July 2009 Ürümqi riots

2009 Ürümqi riots Ürümqi class=notpageimage| Location of Ürümqi within China
Location	Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China
Date	5 July 2009 (UTC+8)
Deaths	at least 197
Injured	1,721

2009 Ürümqi riots
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	烏魯木齊7·5騷亂
Simplified Chinese	乌鲁木齐7·5骚乱
Literal meaning	Ürümqi 7·5 riots
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wūlǔmùqí 7·5 Sāoluàn Yue: Cantonese Jyutping wu1 lou5 muk6 cai4 7.5 sou1 lyun6
Alternate name
Traditional Chinese	烏魯木齊七·五暴力事件
Simplified Chinese	乌鲁木齐七·五暴力事件
Literal meaning	Ürümqi 7·5 Violent Incident
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wūlǔmùqí 7·5 Bàolìshìjiàn Yue: Cantonese Jyutping wu1 lou5 muk6 cai4 ng5 bou6 lik6 si6 gin6*2
Uyghur name
Uyghur	بەشىنچى ئىيۇل ۋەقەسى Beshinchi iyul weqesi "July 5th incident"‎

The July 2009 Ürümqi riots broke out on 5 July 2009 in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in northwestern China. Rioting on the first day involved at least 1,000 Uyghurs in a protest that escalated into attacks on Han people after confrontations with police. Police attempted to quell the rioters with tear gas, water hoses, armoured vehicles, and roadblocks, while the government responded by imposing a curfew in most urban areas. Two days later, on 7 July, hundreds of Han people clashed with both police and Uyghurs. In total, officials said that 197 people died, with 1,721 others injured and many vehicles and buildings destroyed; Uyghur groups, on the other hand, say the death toll is higher. Authorities shut down Internet services and restricted cell phone services in Ürümqi for the night. On 8 July, Chinese president Hu Jintao cut short his attendance of the 35th G8 summit and returned to China due to the situation in Xinjiang.

The violence was part of ongoing ethnic tensions between the Han—the largest ethnic group in China—and the Uyghurs—a Turkic, and predominantly Muslim, minority ethnic group in China. The specific cause of the riots, however, is disputed. The protests that preceded the riots were ostensibly a response to the deaths of two Uyghur workers and the Chinese central government's handling of the case. The Chinese central government, however, has claimed that the riots themselves were planned from abroad by the World Uyghur Congress (WUC); Rebiya Kadeer, its president, denied the charges.

Background

History, demography, and social tensions

Further information: [[:Uyghur people, Xinjiang]]

Xinjiang is a large region in central Asia that is governed as an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, (XUAR). The region's ethnic composition is highly diverse, and comprises numerous minority groups: 45% of its population is Uyghurs, and 40% Han. The region's capital, Ürümqi, is a heavily industrialised city of over 2.3 million people, approximately 75% of whom are Han, 12.8% are Uyghur, and 10% are of other ethnic groups.

Tensions between Uyghurs and Han have existed in the area for several decades, and there have been several waves of protest in the region. With the influx of Han since the mid-twentieth century, some Uyghurs believe that they are gradually being squeezed out, both economically and politically, and say they are denied the rights to worship and to travel. They also reject what they see as cultural imperialism from Beijing, which has for example ordered the demolition of parts of the Kashgar old town. Instances of violence and ethnic clashes around Xinjiang include the 1997 Ghulja Incident and the 2008 Kashgar attack, as well as the more widespread 2008 Uyghur unrest preceding the Olympic Games in Beijing. On the other hand, some Han people are dissatisfied by government policies which they believe favour Uyghurs, and believe laws are more lenient towards Uyghurs than towards Han people.

Immediate causes

Shaoguan

Ürümqi

class=notpageimage|

Shaoguan, the location of the incident that sparked the 5 July protests. Ürümqi is marked in green.

