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China: Stop the Crackdown on Uyghurs
Chinese authorities have flooded Urumchi (Ch: Urumqi) in Chinese-occupied East Turkestan with troops following the violent unrest which started as a peaceful protest by Uyghurs on Sunday, July 5th.
Hundreds of people have been killed, but instead of taking responsibility for its decades of failed policies in East Turkestan that have fueled the unrest, the Chinese government is blaming the violence on the Uyghurs, arresting more than 1,400, blocking phone lines and internet, and vowing severe punishment, including executions for those responsible for the unrest.
Please sign the petition below calling on the Chinese government to stop the crackdown on the Uyghur people and allow an immediate investigation into the unrest in Urumchi.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: China: Stop the Crackdown on Uyghurs
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
The Chinese government's handling of the unrest in East Turkestan (Chinese: Xinjiang) is only likely to lead to further violence. We call on the Chinese authorities to immediately cease its propaganda campaign on state media which solely blames the Uyghurs for the violence; release those arbitrarily arrested in recent days; restore internet and mobile telephone communication in Urumchi; and immediately allow an independent investigation to assess the incident.
Following the mass protests in 2008, Tibet remains under military lockdown. We fear that, as in Tibet, the Chinese government will respond to the unrest with a violent crackdown against the Uyghurs in East Turkestan with lengthy prison sentences, disappearances, and beatings.
Your policies in Tibet and East Turkestan have clearly failed. By suppressing the truth, the Chinese government is only further exacerbating the longstanding grievances of the Uyghur people and sewing the seeds for further discontent.
The Chinese government must immediately stop the crackdown on the Uyghur people and allow an independent investigation into the recent events in Urumchi.
Signed by:
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Campaign Launched:
July 08, 2009
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On Sunday, July 5, thousands of Uyghurs peacefully marched in the streets of Urumchi to protest the Chinese authorities' inaction amid the the beating deaths of two Uyghur men at a toy factory in southern China. Chinese armed police responded to the protest with a heavy hand, and a riot ensued in which more than a hundred people were reportedly killed.
Armed Chinese citizens have since taken to the streets to seek revenge, escalating the violence and chaos in Urumchi. Chinese troops have now flooded Urumchi, the capital of East Turkestan (Chinese: Xinjiang) following days of violent unrest. The situation remains incredibly tense, and yesterday Chinese president Hu Jintao rushed back to China from the G-8 meeting in Italy to 'restore order.'
We fear that, as in Tibet last year, China's efforts to 'restore order' will result in a prolonged military crackdown against the Uyghurs. Already, Chinese authorities have arrested more than 1,400 Uyghurs, blocked phone lines and the internet, and launched a propaganda campaign to portray the Uyghurs as the sole perpetrators of the violence.
To avoid the negative international news coverage that followed the media blackout in Tibet last year, Chinese officials have allowed foreign journalists into Urumchi but have tried to tightly control their movement and censor their coverage. Despite these efforts, on Tuesday hundreds of Uyghur women and children burst into the streets in front of the journalists, weeping and pleading for the release of those detained in the past two days.
This tragic turn of events makes clear that China's policies in East Turkestan, as in Tibet, have been a colossal failure. Uyghurs have rejected Chinese rule since the invasion of their homeland in 1949, and continue to struggle for their basic rights and freedoms. The systematic suppression of the Uyghurs' religion, culture, and unique identity - as well as the flooding of East Turkestan with millions of Chinese settlers - have led to deep-seated resentment and desperation amongst the Uyghur people.
Instead of admitting its own failure to address the long-standing grievances of the Uyghur people, the Chinese government is blaming the violence on exiled Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer, just as it blamed the Dalai Lama for the widespread protests in Tibet. Rebiya Kadeer has spoken out and told the true story of the repression faced by her people under Chinese rule.
For more news and analysis, please visit the SFT blog: http://blog.studentsforafreetibet.org
News coverage of the unrest in Urumchi:
China's leaders vow to punish Xinjiang rioters http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/441397/1/.html
Riot police battle protesters as China's Uighur crisis escalates
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2028
Uighur resentment at Beijing's rule
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2021
Toy factory brawl spark for deadly violence in China
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2020
Angry Chinese Mob Turns on ABC Reporter & Crew
http://is.gd/1sdfW
In Latest Upheaval, China Applies New Strategies to Control Flow of Information http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2026
China: President Should Ease Tension by Acknowledging Grievances (Human Rights Watch) http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=2025
The Real Uighur Story
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124698273174806523.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
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