Chinese prosecutors brought murder and arson charges yesterday against 21 people arrested in connection with riots in July that left nearly 200 dead in Urumqi.
The riots in the capital of the western region of Xinjiang saw Muslim Uighurs attack members of the country’s dominant Han ethnic group, followed two days later by Han attacks on Uighurs. It was the worst ethnic violence in China in decades.
Police have said hundreds were detained following the riots, which the government says also injured more than 1,700.
The city’s prosecutors brought charges of murder and arson against 21 suspects in six cases yesterday, Xinhua News Agency reported. Most of those named were from the Uighur minority, although there were also Han Chinese names in the report.
A woman from the political department of the Urumqi Intermediate Court confirmed that charges had been issued but would not give her name or any other details.
Officials said earlier that 83 people had been arrested after the rioting, but yesterday’s announcement was apparently the first that charges had been laid.
The report did not say what penalty those charged faced if convicted, but in the aftermath of the riots Urumqi’s Communist Party Secretary Li Zhi (栗智), who was fired last month, said the death penalty would be sought in serious cases.
The violence in Urumqi underscored simmering resentment among many Uighurs over what they consider Chinese occupation of their land and heavy-handed Communist controls over religion and cultural activities. Uighur extremists have long waged a low-intensity insurgency against Chinese rule, although they are believed to be few in number and poorly organized.
China has accused exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer of fomenting the July violence, but has provided no direct evidence. Kadeer and other overseas Uighur activists have denied the claims and accused police of carrying out mass detentions.
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