The riots took place several days after an incident resulted in the deaths of two Uyghurs at the Xuri Toy Factory in Shaoguan, Guangdong, where many migrant workers are employed: as part of an program to alleviate manpower shortages, 200,000 young Uyghurs (many of whom do not speak the local language) have been sent to Guangdong since early 2008. In late June, a Han female worker was reportedly sexually harassed by Uyghur co-workers in their residence quarters at the factory. State media reported that a disgruntled former co-worker then disseminated rumors that two Han women had been raped, although police later said they found no evidence to support the allegation. Overnight, on 25–26 June, tensions at the factory led to a full-blown ethnic brawl between Uyghurs and Hans; in the ensuing violence, two Uyghur co-workers were killed. According to exiled Uyghur leaders, the death toll in the Guangdong incident was much higher than reported. Furthermore, while China's official state news agency Xinhua reported that the person responsible for spreading the rumours had been arrested, Uyghurs alleged that the authorities also failed to protect the Uyghur workers, or to arrest any of the Han people involved in the killings. Many Uyghurs were dissatisfied with the government's response to the killings, and a street protest was held in Ürümqi on 5 July to voice their disapproval.

Chinese government officials, however, argued that the riots were "a preempted, organised violent crime [...] instigated and directed from abroad, and carried out by outlaws in the country". Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, said in a televised speech on the morning of 6 July that "some overseas opposition forces" took advantage of the Shaoguan killings "to instigate Sunday's unrest and undermine the ethnic unity and social stability in the autonomous region, with an aim to split the country". The government blamed the riots on the exiled independence group World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and its leader Rebiya Kadeer, which it claims coordinated and "instigated" the riots over the internet. Chinese authorities also accused an unidentified WUC member of inciting ethnic tensions by posting a violent CNN video online; although the video was depicting the April 2007 stoning of a girl in Mosul, Iraq, the poster falsely labelled it "a Uyghur girl beaten to death", alleged that the perpetrators were Hans, and urged Uyghurs to "fight back with violence" and "repay blood with blood". Jirla Isamuddin, the mayor of Ürümqi, claimed that the protesters had been organised online via such services as QQ Groups.

In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Kadeer responded to the accusation by reiterating that the riots had been caused by "years of Chinese repression" rather than any of her actions. She did not state who she believed initiated the violence during the demonstrations; she wrote, "I unequivocally condemn the use of violence by Uighurs during the demonstration as much as I do China's use of excessive force against protestors... years of Chinese repression of Uighurs topped by a confirmation that Chinese officials have no interest in observing the rule of law when Uighurs are concerned is the cause of the current Uighur discontent."

All parties in the dispute agree that the protests were organized beforehand; the main point of contention is whether the turn to violence was planned or spontaneous.

Events

Ürümqi skyline

Ürümqi's central business district

Initial demonstrations

Demonstrations began on the evening of 5 July. A protest began in the Grand Bazaar, one of the city's prominent tourist destinations, denouncing the government's handling of the incident and demanding a full investigation of the Shaoguan killings; there were also reports of gatherings at the Ürümqi People's Square area. Rebiya Kadeer said the demonstration began peacefully, which the Ürümqi municipal government confirmed. The South China Morning Post cites eyewitness Gulinisa Maimaiti, a 32-year-old employee working for a foreign company who took part in the original protest. She said at first there were over 300 protesters in People's Square in Ürümqi demanding an investigation into the deadly brawl of 25 June in Guangdong. The violence "seemed to have started when the crowd, which she said grew to 1,000 people, refused to disperse," according to the Post. Another witness told Agence France-Presse that the initial confrontation between protesters and police involved about 3,000 Uyghurs, some of whom were armed with batons and knives.

On 6 July, XUAR chairman Nur Bekri presented official details and timelines before the riots broke out. Bekri said at about 5 p.m. China standard time on 5 July, more than 200 demonstrators gathered in People's Square in Ürümqi, and about 70 of their leaders were detained. Later, a crowd gathered in the mostly-Uyghur areas of Jiefangnan Road, Erdaoqiao, and Shanxi Alley; by 7:30 p.m., more than one thousand were gathered in front of a hospital in Shanxi Alley. At about 7:40 p.m., more than 300 people blocked the roads in the Renmin Road and Nanmen area. According to Bekri's account, police "controlled and dispersed" the crowd, and then rioters began to smash buses at 8:18.

