Uygurs, experts reflect on 10th anniversary of deadly riots in Xinjiang

Riots in July 2009 began as a peaceful protest by Uygur students in Urumqi demanding answers about the killing of two factory workers 4,000km away

But protests descended into violence, and at least 192 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured, most of them Han

Reading Time:3 minutes

This image taken on July 7, 2009 shows a large group of Han Chinese armed with sticks and shovels walking up a street in Urumqi. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:40pm, 5 Jul 2019Updated: 3:24pm, 5 Jul 2019

Ten years after deadly riots rocked the city of Urumqi in China’s western Xinjiang region, rights activists are demanding the government release more information about the event.

The riots on July 5, 2009, began as a peaceful protest by Uygur students demanding answers about the killing of two Uygur workers in a factory 4,000km (2,500 miles) away.

Fighting had erupted on June 25 at a toy factory in the southern city of Shaoguan after an anonymous internet post claimed two women from the Han ethnic majority had been raped by six Uygur workers.

In the fight, heightened by tense relations between Han and the Uygurs who had been brought there through a government programme, two Uygur men were killed and more than 120 injured, according to authorities.

The 2009 riots in the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi left 192 people dead. Photo: AFP

The protests in Urumqi also descended into violence, though it is unclear how that happened. At least 192 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured, most of them Han, according to the authorities.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x