China court sentences six Uighurs to death
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A court in China's far western Xinjiang region sentenced six men to death yesterday for murder and other crimes committed during ethnic riots that killed nearly 200 people.
A seventh man was given life imprisonment. The sentences were the first for any of the scores of suspects arrested in the July rioting between Muslim Uighurs and members of the Han Chinese majority in the regional capital of Urumqi.
It was China's worst communal violence in decades. The verdicts appeared to be aimed at placating Han Chinese who have rallied in Urumqi calling for swift justice. Xinjiang has been under heavy security since the unrest, and state TV showed paramilitary troops in riot gear surrounding the courthouse yesterday.
The official Xinhua News Agency said seven people were convicted of murder, and some were also convicted of arson and robbery. The names of the convicted men appeared to identify them as Uighurs.
Police have said that hundreds of people were detained following the rioting in Urumqi that the government says killed 197 people and injured more than 1,700. The violence flared on 5 July after police broke up a protest by young Uighurs demanding an investigation into a deadly brawl between Han and Uighur workers at a toy factory thousands of miles away in southern China.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments