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

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) calls on the international community to undertake an independent investigation into the recent atrocity that has taken place in Purchaqcha village, Hotan Prefecture in East Turkestan. The WUC is extremely concerned about recent killings that have taken place that have been overshadowed by the ongoing meeting of the Chinese National Congress taking place in Beijing this week.

We are saddened to learn that on March 9, seven Uyghurs were brutally shot to death at a restaurant in Hotan’s Purchaqcha village. According to our sources, Chinese police opened fire, killing seven Uyghurs out of their so-called “suspicious activities” at a restaurant without providing warning. This tragic incident took place in Sherbet restaurant at the village market place.

Three of those were killed inside the restaurant and another four were shot and killed by police outside shortly following. Residents in the area were also warned to keep their silence and to ensure that they don’t disclose any information to journalists.  Because of tight restrictions on independent media in the region, the WUC has yet to independently verify the information that we have received.

The incident marked the fifth bloody incident in the same village this year alone and the international community has no reliable means to access accurate information. This has also been the sixth incident reported in the last month in East Turkestan, as tensions continue to escalate. 2014 witnessed a dramatic rise in civilian deaths and as well as thousands of arrests. The first months of 2015 have seen no calm in violence as we see only indications of future conflict.

We therefore call on all journalists working in China as well as those in the international community to pay closer attention to the most recent events that continue to go unreported. Seven innocent lives today could become seventy tomorrow if what the world can do is just our news flashes.

As an independent organization that is dedicated to justice, freedom and the peaceful resolution of the issues that continue to plague East Turkistan, and we condemn Chinese state brutality in the strongest possible terms. We also call on the Chinese National Assembly to address those issues and be transparent of its policies towards Uyghurs. Uyghurs have the right to fair and open trial, and likewise, the Chinese people have the right to know the true nature of their government’s actions.

The World Uyghur Congress will remain the principal advocate for justice and freedom for the Uyghur people in East Turkistan. We strongly believe that Uyghur issue can be resolved when Uyghurs rights and freedom are fully respected. It is not only a Uyghur or Chinese issue, but one that reaches the international level. We make it absolutely clear that it has to be one of the most important discussion that needs to happen during the National People’s Congress in Beijing, however, it has not yet been raised.