Press Release – For immediate release
13 January 2015
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) strongly denounces the killing of six Uyghurs in Kashgar on Monday and the continued violence perpetrated by Chinese security forces and police. The events followed a well-known narrative supplied by state-controlled media who reported that all those killed were involved in a “terrorist incident”, though these reports could not be independently verified. The WUC condemns what may be another example of the extrajudicial killing of civilians in East Turkestan, something that has been rampant over the past year.

Sparse information exists concerning the event, though Chinese sources have claimed that all six Uyghur men were involved in a plot to detonate an explosive device in the business district of the town of Shule. Because the only source of information runs directly through the state, we must remain skeptical of the veracity of these reports and encourage the ability of objective sources to supply unbiased accounts of the situation.

The WUC further calls on China to relax its constraints on independent reporting of incidents in the region and to allow information to be released about the incident. Such a lack of credible and objective reporting only serves to obfuscate our understanding of the reality of the situation and weaken our collective response. If there is a credible threat, as China insists there is, it then begs the question as to why international scrutiny is not permitted. Freedom House, a US-based organization, recently released a report detailing the continued restrictions on freedom of the press along with increased internet censorship since Xi Jinping took office back in 2013.

The state continues to instrumentalize the global war on terror to justify its repression of Uyghurs living in China and takes advantage of every opportunity to promote the idea that terrorism is an existential threat to the state. Xi Jinping recently sent his condolences to France’s President, Francois Hollande, over the terrorist attacks in Paris, and although the WUC expresses its sympathy for those that were killed unnecessarily, Xi has been consistent in recognizing these events as a means to bolster its own ostensible war on terror.

2014 saw hundreds of deaths through violence perpetrated by Chinese police and security forces, along with death sentences meted out to at least 39 people throughout the year for vague offences that lacked any kind of legitimate due process. Over one thousand were also arrested, many on dubious charges relating to free expression and religion. Discriminatory laws were also passed that continued the pattern of intolerance and prejudice, which naturally led to a further breakdown in trust and empathy.

We have entered 2015 with the hopes of a move towards positive change, but we have only witnessed continued and renewed violence. 2014 was nothing short of devastating for the Uyghur community with hundreds left dead and tensions at an all-time high. Near-irreparable damage has been done to the relationship between Uyghurs and Han Chinese, though the WUC is optimistic that there is hope for a turnaround. Likewise, the international community must step up and respond to these killings as well as the wider campaign of violence against the Uyghur community generally.

Although there has been violence perpetrated by a very small minority of citizens in the region, it will remain crucial that the Chinese government, its people, and the international community together do not presume guilt for those who wish only to live peacefully, without discrimination.

We therefore urge both sides to exercise restraint and work together to rebuild bridges that have broken down of late. It will be only through cooperation and mutual understanding that such violence will subside.