How the demonstrations became violent is unclear. Some say the police used excessive force against the protesters or opened fire indiscriminately into the crowd; the World Uyghur Congress quickly issued press releases saying that the police had used deadly force and killed "scores" of protesters. Kadeer has alleged that there were agents provocateurs stirring up the crowds. Others claim that the protesters initiated the violence; for example, a Uyghur eyewitness cited by The New York Times said protesters began throwing rocks at the police. Numerous government sources have claimed that the violence was not only initiated by the protesters, but also had been premeditated and coordinated by Uyghur separatists abroad.

Escalation and spread

After the confrontation with police turned violent, rioters began hurling rocks, smashing vehicles, breaking into shops, and attacking Han civilians. At least 1,000 Uyghurs were involved in the rioting when it began, and the number of rioters may have risen to as many as 3,000. Jane Macartney of The Times characterised the first day's rioting as consisting mainly of "Han stabbed by marauding gangs of U[y]ghurs." About 1,000 police officers were dispatched with tasers and weapons; police also used tear gas, water hoses, and batons to disperse the rioters, and set up roadblocks and posted armoured vehicles throughout the city.

During a press conference, Mayor Jirla Isamuddin said that at about 8:15 p.m., some protesters started to "fight and loot", overturning guardrails and smashing three buses before being dispersed. At 8:30 p.m., violence escalated around Jiefangnan Road and Longquan Street area, with rioters torching police patrol cars and "attacking passers-by". Soon, between 700 to 800 people went from the People's Square to Daximen and Xiaoximen area, "fighting, smashing, looting, torching and killing" along the way. At 9:30 p.m., the government received reports that three people were killed and 26 were injured, six of whom were police officers. Police reinforcements were dispatched to hotspots of People's Square, Nanmen, Tuanjie Road, Saimachang and Xinhuanan Road. Police took control of the main roadways and commercial districts in the city at around 10 p.m., but riots continued in side streets and alleyways, with Hans attacked and cars overturned or torched, according to the mayor. Police then formed small teams and "swept" the entire city for the next two days. A strict curfew was put in place; authorities adopted a "comprehensive traffic control" from 9:00 p.m. Tuesday to 8:00 a.m. Wednesday "to avoid further chaos".

The official news agency, Xinhua, reported that police believed agitators were trying to organise more unrest in other cities in Xinjiang, such as Aksu and the Yili Prefecture. Violent protests also sprang up in Kashgar, in southwestern Xinjiang. The South China Morning Post reported that many shops were closed, and the area around the mosque was sealed off by a People's Liberation Army platoon after the confrontations. Local Uyghurs blamed the security forces for using excessive force—they "attacked the protesters and arrested 50 people". Another clash near the mosque on Tuesday, 7 July, was reported, and an estimated 50 people were arrested. Up to 12,000 students at the Kashgar Teaching Institute were confined to campus since Sunday's riots, according to the Post. Many of the institute's students had apparently travelled to Ürümqi to participate in the initially peaceful demonstrations there.

Casualties and damage

During the first hours of the rioting, state media only reported that three people had been killed. The number rose sharply, though, after the first night's rioting; at midday on Monday, 6 July (China standard time), Xinhua announced that 129 people had been killed. In the following days the death toll reported by various government sources (including Xinhua, the China News Agency, and party officials) gradually grew, with the last official update placing the tally at 197 dead, 1,721 injured on 18 July. The World Uyghur Congress has claimed that the death toll was much higher, at around 600.

Xinhua did not immediately disclose the ethnic breakdown of the dead, but according to journalists from The Times and The Daily Telegraph most of the victims appeared to have been Han. For instance, on 10 July Xinhua stated that 137 of the dead (out of the total of 184 that was being reported at that time) were Han, 46 Uyghur, and one Hui. There were casualties among the rioters as well; for example, according to official accounts, a group of twelve rioters attacking civilians were shot by police. In the months following the riots, the government maintained that the majority of casualties were Han and hospital records said that two-thirds of the injured were Han, although the World Uyghur Congress claims that many Uyghurs were killed as well.

As for property, Xinhua reported that 627 vehicles and 633 constructions were damaged. The Ürümqi municipal government initially announced that it would pay ¥200,000 as compensation, plus another 10,000 as "funeral expense" for every "innocent death" caused by the riot. The compensation was later doubled to ¥420,000 per death. Mayor Jirla Isamuddin estimated that the compensations will cost at least ¥100 million in total.

