Press Release – For immediate release
04 July 2022
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

On July 5th, which marks the 13th anniversary of the 2009 Urumchi Massacre, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) commemorates the victims of the violent Chinese government crackdown against peaceful protesters. From July 5-7 2009, thousands of Uyghurs who were peacefully protesting against unfair treatment and discrimination were killed, disappeared or injured by Chinese police forces.

“The 2009 Urumchi Massacre stands as one of the darkest episodes in the history of the Uyghur people, and as a symbol of how the international community failed the Uyghur people back then, and largely continues to do so now”, said WUC President, Dolkun Isa. “The repression in 2009 would only intensify in the years that followed, leading to the crimes against humanity and genocide that we are witnessing today.” 

On July 5th, 2009, the peaceful protests began with thousands of Uyghurs – including students – marching towards the People’s Square in the capital of East Turkistan, Urumchi. They were speaking out against the Chinese government’s handling of the Shaoguan incident in which several Uyghurs were killed by Chinese factory workers in a dispute. Chinese police failed to protect the Uyghur workers, allowing them to be killed by the mob. As this was reflective of the complete disregard for Uyghur lives and the systematic discimrination faced by the Uyghur people, peaceful protesters took to the streets of Urumchi, demanding to be treated equally and for their rights and freedoms to be respected.

The protests were quickly cracked down upon by force from the Chinese authorities, as hundreds of Chinese police with shields, rifles, and clubs were already in position and moved to disperse and arrest the protesters before they reached the People’s Square. The heavy-handed response resulted in unrest among the protesters, further escalating the situation and resulting in a further brutal crackdown from the Chinese authorities against the protesters.

Tomorrow, to protest against the ongoing violence and atrocity crimes perpetrated by the Chinese government, Uyghur diaspora communities around the world are holding protest actions to call for an end to the Uyghur genocide and for Uyghur human rights and freedoms to be respected. The WUC joins these calls, and once more urges the international community to take meaningful steps to end the Uyghur genocide.