As Riot Death Toll Mounts, China Blames Uighur Exiles

Executed were convicted of murder during Xinjiang province unrest

(NEWSER) - Nine people convicted of murder and arson during July riots in China’s Xinjiang province were executed today. Chinese news services did not identify the executed, but previous statements suggest that they are Uighurs. The riots in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, left 197 people dead as Uighurs clashed with Han Chinese. Uighur activists slammed the executions as token measures to appease the Han community’s desire for revenge, the BBC reports. More»

Spate of random stabbings unsettle western Urumqi

(NEWSER) - Chinese authorities have arrested nine suspects in connection with the recent spate of syringe attacks in Urumqi, reports state media. Some 531 people had been stabbed with hypodermic needles in Urumqi, most but not all of whom were Han Chinese, according to police. The attacks had set off another round of protests in the restive Xinjiang region, where earlier this year Han and Uighur communities clashed in the worst ethnic unrest in decades. More»

(NEWSER) - Chinese authorities forced mosques in Urumqi to stay closed today and reimposed a curfew in the restive western city, reports the BBC. The curfew was lifted after thousands of troops had seemed to restore order between Han Chinese and Uighur Muslims, who have battled in the worst ethnic violence China has seen in years. Friday is the holiest day of the week in Islam, and at least two mosques held prayers today in defiance of Beijing. More»

(NEWSER) - Thousands of ethnic Han Chinese rioted in the western city of Urumqi today, destroying shops and property belonging to Muslim Uighurs in retaliation for Han deaths over the weekend, the Guardian reports. Police tried to disperse the mob with tear gas, but many rioters remained, throwing rocks at mosques and threatening Uighur residents. “They attacked us. Now it’s our turn to attack them,” said one rioter. More»

(NEWSER) - China has clamped down hard on Xinjiang province after at least 156 people died in riots in Urumqi Sunday night, the New York Times reports. More than 1000 people have been detained and 20,000 security forces deployed in the capital. Cell phone and Internet services have been cut off and the government has moved to block online discussion of the riots. More»