Uyghur Group Presses for More Details on Maralbeshi Violence


2013.05.03
uyghur-maralbeshi-map-600.jpg A map showing Kashgar prefecture's Maralbeshi (Bachu) county in China's northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
RFA

An exile group has challenged Chinese authorities to reveal the identities of ethnic Uyghurs killed in last week's deadly violence in China's northwestern Xinjiang region and those subsequently arrested and accused of being terrorists.

The April 23 violence in Siriqbuya (in Chinese, Selibuya) township in Kashgar prefecture's Maralbeshi (Bachu) county left 21 dead, and officials have said that 19 Uyghur suspects have been held.

Chinese authorities blamed the violence on Uyghur "terrorists," but the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) challenged them to be open about the case and provide the identities of the Uyghurs killed and those who have been arrested and their whereabouts, as well as details of the terrorist group to which they have been linked.

The authorities, unlike in previous cases of clashes involving Uyghurs, have provided some details of the latest violence but these are "inadequate and questionable," Dolkun Isa, the WUC's executive committee chairman, told RFA's Uyghur Service.

He said the Uyghur suspects arrested as "terrorists" or their families have not been allowed to respond to the various allegations made against them by the authorities.

"We call on the Chinese government to permit independent news organizations to fully investigate the violence and give us a clearer picture about it," Dolkun Isa said.

“Unlike past violent incidents implicating Uyghurs in which the government hushed up information in the interest of state security, this time it allowed the Chinese media to provide some information on the violence, and we welcome it," he said.

"But all the facts have to be put on the table."

Probe

Dolkun Isa said that as the accused have not been allowed to rebut the allegations, the authorities should allow an independent probe into the Maralbeshi violence—the worst since ethnic clashes between Uyghurs and Han Chinese rocked Xinjiang's regional capital of Urumqi in 2009, killing nearly 200.  

In total, 16 Uyghurs, three Han Chinese, and two Mongolians were killed in the latest violence.

Chinese state media and propaganda officials first said the clashes erupted when community officials were searching Uyghur homes for illegal knives and then said they stumbled upon “terrorists” watching "jihad" movies.

Later they said some of the Uyghurs confronted by the officials were studying the Quran, the interpretation of which is strictly controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Then, state media claimed some of the suspects allegedly were making explosives at the time of the raid.

Official media said 10 of the deceased Uyghurs were among the community officials while six others were "terrorist" suspects.

Dolkun Isa said the authorities should also provide details of the so-called terrorist group behind the violence.

Explosives

State news agency Xinhua, citing Xinjiang police, said the suspects were from a "terrorist group" that was founded in September 2012 and that the deadly clashes broke out when they were caught making explosives.

The group was led by Kasmu Memet, who began hosting Quran study sessions in September, according to an account from the Xinjiang police that was posted to official websites.

In March, they began manufacturing swords and conducting test explosions in preparation for carrying out a major attack this summer in densely populated areas of Kashgar, the account said.

“China claims this is organized crime, [that] it was well prepared and organized for a terrorist attack, but it did not provide the name and the objective of the organization. What kind organization is this?" Dolkun Isa asked.

Chinese authorities also said they found no foreign links to the latest violence, diverging from past claims that attacks were planned by overseas Uyghur activists or connected to the global jihadi movement.

"They have finally recognized that the Maralbeshi violence is not linked to outside terrorist organizations. Even if we look at the information obtained so far,  it does not appear to be a planed terrorist attack," Dolkun Isa said.

“We call on the Chinese government to continue to release information about the Maralbeshi violence and resolve the root cause of the tensions and conflict by changing Chinese policy toward Uyghur religious practices and Uyghur language as well as culture in East Turkestan [Xinjiang]," he said.

He also called on the authorities to account for the thousands of Uyghurs reported missing following the 2009 Urumqi riots, most of whom were believed taken into custody by authorities in large-scale sweep operations.

Rights groups and experts familiar with the region say Beijing exaggerates a terrorism threat to take the heat off domestic policies that cause unrest or to justify the authorities' use of force against the Uyghur minority.

Uyghurs say they have long suffered ethnic discrimination, oppressive religious controls, and continued poverty and joblessness, blaming the problems partly on the influx of Han Chinese into the region.

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Dolkun Kamberi. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.

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