs with ECOSOC status.
IV International Uyghur Women’s Seminar
In September , the International Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Foundation (IUHRDF) in collaboration with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and under the co-sponsorship of the National Endowment of Democracy (NED) will organize the IV International Uyghur Women’s Seminar entitled “Importance of Uyghur Women’s Participation in Promoting Human Rights and Democracy.”
5 / 9 www.uyghurcongress.org World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
The first International Uyghur Women’s Seminar was held in March 2007 in Washington D.C. The second International Uyghur Women’s Seminar was in 2008 held in Munich, Germany and the third seminar was held in November 2009 in Toronto, Canada.
The main goal of the seminar is to provide a constructive forum for the Uyghur Women from around the world to discuss the current situation of Uyghur women in East Turkestan, to introduce the principles of human rights and democracy to Uyghur Women and to encourage them to involve more actively in the human rights and democracy movement. Prestigious experts, parliamentarians, academics and human rights activists will give presentations and conduct interactive skill training on democracy and human rights.
4th International March for Freedom of Oppressed Peoples and Minorities
Società Libera has been promoting for three years the International March for Freedom in Rome. This is a silent demonstration that aims to rally public opinion in defense of the freedom of Burmese, Iranian, Tibetan and Uyghur Peoples, and to give a wider visibility to the commitment of whoever is fighting for freedom all over the world. This year, the freedom march will take place in Berlin, Paris and Rome on 22 October at 3p.m. For more information see here . Link to the youtube channel . back to top
HIGHLIGHTED MEDIA ARTICLES AND REPORTS ON UYGHUR RELATED ISSUES
Western companies profit from state development in East Turkestan
On 22 July , Amy Reger, Researcher, Uyghur Human Rights Project, published an article entitled “Western companies profit from state development in East Turkestan” . Following a short summary: Peabody Energy, based in St. Louis, and the UK-based consultancy Buro-Happold, have launched major business developments in East Turkestan, in direct cooperation with regional government authorities. Peabody has signed an agreement to develop a coal mine that will generate billions of dollars in output every year, and Buro-Happold has completed the infrastructure and environmental engineering planning for Beitun, a “vast new city” in East Turkestan. The two projects raise concerns about adverse effects on the already fragile environment in East Turkestan, together with entrenched discrimination against Uyghurs in employment.
As regional officials in East Turkestan seek to attract more foreign investment and development in the region, it is highly likely that similar deals will be forged in energy exploitation and municipal planning projects. According to official Chinese statistics, foreign direct investment in the region tripled in the 2006-2010 period over the previous five-year period, and this amount can be expected to increase following enormous central government investment in the region and development plans mandated by the Xinjiang Work Forum.
In light of the speed and scale with which development is taking place in East Turkestan, there is a real need for oversight into business developments and the awarding of contracts. However, foreign companies are not likely to face accountability in China for the environmental impacts of their business ventures or the effects they have on indigenous populations. For the foreseeable future, it appears that both Chinese officials and Western companies will reap sizeable benefits from development initiatives in East Turkestan. Much less clear is how Uyghurs and other “ethnic minorities” will benefit from such initiatives, when they lack a voice in the development process.
Article by UHRP Project Manager in OpenDemocracy
The article “The Uyghurs, China and central Asia” published by UHRP Manager Henryk Szadziewski on 26 July in OpenDemocracy discusses the pressure that the Chinese government has exerted on Uyghur communities and Uyghur refugees in Central Asia. Since the inception of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2001, political and economic cooperation between Central Asian states and China has increased resulting in a curb on peaceful political activism by overseas Uyghur groups and a number of deportations to China of Uyghurs seeking asylum. The article concludes that China's ideology of one party power and rapid economic growth is an appealing model of governance for Central Asia's oligarchs.
Security and Islam in Asia: lessons from China’s Uyghur minority
On 26 July , Sébastien Peyrouse, senior research fellow with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies programme, published a FRIDE Policy Brief entitled “Security and Islam in Asia: lessons from China’s Uyghur minority” . The international community tends to forget the salience of the Islam issue in Asia. It is important for Asia’s security agenda to analyse the Chinese experience of managing the Uyghur issue, where Islam tends to be used as an ideology of decolonisation and resistance. A look at the Uyghur issue enables us to grasp more precisely the mechanisms of transformation of Asia’s Muslim societies. This may help the international community avoid the errors of interpretation in its counter-terrorism strategies that it made in the Middle-East, and put it in a better position to shape security scenarios across Asia.
6 / 9 www.uyghurcongress.org World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
USCIRF Calls on China to End Violence and Restrictions in Uyghur Muslim Areas
In the aftermath of the violent incidents in Hotan and Kashgar, on 5 August 2011 , the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urged an end to all violence and restrictions on peaceful religious activity in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China .
