Please sign petition ...
July 9, 2009 Dear Human Rights Supporter,
PLEASE SIGN PETITION
Who are the Uighur people?
Uighurs (pronounced "weegurs") are a Turkic, mainly Muslim, people who are the majority of the population in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of northwest China, north of Tibet. Over the past several decades Uighurs have been the targets of extensive human rights violations, including arbitrary detention and imprisonment, torture, the death penalty and serious restrictions on religious freedom and cultural and social rights.
Human rights and China's UighursAmnesty's open letter to Minister CannonBrief: Uighur Ethnic Identify Under ThreatAmnesty's human rights concerns in ChinaHusein Celil: Canadian-Uighur detained in China
On July 5th, widespread protests began in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwest China. The protests in Xinjiang, in particular in the regional capital, Urumqi, were sparked by the strong feeling among the Uighur population that Chinese officials had failed to take any meaningful action in response to the deaths of two Uighurs who were killed during clashes between Uighur and Han Chinese workers at a toy factory in Shaoguan, in Guangdong province on June 26th. The Chinese authorities responded to the violence in Guangdong by imposing a black-out on information related to the incident.
This sparked protests that have reportedly killed 156 people and injured hundreds of others. Official Chinese media has reported that 1434 people have been detained in connection with the protests, but the numbers are likely to be much higher.
Amnesty International is gravely concerned that anyone detained in connection with the protests may face torture or other ill-treatment, and will not receive fair trials.
The Chinese government must take action to bring the crisis in Xinjiang to an end and to protect human rights throughout the region. Chinese security forces must abide by international standards, and not use excessive force in responding to the protests. Amnesty International is urging the Chinese authorities to immediately launch an independent and impartial investigation into the events that have lead to the protests and deaths.
Please sign our online petition calling for truth and justice in the face of the human rights tragedy that continues to unfold in XUAR.
Sincerely,
Alex NeveAmnesty International, Canadian Section
PS: Thank you for responding last year to Amnesty International's campaigning to protect monks in Tibet, and our continuing work on human rights in China throughout the Beijing Olympics. This new uprising in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region demonstrates our need to continue to urge the Chinese government to live up to its commitment to improve its human rights record.
Amnesty International Canadian Section (English Speaking) www.amnesty.ca1-800-AMNESTY (266-3789) or direct: 613-744-7667 Email: members@amnesty.ca
Banner photo and caption: AFP PHOTO/Peter PARKS /AFP/Getty Images. Chinese riot police watch a Muslim ethnic Uighur woman protest in Urumqi in China's far west Xinjiang province on July 7, 2009 following a third day of unrest.
Police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of Han Chinese protesters armed with makeshift weapons and vowing revenge, as chaos gripped this flashpoint city riven by ethnic tensions following rioting that claimed at least 156 lives. Authorities ordered a night curfew and thousands of heavily armed police deployed across Urumqi.
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