China intends to bring 200 Uighur demonstrators to court this week - Uighurs threatened by a wave of death sentences – China needs a new minority policy!

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) warned on Monday of a new wave of death sentences against Moslem Uighurs in the north-west of China. "Instead of investigating the causes of the protests and violence in the disturbed region of Xinjiang (East Turkistan) China’s authorities are simply going to encourage the vicious circle of violence with new unjust court cases”, fears the GfbV Asia consultant, Ulrich Delius. This week 200 Uighur demonstrators have to appear at court, accused of taking part in the violent confrontations with Han Chinese in their province at the beginning of July 2009. According to official sources 197 persons were killed and more than 1600 injured. The authorities state that more than 2,240 Uighurs have been arrested. The GfbV estimates that the actual figure of the victims and of those arrested is considerably higher. One is led to believe this on account of the reports of relatives of persons missing.

It is clear that Uighurs and Han Chinese who injured or killed people in the recent disturbances will be brought to justice, said Delius. At the outset however the protest of the minority was non-violent. It was the violent action of the riot police which caused the escalation of the protests. "China’s courts in Xinjiang will be meting out arbitrary justice if they do not also make the security forces answer for their part in the bloody end to the protests.”

China’s minority policy is in ruins not only in Xinjiang, but also in Tibet. Peking must think again to prevent further riots between Han Chinese and the "minorities”. As long as China refuses to in fact grant autonomy - which is anyway officially recognized – there will be new disturbances in both regions. In any case the influx of Han Chinese, which is sponsored by the government, is constantly increasing the tension between the ethnic groups in the north-west of the country. As long as the Chinese authorities do not investigate the causes of the violence new protests and arrests are bound to take place.

No other ethnic "minority” in China is suffering so much under the extreme use of the death penalty as the Uighurs, criticised Delius. Since 1997 more than 700 Uighurs have been sentenced to death and executed for political reasons. Chinese and international principles of law are being regularly disregarded in the courts.