Violence and repression: the roots of China's

Uighur unrest
THURSDAY 22 MAY 2014
As China's security apparatus shifts into overrive in the after!ath of ea"y
e#p"osions in $in%ian&' an e#i"e ethnic Ui&hur "eaer says a (heavy)hane( Chinese
response *i"" !a+e thin&s *orse,
Above: Uighur unrest in Urumqi in 2009. Uighur rioting turned violent, and
Chinese police were criticised for the subsequent disproportionate
suppression.
Chinese government persecution of the Uighur !uslim minorit" in the
#in$iang Uighur Autonomous %egion &#AU%' in the west of China is now so
severe that e(iled Uighur nationalists and international human rights
groups predict further escalation of the e(treme violence witnessed in
recent wee)s,write *onathan !iller and +ann" ,incent.
-.he /ei$ing government needs to ta)e responsibilit",- sa"s +ol)um 0sa,
e(ecutive chairman of the1orld Uighur Congress &1UC'.
Acts of terror a&ainst the state cannot -e %ustifie in !ora" ter!s -ut
neither can repressive an vio"ent acts -y a&ents of the state,!ichael
+illion
-1e have no rights. 2ur political, cultural, economic and religious rights are
denied. 3ven peaceful protests are banned. 2ur dail" lives are threatened,-
he sa"s.
-.he" show 4ero tolerance. .hat is wh" the violence is happening.-
Chinese 5oreign !inistr" spo)esman 6ong 7ei responded to .hursda"s
attac) b" sa"ing: -.he Chinese government has the confidence and the
abilit" to combat the terrorists. .hese terrorists are swollen with arrogance.
.heir schemes will not succeed.-
'Repressive an vio"ent'
.he restive region of #UA% appears caught in a spiral of intensif"ing
violence, with the threat of further terror used b" the Chinese authorities to
$ustif" increased repression, which in turn is leading to greater resentment
and hostilit".
+omestic terrorism now poses a clear and present danger to the Chinese
public.
-Acts of terror against the state cannot be $ustified in moral terms but
neither can repressive and violent acts b" agents of the state,- sa"s !ichael
+illion, of 7ancaster Universit", and author ofseveral boo)s on Chinas
!uslims.
-0t is onl" b" e(amining the root causes of a conflict li)e the one in #in$iang
that there is an" hope of resolving, or at least ameliorating, the problem.
.he Chinese government does not seem willing to do this,- he sa"s.
Sp"ittis!
%eports from #UA% suggest that the 6an Chinese authorities now treat the
regions 9.8 million Uighurs 9 an ethnic .ur)ic group 9 with such suspicion
and hostilit" that an" e(pression of Uighur identit" is deemed an e(pression
of separatist intention... or -splittism- in the governments 2rwellian
le(icon.
There's no ou-t that this enia" of ri&hts has "e to eepenin& an
profoun a"ienation,:ophie %ichardson, 6uman %ights 1atch
Anal"sis of data recentl" released b" Chinas :upreme ;eoples
;rocuratorate indicate that while indictments for -endangering state
securit"- &3::' declined in 20<=, most 3:: trials 9 for crimes such as
subversion and -splittism- 9 too) place in either in the #UA% or .ibet.
:tate repression in both regions has broad similarities, but the response
from militant Uighur nationalists has been much more violent than that of
the .ibetan resistance.
6uman %ights activists cite man" incidents of overt persecution of Uighur
!uslims 9 including one case, $ust two da"s ago, in which Uighur protestors
reportedl" demanding the right to wear 0slamic headscarves, were
dispersed b" securit" forces using live rounds.
.here were reports that four ma" have been )illed and others in$ured.
'.rofoun a"ienation'
#in$iang is a remote part of China, to which foreign $ournalists have limited
access 9 particularl" to an"thing deemed politicall" sensitive.
Allegations are hard to verif", but foreign observers find Chinese
government versions of -facts- hard to accept. 0t activel" obstructs efforts
to independentl" confirm widespread accusations of serious human rights
abouse and repression.
.he arrest and detention of the prominent Uighur economist ;rofessor 0lham
.ohti three months ago led to an international outcr". 6e was accused b"
the Urumqi ;ublic :ecurit" /ureau of engaging in separatist activities and
-fanning ethnic hatred-.
This is a-out the Ui&hur assertin& their ri&hts, The &overn!ent nees to
chan&e its strate&y over ho* it ea"s *ith this pro-"e!,+ol)um 0sa,
chairman of the 1orld Uighur Congress
-.heres no doubt that this denial of rights has led to deepening and
profound alienation,- sa"s :ophie %ichardson, a Uighur specialist at U:9
based 6uman %ights 1atch. -!an" Uighur feel #in$iang has been
colonised.-
#in$iang accounts for an area roughl" half the si4e of 0ndia. 0t ma)es up
nearl" a fifth of Chinas land area but is home to not even one9fiftieth of its
population.
2f #UA%s 229million inhabitants, less than half are Uighur. !ost of them are
confined to the southern .arim basin.
'Assertin& their ri&hts'
.here has been huge 6an Chinese migration into northern areas, including
the regional capital, Urumqi. .he /ei$ing government has sought to develop
#UA%s oil, gas and coal e(traction industries to feed the energ" hungr"
factories and power stations in the east.
Uighur unrest and growing militanc" is thought to be mostl" secular and
political rather than 0slamist9inspired. .wo groups blamed b" the
government for terrorist attac)s are the 3ast .ur)istan 0slamic
!ovement and the .ur)istan 0slamic ;art".
:ome question whether the groups reall" even e(ist, although the terrorism
is real enough. +ol)um 0sa, chairman of the 1orld Uighur Congress, is
dismissive of their alleged lin)s to international $ihadism.
-0 do not believe this is part of the global $ihadist movment,- he
told Channel > ?ews. -China is alwa"s tr"ing to find this lin). /ut it is not
radical 0slam at the heart of this.
-.his is about the Uighur asserting their rights. .he government needs to
change its strateg" over how it deals with this problem.-