After 5 July

The city remained tense while journalists who were invited into the city witnessed confrontational scenes between Chinese troops and Uyghurs demanding the release of family members they said had been arbitrarily arrested. Uyghur women told The Daily Telegraph reporter that police entered Uyghur districts in the night of 6 July, bursting through doors and pulling men and boys from their beds, and rounded up 100 suspects. By 7 July, officials reported that 1,434 suspected rioters had been arrested; Over 300 more people were reported arrested in early August; according to the BBC, the total number of arrests in connection with the riots was over 1500. A group of 200 to 300 Uyghur women assembled on 7 July to protest what they said was "indiscriminate" detention of Uyghur men; the protest led to a tense but nonviolent confrontation with police forces. A high-profile arrest several days later was that of Ilham Tohti, an ethnic Uyghur economist at Minzu University of China; he was detained by authorities over his criticisms of the Xinjiang government and because the government claimed that his website Uyghur Online helped instigate the rioting by spreading rumors.

On 7 July, there were large-scale armed demonstrations by ethnic Han in Ürümqi. Conflicting estimates of the Han demonstrators' numbers were reported by the western media and varied from as low as 300 people to as high as 10,000 people. The Times reported that smaller fights were frequently breaking out between Uyghurs and Hans, and that groups of Han citizens had organised to take revenge on "Uyghur mobs". Police used tear gas and roadblocks in an attempt to disperse the demonstration, and urged Han citizens over loudspeakers to "calm down" and "let the police do their job". Li Zhi, party chief of Ürümqi, stood on the roof of a police car with a megaphone appealing to the crowd to go home.

Mass protests had been quelled by 8 July, although sporadic violence was reported. In the days after the riots, "thousands" of people tried to leave the city, and the price for bus tickets rose as much as fivefold.

On 10 July, city authorities closed Ürümqi mosques "for public safety", saying it was too dangerous to have large gatherings that that holding Jumu'ah, traditional Friday prayers, could reignite tensions. Large crowds of Uyghurs gathered for prayer anyway, however, and police decided to let two mosques open to avoid having an "incident". After prayers at the White Mosque, several hundred people demonstrated over people detained after the riot, but were dispersed by riot police, with five or six people arrested.

Reactions and response

Domestic reaction

Communications

Mobile phone service and internet access were both limited during and after the riots. China Mobile phone service was cut "to prevent the incident from spreading further". Outbound international calls throughout Xinjiang were blocked, and Internet connections in the region had been locked down. Reporting from Ürümqi's Hoi Tak Hotel on 9 July, Al Jazeera' Melissa Chan claimed that the foreign journalists' hotel was the only place in the city with Internet access, and that she could not send text messages or place international phone calls. Many unauthorised postings on local sites and Google were "harmonised" by government censors; images and video footage of the demonstrations and rioting, however, were soon found posted on Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. The Xinjiang Regional Government's official website, as well as that of the Ürümqi Municipal government, had been inaccessible worldwide since the beginning of the protests.

Government

Chinese television broadcast graphic footage of cars being smashed and people being beaten. XUAR chairman Nur Bekri delivered a lengthy address on the situation and on the Shaoguan incident, and claimed that the government of both Guangdong and Xinjiang had dealt with the deaths of the workers properly and with respect. Bekri, an ethnic Uyghur, reiterated the party line, and further condemned the riots as "premeditated and planned". Eligen Imibakhi, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Regional People's Congress, blamed the 5 July riots on "extremism, separatism and terrorism".

The riots prompted PRC president Hu Jintao to return from the international G8 summit early.

The Chinese media covered the rioting extensively, Hours after troops stopped the rioting, the state invited foreign journalists on an official fact-finding trip to Ürümqi; journalists from more than 100 media organisations were corralled into the same downtown Hoi Tak Hotel, sharing 30 internet connections. Journalists were given unprecedented access to troublespots and hospitals. The Financial Times referred to this handling as an improvement, compared to the "public-relations disaster" of the Tibetan unrest in 2008.

