CHINA HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW UPDATE

United States Congressional-Executive Commission on China
Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Chairman | Representative Sander M. Levin, Cochairman

No. 6 – July 9, 2010

Statement of Chairman and Cochairman on the One Year Anniversary of the Demonstrations and Riots in Xinjiang

We are deeply concerned by human rights conditions in Xinjiang, one year after demonstrations and rioting in the region. Events that started on July 5, 2009 resulted in injury and death to Han and Uyghur citizens alike. Repressive policies in the region have continued, and, in some cases, have intensified.

In the aftermath of last year’s violence, the government tightly restricted the free flow of information, and curbed internet access for 10 months. Authorities intensified security campaigns and conducted large scale sweeps and raids. Security forces detained some Uyghurs, primarily men and boys, whose whereabouts still remain unknown. We are alarmed by reports that trials have been marred by violations of Chinese law and international standards for due process. We are concerned by reported curbs on independent legal defense and a general lack of transparency in trials.

Conditions in the region today remain tense. The Internet is back up, but a number of Uyghur Web sites remain shuttered. And throughout the last year, the government issued regulations to restrict free speech. As we noted immediately after last year’s tragic events, we urge the Chinese government, when addressing events in Xinjiang, to abide by its domestic and international commitments to protect citizen’s fundamental rights and to promote the rule of law, and we urge the Chinese government to address the longstanding grievances of the Uyghur people, especially those related to official suppression of Uyghur’s independent expressions of ethnic, cultural, and religious identity.