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Islamic Human Rights Commission
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06 July 2009

PRESS RELEASE: China – IHRC concerned over violence in Urumqi, calls on authorities to be proportionate in response to any violence

The Islamic Human Rights Commission is deeply concerned over the current violence taking place in Urumqi, the capital of China’s northwest region of Xinjiang, reportedly following the death of two Uighur factory workers in June.

While reports suggest protests began peacefully, we strongly condemn all forms of violence occurring in Urumqi at the hands of both protestors and police. Nevertheless, we are worried the Chinese government will take this opportunity to severely crackdown on the Uighur community, who are already amongst the most repressed peoples of the world. We are also very concerned over the wide report of 140 dead, and even more worrying are other Uighur sources reporting a much larger figure. It is believed that a large number of Uighurs have died in the violence.

An element lacking from much of the media coverage of China’s current unrest is mention of the substantial influx of Han Chinese to the region. A drastic ‘in-transfer’ of ethnic Han Chinese has coincided with a government policy of transferring Uighur women from Xinjiang to the urban areas of China’s eastern seaboard for forced labour. Significantly changing the region’s demographics, this is amongst a number of repressive government policies fuelling tensions amongst the region’s Uighurs.

IHRC calls on the Chinese authorities to be proportionate in response to any violence at the hands of protestors. Further, the Chinese government cannot continue ignoring the abhorrent human rights situation in Xinjiang which has been a fundamental element leading to the protests in the first place.

For more information please contact the Press Office on (+44) 20 8904 4222 or (+44) 7958 607 475, email: info@ihrc.org.[ENDS]

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The Islamic Human Rights Commission is an NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom

Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
Fax (+44) 20 8904 5183
Email: info@ihrc.org
Web: www.ihrc.org