“Beijing’s policy toward the Uighur Muslims is trapped in a cycle of repression and discontent, viewing even peaceful expressions of protest or public piety as evidence of religious extremism and separatism,” said Leonard Leo, USCIRF Chair. “There is no excuse for violence targeting innocent civilians. Yet, Beijing needs to recognize that indiscriminate repression of Uighur religious, cultural, and political life will not bring stability, only fuel further frustration. The first step in building trust and addressing instability has to come from Beijing. They should end all restrictions on peaceful religious activities and allow for independent and transparent investigations of the violence.” back to top
MORE MEDIA ARTICLES
Uyghurs / East Turkestan
Symbol of hope in Hotan yet to reap rewards Financial Times, 25 July 2011
Kadeer fears for detained Uyghurs The Standard, 27 July 2011
Xinjiang Let them shoot hoops The Economist, 30 July 2011
Exiled Leader Says China’s Uyghurs ‘Will Liberate Themselves Or Die’ Radio Free Europe, 5 August 2011
Turkey voices “concern” over 20 deaths in violence against Chinese Muslims belifnet, 8 August 2011
Experts doubt that Uighurs with Taliban ties are behind violence in China Miami Herald, 8 August 2011
China Vows Crackdown on Religious Extremists in Muslim West VoA, 8 August 2011
Land seizures in China’s Kashgar fuel anger among Uighurs DawnNews, 9 August 2011
Problems in China’s Far West Aljazeera, 10 August 2011
Farmers Sent to Reeducation Camp RFA, 15 August 2011
Kazakhstan
UN Human Rights Committee Raises Concern over the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Its Review of Kazakhstan Human Rights in China (HRIC), 29 July 2011
China
Mainstreaming Human Rights, for Better or Worse Duihua.org, 10 August 2011
Colleges Silent as China Bans U.S. Professors Bloomberg, 11 August 2011 back to top
7 / 9 www.uyghurcongress.org World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
ABOUT THE UYGHURS
The Uyghur People
The Uyghur people are indigenous to East Turkestan [also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwest China]. For many years, the Chinese government has waged an intense and often brutal campaign to repress all forms of Uyghur dissent, crack down on Uyghurs’ peaceful religious activities and independent expressions of ethnicity, dilute Uyghurs’ culture and identity as a distinct people, and threaten the survival of the Uyghur language.
The authorities have routinely equated Uyghurs’ peaceful political, religious, and cultural activities with the “three evils” – terrorism, separatism and religious extremism – and have couched their persecution of the Uyghurs as efforts to quash these “three evils.” The authorities have also economically marginalized the Uyghurs in East Turkestan through intense and blatant racial discrimination in employment.
The Uyghurs are a Turkic people and have long practiced a moderate, traditional form of Sunni Islam, strongly imbued with the folklore and traditions of a rural, oasis-dwelling population.
East Turkestan
East Turkestan lies in the very heart of Asia. Situated along the fabled ancient Silk Road, it has been a prominent centre of commerce for more than 2000 years. The current territorial size of East Turkestan is 1.82 million square kilometers. The neighboring Chinese province annexed part of the territory as a result of the Chinese communist invasion of 1949.
East Turkestan borders with China and Mongolia to the east, Russia to the north, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to the west, and Tibet to the south.
According to latest Chinese census in 2010, the current population of East Turkestan is 21.81 million including 8.75 million ethnic Han Chinese (40,1%) illegal settled in East Turkestan after 1949 (the ethnic Han Chinese numbered 200,000 in 1949). The Uyghurs make up around 10.2 million Uyghurs (according to the 2000 census; the numbers for 2010 have not been published yet) and constitute still the majority of East Turkestan. However, the population shifts more and more in favor of the Han Chinese and make the Uyghurs strangers in their own land. However, Uyghur sources put the real population of Uyghurs around 20 million.
Events of 5 July 2009
The human rights situation of the Uyghur population in East Turkestan has been dire for decades and has even worsened since the July 2009 protest and ethnic unrest in Urumqi, the capital of East Turkestan.
The July 2009 protest began with a peaceful demonstration by Uyghurs in Urumqi that was brutally and lethally suppressed by Chinese security forces. The Uyghurs were protesting against a lack of government action in regard to a deadly attack on Uyghur factory workers in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province in the south of China. The violent and illegal reaction of the Chinese security forces to the peaceful protest led then to ethnic violence and riots between Uyghurs and Han Chinese, during which hundreds of Uyghur and Han Chinese civilians were killed.
According to data published by the Chinese Xinhua news agency, 197 people were killed, but the World Uyghur Congress estimates – based on eyewitness reports - that more than 1000 people died in the riots. However, until today, the exact death toll on both sides is not clear since so far no independent investigation of these events has been undertaken.
ABOUT THE WORLD UYGHUR CONGRESS
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is an international umbrella organization that represents the collective interest of the Uyghur people both in East Turkestan and abroad and promotes Uyghur human rights and a peaceful and non-violent solution based on rule of law for the conflict in East Turkestan. For more information, please visit our website .
WUC´s monthly newsletter provides the latest information on Uyghur related issues and informs about the work and activities of the WUC and its affiliate members. Older editions of the newsletter can be viewed from the web .
8 / 9 www.uyghurcongress.org World Uyghur Congress Newsletter No.13 Published: 17 August 2011
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© 2011 World Uyghur Congress | Published: 17 August 2011
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