Uighur leader condemns China death sentences
17 Aug 2013 5:22 AM IST
An exiled leader of China’s Uighur ethnic minority has condemned the death sentences passed on two people over what authorities called a terrorist attack in the restive western region of Xinjiang.
The pair were sentenced to death and three other people condemned to prison terms ranging from nine years to life on Monday by a court in Xinjiang, home to around 10 million of the mostly-Muslim minority, official media reported.
Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the World Uyghur Congress, an exile group which has been condemned by Beijing, called the sentences ‘politically motivated’ in a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday.
The sentences ‘serve merely as a stark reminder from the Chinese authorities that Uighurs are not equal before the law, nor can they expect any time soon full enjoyment of their rights’, she said.
Xinjiang is periodically hit by clashes between Uighurs and members of China’s Han
majority group. Chinese authorities often blame the violence on terrorist groups seeking independence for the region.
The pair were sentenced to death and three other people condemned to prison terms ranging from nine years to life on Monday by a court in Xinjiang, home to around 10 million of the mostly-Muslim minority, official media reported.
Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the World Uyghur Congress, an exile group which has been condemned by Beijing, called the sentences ‘politically motivated’ in a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday.
The sentences ‘serve merely as a stark reminder from the Chinese authorities that Uighurs are not equal before the law, nor can they expect any time soon full enjoyment of their rights’, she said.
Xinjiang is periodically hit by clashes between Uighurs and members of China’s Han
majority group. Chinese authorities often blame the violence on terrorist groups seeking independence for the region.
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