Xinjiang, more violence: 15 Uyghurs killed by police for "terrorism"
Urumqi (AsiaNews)
- Police in the northern province of Xinjiang opened fire on a group of Uyghurs
gathered in an isolated area of the region killing "at least 15",
in what authorities describe as "an anti-terrorism" operation. The
bodies were buried at the scene, even evidence of this has yet to be presented
as reported by Radio Free Asia,
citing local sources.
According
to these sources, on August 20, a group of anti-terrorism squad police from
prefecture of Kashgar surrounded "at least 28 Uyghurs" who were in a
desert area near the town of Yilkiqi. According
to authorities, these were engaged in "illegal religious activities and
terrorist exercises". After
surrounding them they opened fire: one Han policeman died in the shootout.
Some
witnesses, anonymous for security reasons, dispute the official story: "We
were meeting in a desert area, but only to pray without having to account to
the officials. Religious practice is increasingly controlled, and many of us do
not want
to have to report to the government even what we are saying to God. "
The
raid was confirmed by the head of the municipal police, Osman Batur: "We
have successfully conducted an anti-terror operation, destroying violent
terrorist cells." However,
the officer would not confirm the number of victims, "Many came from
outside and had no identity documents."
The
province is one of the most turbulent in all of China: It is home to the ethnic
Uyghur, Turkic speaking peoples of the Islamic religion, who have always sought
to gain independence from Beijing. The central government has sent hundreds of
thousands of Han Chinese to the region to try to make them the dominant ethnic
group. It also imposes serious restrictions on freedom of religion, Muslim
practices, the teaching of the language and the local culture.
Since
2009 a special system of Chinese police and army control is in place, imposed
by Beijing after the riots in which nearly 200 people
lost their lives. As a result of the violence hundreds of
custodial sentences and dozens of death sentences were meted out. The Chinese
authorities believe that the perpetrators of violence are Muslim extremists,
but exiles claim that Beijing is "exaggerating" the threat of Islamic
terrorism to justify the repression against the Uyghur population. Even the
latest violence (in chronological order) was reported in different ways by the authorities and diaspora.
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20/08/2010
