Beijing: Chinese police have formally arrested
83 people on charges including murder and arson in connection
with last month's deadly rioting in the western region of
Xinjiang, state media reported on Tuesday.
The arrests mark the first step in prosecuting those
implicated in the violence that saw Muslim Uighurs attack
members of China's dominant Han ethnic group.
Police have said hundreds were detained following the
rioting in Xinjiang's capital of Urumqi, which the government
says killed 197 people and injured more than 1,700 -- the
worst ethnic violence in China in decades.
Quoting Urumqi's chief prosecutor Utiku'er Abudrehman,
Xinhua said the 83 were the first to undergo the process of
being formally arrested.
"Those arrested will face charges of murder, intentional
injury, arson and robbery," Abudrehman said. The report said
no trial dates have yet been set.
The riots broke out July 5 after police stopped an
initially peaceful protest by Uighur youths. Uighurs then
smashed windows, burned cars and attacked Han. Two days later,
the Han took to the streets and staged retaliatory attacks.
The violence underscored simmering resentment among many
Uighurs over what they consider Chinese occupation of their
land and heavy-handed communist controls over religion and
cultural activities.
Uighur extremists have long waged a low-intensity
insurgency against Chinese rule, although they are believed to
be few in number and poorly organized.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, August 04, 2009, 23:48