Ghulja incident
The Gulja Incident (Chinese: 伊宁事件; pinyin: Yíníng Shìjiàn, also referred to as the Gulja Massacre[1]) was the culmination of the Gulja protests of 1997, a series of demonstrations or riots[2] in the city of Gulja (known as Yíníng in Chinese) in the Xinjiang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC) beginning in early February 1997.
The protests were sparked by the execution of 30 Uyghur independence activists[3] as well as the crackdown on attempts to revive elements of traditional Uighur culture, including traditional gatherings known as meshrep.[4] On 5 February 1997, after two days of protests during which the protesters had marched shouting "God is great" and "independence for Xinjiang"[5] the demonstrations were crushed by the People's Liberation Army. Official reports put the death toll at 9,[6] while dissident reports estimated the number killed at more than 100.[7]
References
- ^ "Protest marks Xinjiang 'massacre'". Al Jazeera. 2007-02-06.
- ^ "Xinjiang to intensify crackdown on separatists", China Daily, 10/25/2001
- ^ "youtube video". Channel 4 (UK). 1997.
- ^ "China: Remember the Gulja massacre? China's crackdown on peaceful protesters". Amnesty International.
- ^ "China's 'war on terror'". BBC News. 2002-09-10.
- ^ "China Uighurs executed". BBC News. 1998-01-27.
- ^ "youtube video". Channel 4 (UK).