China Executes 9 Uighurs for Riots in July

Chinese officials recently executed 9 people involved in the ethnic riots that took place this past July between Han and Uighur Chinese in the western region of the country. Uighur Chinese are a minority ethnicity in China mostly populated in the Muslim dominant area of Xinjiang in western China.

The riots resulted in the death of nearly 200 people.  Several Chinese news sources have been accused of downplaying the number of ethnic Uighur deaths. The majority ethnic Han group holds the majority of leadership positions in communist parties all across the country.  

Chinese government detained 12 men in the aftermath of the July 5 riots. Nine were executed this week, two others will be on death row for two years, and one has been sentenced with life imprisonment. All but one of the men accused are of Uighur ethnicity.

A report by Human Rights Watch has uncovered that Chinese officials recently detained 43 men and teenage boys suspected of being involved in the riots. The family members of the detainees have no knowledge of the whereabouts of these men or even if they are still alive.

China has had a history of ambiguity in news reporting. In recent years, news stories have become more transparent. However, in cases such as this, the public can never know the true facts unless individual investigations can be permitted to be conducted on victims' behalf.