Justice for Uyghur (S.A.H.R.)

As free and democratic people, we strongly condemn the Chinese government for its brutality to crack down on peaceful protests by young Uyghurs in Urumchi conducted on Sunday, July 5 2009. According to Uyghur eyewitnesses, as many as 800 Uyghur protesters were killed and thousands were injured by armed Chinese police and security forces.

On July 5 the student protest began peacefully. Videos submitted by several amateurs to YouTube speak for themselves. The students demanded justice for the Uyghurs who were injured and killed in Guangdong. They have also protested against increased racial discrimination of Uyghurs throughout China. But as usually, the authorities responded to them with excessive force instead of listening to complaints of Uyghur students. Paramilitary police used tear gas to disperse protesters, then they started to shoot at them when they refused to leave. According to several Uyghur eyewitnesses, paramilitary forces began to shoot at any Uyghurs who were in their visual field, killing an estimated number of 800 young people. But the Chinese media showed only a few wounded Chinese victims and scenes of Uyghur attackers in different cars. Pictures were carefully selected to show the world and the Chinese audience. The authorities are using every mean to prevent leakage of the facts on the ground to international journalists, they turn off Internet and telephone communication between Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the free world. The Chinese government shows only the news and pictures that it wants to show the world and hide the facts on the ground.

East Turkistan, which was the original name of Xinjiang, is home to around 10-15 million Uyghurs. Uyghurs and Tibetans have suffered a great deal of political and religious persecution, ethnic discrimination and cultural genocide. Since the Chinese invaded Xinjiang in 1949, there were less than 7% Chinese. After the invasion, i. e. the systematic movement of Chinese people into the area, demographic structure has changed completely. Now Chinese people constitute more than 50% of the population because of the influx of Chinese immigrants. The Chinese government has flooded East Turkestan (Xinjiang) with Chinese immigrants and marginalized the Uyghurs.

We urge the Chinese government to stop the brutal attack on peaceful people, to release those arrested in connection with this protest and to return all Uyghurs who were killed and taken away by armed police to their families so they can bury their dead after Uyghur cultural and religious traditions. We urge the Chinese government to prosecute the persons responsible for the wounded and killed Uyghur workers in Guangdong toy factory on June 26. At the same time, we will ask the international community to express concern over the violent attacks and unjustified killings of peaceful Uyghurs and also we hope the international media will listen to the stories from both sides before it presents news from the Chinese media. The Chinese government must stop its heavy-handed policy of forced assimilation, East Turkestan question must be solved through peaceful dialogue.

Shahin Ostajloo
Spokesman for S.A.H.R.
South Azerbaijan (Iran) Human Rights
Tel: 004528341837