Fair and open investigation in Uyghur region

Statement

on 21 July 2009

In a statement released on 21st July, the World Coalition said it was “seriously alarmed by the threat of death sentences made by Chinese officials in Urumqi following recent unrest” in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
According to the World Coalition, the threat “not only indicates the lack of rule of law in China but is also detrimental to the alleviation of tension between Han Chinese and Uyghur”.
The statement also denounced the threat as a violation of China’s international commitments.
The World Coalition called for an “open, independent, transparent, fair and impartial investigation following the recent reports of violence on the part of both demonstrators and security forces” and urged that all suspects receive a fair trial.
It regretted that Chinese officials used the death penalty “as a means of governance and of suppressing the dissidents”.

Download the statement (in English and in Chinese)

Photo: Urumqi, 8 July2009, by Remko Tanis