Uyghur Groups Urge Probe Into Xinjiang Violence
RFERL, 28 June 2013
Two Uyghur exile groups have urged an independent investigation into the death of 27 people in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) as police blocked access to the site of the riots.
The AFP news agency reported on June 27 that armed police blocked the road to Turpan city’s Lukqun township, where Chinese media reported that “knife-wielding mobs” attacked a police station on June 26.
Alim Seytoff, president of the Washington-based Uyghur American Association, called in a statement for a “full and independent investigation.”
The Munich-based World Uyghur Congress said there were “many unanswered questions surrounding the incident” amid reports of “an information blackout and security crackdown.”
Chinese authorities have moved several million Han Chinese into the area in recent years to help develop the region’s oil fields, sparking ethnic conflicts that have left hundreds dead.
Based on reporting by AFP and dpa