In an effort to soothe tensions immediately after the riots, state media began a mass publicity campaign throughout Xinjiang extolling ethnic harmony. Local television programs united Uyghur and Han singers in a chorus of "We are all part of the same family"; Uygurs who "acted heroically" during the riots were profiled; loud-hailer trucks blasted slogans in the streets. A common slogan warned against the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

President Hu Jintao curtailed his attendance of the G8 summit in Italy, convened an emergency meeting of the Politburo, and dispatched Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang to Xinjiang to "guid[e] stability-preservation work in Xinjiang". South China Morning Post reported a government source saying Beijing would re-evaluate the impact on arrangements for the country's forthcoming 60th anniversary celebrations in October. Guangdong's CPC Provincial Committee Secretary, Wang Yang, noted that the government policies towards ethnic minorities "definitely need adjustments", otherwise "there will be some problems."

Internet response

The response to the riots on the Chinese blogosphere was markedly more varied than the official response. Despite many blocks and censorship, Internet watchers monitored continued attempts by netizens to divulge their own thoughts on the causes of the incident or vent their anger about it. While some bloggers were supportive of the government, others were more reflective of the event's cause. On numerous forums and news sites, government workers quickly removed comments about the riots.

International reactions

International organisations

• The United Nations human rights chief Navi Piley said she was "alarmed" over the high death toll, noting this was an "extraordinarily high number of people to be killed and injured in less than a day of rioting." She also said China must treat detainees humanely in a way that adheres to international norms. The Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged all sides to exercise restraint, and called on China to take measures to protect the civilian population as well as respect the freedoms of citizens, including freedom of speech, assembly and information.
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) said it sympathised with the family members of those innocent people killed in the riot; it said that its member states regard Xinjiang as an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China and believe the situation in Xinjiang is purely China's internal affairs.
• The Organisation of the Islamic Conference decried the "disproportionate use of force", calling on Beijing to "bring those responsible to justice swiftly" and urging China to find a solution to the unrest by examining why it had erupted.
• The European Union expressed concern over the clashes and urged the Chinese government to show restraint in dealing with the protests.

Countries

• The Afghan government backed "the territorial integrity and sovereignty of China" a Foreign Ministry statement said. It also said Afghanistan is closely monitoring the situation and believes China can "deal with the issue in accordance with its national interests."
• Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, on hearing "disturbing reports" of violence in Xinjiang, urged restraint to bring about a "peaceful settlement to this difficulty."

Pro-Uyghur demonstration in Berlin. In the days following the riots, many demonstrations were staged outside Chinese embassies abroad.

