“Human rights” coverage on Xinjiang mistaken
- Source: Global Times
- [07:51 July 27 2009]
- Comments
After the July 5 riots in Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, several overseas human rights organizations that act as “human rights guardians” – such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders – have put out mistaken and distorted statements about the incidents.
Mistake No.1: The July 5 riots was a “peaceful assembly.”
This was a blatant case of terrorism. According to a report by the Associated Press, a witness from the US studying in Xinjiang College of Arts saw the riots at about 6pm on July 5, when some 1000 rioters were attacking vehicles and homes and burning buses. He heard the sound of explosions and saw people carried away on stretchers. A man bathed in blood ran into a hospital.
Mistake No.2: The Chinese government violently suppressed the protest.
In the July 5 riots, the municipal government of Urumqi immediately intensified police patrols to protect people, maintain order and rescue the wounded. They also arrested some rioters and took measures to pacify the area in accordance with the law.
Governments worldwide all take drastic measures to maintain social stability when they face serious violence. However, accusations of “violent and blood suppression” are entirely mistaken.
Mistake No.3: The Chinese government’s response was an abuse of justice.
The key members of the July 5 riots have been arrested. The department of justice handled the cases in accordance with the law and laid emphasis on evidence and legal procedure. Whatever ethnic groups they belong to, every plotter behind the scenes, organizer, key member and every serious violent rioter will be harshly punished according to the law.
Mistake No.4: The Chinese press distorted the news.
After the riots, the Chinese press immediately published the news and reported on the incidents. In fact, distortions occurred in the Western media. For instance, Rebiya Kadeer, head of the “World Uyghur Congress” (WUC) used pictures taken in Shishou, Hubei Province when a cook died and several people gathered together, and the picture of an accident in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province to show the “Chinese army violently suppressing the Uygur people’s peaceful assembly.”
These pictures were widely disseminated through the Western media.
Mistake No.5: The WUC has nothing to do with the July 5 riots.
Kadeer and the WUC have long been preparing for the July 5 riots.
After the incident, Kadeer advocated assemblies in China and used them as the excuse of creating a disturbance. She also held press conference to seek for help from foreign governments and human rights organizations. Rioters attacked Chinese embassies in the Netherlands and Germany.
Mistake No. 6: The Uygur ethnic group have been suppressed.
In Xinjiang, like the other 40 plus ethnic minority groups living there, the Uygur people enjoy the rights of citizenship as well as other special rights and interests given by the Chinese government. The legal age for marriage for Uygur people is two years younger than that in the Marriage Law, and they also enjoy looser application of family planning rules, allowing farmers and herdsmen to have three children.
The Uygur population has grown from 3.29 million in 1949 to 9.41 million now, making them among the top five ethnic minority groups in China.
Mistake No. 7: The Uygur people do not enjoy freedom of religion.
The Chinese government emphasizes protecting and building venues for religious activities for Islamic people. In Xinjiang alone, there are more than 24,200 mosques with 29,000 workers. The government provides special funds for protecting mosques every year.
Mistake No. 8: The human rights of the Uygur people have been violated.
From the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, and especially since the reform and opening-up began in 1979, the last few decades have witnessed earth-shaking changes in Xinjiang Uygur Antonomous Region.
In 2008, the GDP of Xinjiang was over 420 billion yuan ($61.5 billion), and the growth rate 2 percent more than the average in the rest of China. Along with the rest of the country, the Uygurs are experiencing strong growth in their general prosperity and increased citizenship rights.
Excerpt from a report by China Human Rights Development Fund and China Society for Human Rights Studies. This article was translated by Wu Meng
