Uyghur Protests Widen as Xinjiang Unrest Flares

On Tuesday, some 200 ethnic Uyghurs, who are a Muslim minority, took to the streets to protest over the mass arrest of more than 1,400 people following Sunday’s clashes. The protesters–mostly women and children–were surrounded by riot police armed with rifles and tear gas.

Later, hundreds of ethnic Han Chinese marched through the streets of Urumqi–the capital of Xinjiang province–armed with clubs and machetes, smashing shops and stalls belonging to Uighurs. Security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.

The two sides blame each other for the outbreak of violence. Officials say 156 people–mostly ethnic Han Chinese–died in Sunday’s violence. Uighur groups say many more have died, claiming 90 percent of the dead are Uighurs. The Uigher demonstrators say they had been demanding justice for two Uighurs killed last month in a fight with Han Chinese at a toy factory in south-eastern China.

Chinese authorities have tried to crack down on dissent since Sunday’s protests, carrying out mass arrests, restricting media access and cutting off cell phone and Internet services.

For more we are joined by Nury Turkel, a Uyghur American Attorney. He is the co-founder of the Uyghur Human Rights Project and Past President of the Uyghur American Association. He joins us from Washington DC.

Nury Turkel, a Uyghur American Attorney. He is the co-founder of the Uyghur Human Rights Project and Past President of the Uyghur American Association.

Related Links

• Uyghur Human Rights Project

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