Uighur Muslims grieve police state abuses as Han Chinese authorities take their men in the regional capital of Urumqi on 7/7/09 (NBC San Diego).
BEIJING (Gillian Wong, AP) – Chinese police killed 12 people during July 5 rioting in the western city of Urumqi, officials said — a rare acknowledgment by the government that security forces opened fire in the worst ethnic clashes to hit the region in decades.
Photos: Ethnic minority riots spread in China
The unrest began when a peaceful protest by Muslim ethnic minority Uighurs turned violent after it was stopped by police. The Uighurs went on a rampage in the capital of Xinjiang province, smashing windows, burning cars and beating Han Chinese, the nation's dominant ethnic group.
Photos: Ethnic minority riots spread in ChinaThe unrest began when a peaceful protest by Muslim ethnic minority Uighurs turned violent after it was stopped by police. The Uighurs went on a rampage in the capital of Xinjiang province, smashing windows, burning cars and beating Han Chinese, the nation's dominant ethnic group.
Tibetans demonstrate supporting Muslim Uighurs condemning Chinese crackdown (AP).
Two days after the first rioting, vigilante groups of ethnic Han took to the streets and attacked Uighurs. Xinjiang Governor Nur Bekri said police shot the "mobsters" on July 5 after first firing warning shots, according to a report late Saturday by the official Xinhua News Agency. He apparently did not say which ethnic group the "mobsters" belonged to. More>>
Two days after the first rioting, vigilante groups of ethnic Han took to the streets and attacked Uighurs. Xinjiang Governor Nur Bekri said police shot the "mobsters" on July 5 after first firing warning shots, according to a report late Saturday by the official Xinhua News Agency. He apparently did not say which ethnic group the "mobsters" belonged to. More>>
A body and burnt out car are left in the streets of Urumqi following police riot. Police killed 12 people during the July 5 rioting, a senior official said, a rare acknowledgment that security forces opened fire in the worst ethnic clashes to hit the region in decades (AP/Xinjiang Government Press Office/file).
