Justice for Uyghur

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

On July 5 student protest began peacefully. Videos submitted by several amateurs to YouTube speaks for themselves. The students demanded justice for the Uyghur who were injured and killed in Guangdong . They have also protested against increased racial discrimination against Uyghur throughout China . But as usually authorities responded to them with excessive forces instead of listening to complaints of Uyghur students. Para Military police used tear gas to disperse protesters, then they started to shoot at them when they refused to leave. According to several Uygurish eyewitnesses paramilitary forces began to shoot at any Uyghur 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’s attackers in different cars. Pictures who 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 the Internet and telephone communication between Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the free world. Chinese government shows only the news and pictures that it wants to show the world and hide the facts on the ground.

Xinjiang, which was the original name of East Turkistan , is home to around 10-15 million Uyghur’s. Uyghur 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 movements of Chinese people to 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 the East Turkestan (Xinjiang), with Chinese immigrants and marginalized the Uyghur’s.
 
We urge the Chinese government to stop the brutal attack on peaceful people ; to release those arrested in connection with this protest, and return all Uyghur who were killed and taken away by armed police to their families so they can bury their dead after the Uyghur cultural and religious tradition. 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 their concern over the violent attacks and unjustified killings of peaceful Uyghur’s and also hope the international media will listen to the stories from both sides before it presents news from the Chinese media. Chinese government must stop its heavy-handed policy of forced assimilation, East Turkestan questions must be solved through peaceful dialogue.
 

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