• The Foreign Ministry of Belarus noted with regret the loss of life and damage in the region, and hoped that measures taken by the Chinese authorities would allow the situation to normalise.
• The Cambodian government issued a statement, saying it believed China was taking "appropriate" measures and regarded the situation as an "internal affair".
• Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said, "Dialogue and goodwill are required to help resolve grievances and prevent further deterioration of the situation."
• French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier expressed concern at the unfolding events.
• Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany called for a peaceful solution to the incident. She added that she respects the "One-China policy" but that this also meant respect for the rights of minorities.
• The Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki shared the concerns of Turkey and the OIC, and appealed to the Chinese government to respect the rights of the Muslim population in Xinjiang.
• President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy brought up human rights at a press conference with Hu Jintao. He said both sides agreed that "economic and social progress that is being achieved in China places new demands in terms of human rights."
• Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka said that "the Japanese government is paying close attention to it, and is also concerned."
• They also said they are assisting 1,000 Kazakh nationals who are fleeing the violence. On 19 July, over 5,000 Uyghurs in Almaty held a demonstration to protest Chinese police use of deadly force against the rioters.
• Kyrgyzstan said it is prepared to confront "an influx of refugees" and tightened border controls.
• Vice President Alik Alik of Micronesia condemned the riot in Ürümqi, expressed condolences for "the loss of innocent lives", and referred to the rioting as a "terrorist act".
• The Chinese embassy in the Netherlands was attacked by Uyghur activists who smashed windows with bricks. The Chinese flag was also burnt and 39 people remained detained out of 142 arrested. China later closed the embassy for the day.
• About 100 Uyghurs protested outside the Chinese embassy in Oslo, Norway —11 of whom were detained; one attempted to scale the embassy fence. They were all released without charge. The Norwegian government relayed its concern about the events to Chinese authorities, calling on all parties to refrain from violence and stressing the importance of dialogue.
• Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit of Pakistan said there were some "elements" out to harm Sino-Pakistan ties, and that Pakistan would ensure the events will not damage or destabilise the interests of the two countries.
• The government of Taiwan condemned all those who instigated the violence as deserving "the strongest condemnation". Premier Liu Chiao-shiuan also urged all parties to exercise self-restraint and expressed hope that the Chinese authorities will demonstrate the "greatest possible leniency and tolerance in dealing with the aftermath" and respect the rights of ethnic minorities.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the riot was an internal affair of China. "Using separatist slogans and provoking ethnic intolerance, the initiators of the disorder attacked citizens and beat them, turned over cars and torched them and looted shops and other buildings", he added.
• The Foreign Ministry of Serbia supported the efforts of Chinese authorities to restore order in Xinjiang, and stated that it opposes separatism and supports the "resolution of all disputes by peaceful means."
• In Singapore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regretted the outbreak of violence and the loss of lives. It urged restraint and hoped the situation could be resolved through dialogue.
• Sri Lanka's government, while expressing concern at the events, considered the incident to be an internal affair of China and was confident that efforts by the Chinese authorities would restore normalcy.
• The Swiss Foreign Ministry called on both sides to exercise restraint, adding it was "concerned" about events. It sent condolences to the families of victims and urged China to respect freedom of expression and the press.
• The riot has created rifts in the diplomatic relationship between China and Turkey. Officially, the Foreign Ministry released a statement expressing "deep sadness" at the recent events, and urged the Chinese authorities to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the incident was "like genocide", sparking a significant outcry from Chinese media. Turkey's Trade and Industry Minister Nihat Ergun has also called for a boycott on Chinese goods.
• : Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom urged restraint on both sides.
• White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the United States regrets the loss of life in Xinjiang, was deeply concerned and called on all sides to exercise restraint. U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, said "it's important that the Chinese authorities act to restore order and prevent further violence." The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed "grave concern" over repression in China, and called for an independent investigation on the riots and targeted sanctions against China.
• Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung said Vietnam was closely following the situation, and believed the Chinese government was taking appropriate measures to restore public order and stability.

Other organisations

• Amnesty International: The organisation called for an "impartial and independent" inquiry into the incident, adding that those detained for "peacefully expressing their views and exercising their freedom of expression, association and assembly" must be released and ensure others receive a fair trial.
• Human Rights Watch: HRW urged China to exercise restraint and to allow an independent inquiry into the events, which include addressing Uyghur concerns about policies in the region. It also added that China should respect international norms when responding to the protests and only use force proportionately.
• Central Tibetan Administration: The Dalai Lama expressed concern over "the tragic loss of lives" and urged the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint.
• Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: According to London-based risk analysis firm Stirling Assynt, an Algerian organisation called al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has issued the call for vengeance against Beijing for mistreatment of its Muslim minority.

Media coverage

Chen Shirong, China editor on the BBC World Service, remarked at the improvement in media management by Xinhua: "To be more credible, it released video footage a few hours after the event, not two weeks." Peter Foster of the Daily Telegraph observed that "long-standing China commentators have been astonished at the speed at which Beijing has moved to seize the news agenda on this event," and attributed it to his belief that "China doesn't have a great deal to hide". A University of California, Berkeley academic agreed that the Chinese authorities had become more sophisticated. Observers at The New York Times and AFP recognised the lessons learnt by the Chinese from political protests around the world, such as the so-called colour revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine, and the 2009 Iranian election protests. They have studied the ways that modern electronic communications helped protesters organise and reach the outside world, and the means those governments used to counter them.>

But Willy Lam, fellow of the Jamestown Foundation, sceptically said that the authorities were"just testing the reaction". He believed that if the outcome of this openness was poor they would "put the brakes on" like they did after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. There were instances of foreign journalists being taken into custody by the police, to be released shortly thereafter. On 10 July, officials ordered foreign media out of Kashgar, "for their own safety."

