Press Release – For immediate release
17 June 2014
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) condemns the recent executions of 13 Uyghurs as reported by the Chinese state media on June 15, 2014.  The increasing number of death sentences issued without due process of law, as demonstrated by the recent trials, signals the growing potential for further executions in the region. As the WUC stated in a previous press release regarding the conviction of 81 Uyghurs, it has become increasingly common for the Chinese government to sentence Uyghurs without the proper observance of legal procedures. Recent executions show that most of these decisions are rapidly implemented by Chinese authorities. In most cases, neither Chinese government officials nor legal authorities provide any information to the media regarding the trial, indictment, defense, and legal process, save for the oft-repeated declarations of the Uyghur terrorist threat. The WUC once more calls on Chinese authorities to disclose all information regarding these cases, which constitute a major concern among Uyghurs living locally and abroad. The WUC further demands that the international community pressure the Chinese government to become more transparent regarding the proceedings. 

On Monday, June 16, 2014, state-sponsored Xinhua News Agency published a story regarding the execution of 13 Uyghurs for “terror attacks and violent crimes.” According to the news source, “they were involved in seven cases and convicted of organizing, leading, and participating in terrorist groups; murder; arson; theft; and illegal manufacture, storage and transportation of explosives, according to local courts in prefectures of Aksu, Turpan and Hotan.” As in previous cases, the authorities in China did not provide specific details about the nature of the crimes such as material evidence or eye-witnesses. The spokesman for the regional high court of Xinjiang made a statement to the same news agency regarding the incidents, and stated that “The local judicial organs will continue to perform their functions; severely punish terrorists and criminals using legal weapons; defend the dignity of the law; and safeguard fairness, justice, social harmony and stability.” The statement itself sounded akin to a propaganda speech that was once heard from the Chinese authorities regarding the problem in East Turkistan. The emphasis of the spokesperson on concepts such as “fairness and justice” actually reveals a significant contradiction regarding the inconsistency between discourse and practice in this particular case.

“The execution of 13 Uyghurs without a fair trial generated major concerns about the future of the Uyghur question in China. The increasing number of these cases  further antagonizes Uyghurs and destroys the already limited optimism regarding the peaceful resolution of this conflict,” said Ms. Rebiya Kedeer, WUC president and prominent Uyghur human rights activist. “Unfortunately, the rapid execution of such unfair and political decisions made by the non-independent judiciary may turn the region to the death-sentence capital of the world. Once again, I want to state that the public trials and hasty executions of Uyghurs demonstrate that the process is not a legal one, but a political and military operation in the region. Neither the World Uyghur Congress nor the international media received reliable information about these cases, indictments, and decisions. The government-led “war on terror” has become an instrument for Chinese officials to eradicate any form of Uyghur opposition in the region.”

The WUC once more implores the international community to pressure the Chinese government to provide a full account of these trials including the indictment, defense, and court decisions. Furthermore, it asks the international media to approach the state-sponsored reports with great scrutiny. The WUC requests that the international community pressure the regional authorities in East Turkistan to fully disclose all relevant information on the incident. The WUC reminds the international community that under the current policies, the Chinese government is exacerbating grievances and alienating the Uyghur community, destroying almost any hope of resolving the regional problem peacefully.