A People's Daily op-ed rebuked certain western media outlets for their "double standards, biased coverage and comments". It said that China failed to receive fair 'repayment' from certain foreign political figures or media outlets for its openness and transparent attitude. The author said "a considerable number of media outlets still intentionally or inadvertently minimised the violent actions of the rioters, and attempted to focus on so-called racial conflict." However, D'Arcy Doran from Agence France-Presse welcomed the increased openness for foreign media, but contrasted their reporting to Chinese media, which closely followed the government line to focus mainly on injured Hans whilst ignoring the "Uyghur story" or reasons behind the incident.

Many early reports of the riots, starting with one from Reuters, used a picture purporting to show the riots the previous day. The photo, showing large number of People's Armed Police squares, was one taken of the 2009 Shishou riot and originally published on 26 June by Southern Metropolis Weekly. The same picture was mistakenly used by other agencies; it was on the website of The Daily Telegraph, but was removed a day later. In an interview with Al Jazeera on 7 July, WUC leader Rebiya Kadeer used the same Shishou photograph to defend the Uyghurs in Ürümqi. A World Uyghur Congress representative later apologised, explaining that the photo was chosen out of hundreds for its image quality.

On 3 August, Xinhua reported that two of Rebiya Kadeer's children had written letters blaming her for orchestrating the riots. Germany-based spokesman for the WUC rejected the letters as fakes. A Human Rights Watch researcher remarked their style was "suspiciously close" to the way the Chinese authorities had described rioting in Xinjiang and the aftermath. He added that: "...it's highly irregular for [her children] to be placed on the platform of a government mouthpiece ... for wide dispersion."

Long-term aftermath

Arrests and trials

In early August, the Ürümqi government announced that 83 individuals had been "officially" arrested in connection with the riots. In late August the state-run China Daily claimed that over 200 people were being charged (with about 170 Uyghur lawyers and 20 Han lawyers representing them) and that trials would begin by the end of August. Both a Xinjiang provincial government official and a local Chinese Communist Party official, however, denied this, saying that no trial dates had ever been set and that the official number of individuals being charged remained at 83. The BBC noted that it was rare for PRC officials to deny or refute information published in the state-run media. Xinjiang authorities later announced that arrest warrants had been issued to 196 suspects, of which 51 had already been prosecuted. Police also requested that the procuratorate approve the arrest of a further 239 people. An additional 825 people were being detained, the China Daily said.

The state first announced criminal charges against detainees in late September, when it charged 21 people with "murder, arson, robbery, and damaging property".

Later unrest

Main article: September 2009 Xinjiang unrest

Starting in mid-August, there was a string of attacks in which as many as 476 individuals were stabbed with hypodermic needles. Officials believed that the attacks were targeting Han civilians, and that they had been perpetrated by Uyghur separatists. In response to both concern over the attacks and dissatisfaction over the government's slowness in prosecuting people involved with the July riots, thousands of Hans protested in the streets. On 3 September, five people died during the protests and 14 were injured, according to an official. The next day, the Communist Party Chief of Ürümqi, Li Zhi, was removed from his post, along with the police chief, Liu Yaohua.

Legislative changes

In late August, the central government passed a law outlining standards for deployment of the People's Armed Police during "rebellion, riots, large-scale serious criminal violence, terror attacks and other social safety incidents." After the protests in early September, the government issued an announcement banning all "unlicensed marches, demonstrations and mass protests".

Public services

It took until at least early August for full public transportation to be restored in the city. According to Xinhua, 267 buses had been damaged during the rioting; most were back in operation by 12 August. The government paid bus companies a total of ¥5.25 million in compensation.

Ürümqi public schools opened in September for the fall semester on schedule, but with armed police guarding them. Many schools began first-day classes by focusing on patriotism.

External links

News coverage

• Xinhua News Agency Coverage
• Template:Zh icon CCTV special coverage
• Timeline: Xinjiang unrest, BBC

Photos

• Deaths Outrage in China After Riot Deaths, Life
• Race Riots Continue in China's Far West, Time
• Ethnic clashes in Urumqi, China, The Boston Globe