For immediate release
February 19, 2008, 4:30 EST
Contact: Uyghur American Association +1 (202) 349 1496

State-controlled Chinese media reports indicate that on January 27, People’s Republic of China (PRC) security forces killed two people and captured 15 others in a "terror" raid in Urumchi, the capital of East Turkestan (designated as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by PRC authorities). The report states that those killed were members of an East Turkestan terrorist group planning an incident on February 5, the 11th anniversary of the Ghulja Massacre, in which Uyghurs peacefully protesting against increasing government repression were brutally suppressed by PRC authorities.

An earlier report in Hong Kong’s Tsingtao Daily conflicted with the account presented by the mainland press, stating that officials at the Xingfu Road police substation in the Tianshan district of Urumchi, whose forces reportedly participated in the raid, said that the incident occurred on February 4 and that 18 people were killed. The Tsingtao Daily report also noted that local media was instructed not to report on the event "in order to avoid spoiling the happy atmosphere of the Spring Festival."

There have been no independent sources that can verify the official version of events. A Radio Free Asia (RFA) report issued February 15 quotes a local resident who had heard that a raid had occurred, and that all those who had died were Uyghurs. She stated that the police chief of the Xingfu Road police substation had been fired because of the incident. A police officer at the substation and a deputy section chief at the Urumchi Public Security Bureau declined to comment on the incident, when questioned by the RFA reporter.

"We abhor all forms of violence. The Uyghur people’s response to the ongoing brutality of the PRC government has always been peaceful." said Uyghur democracy leader and Uyghur American Association president Rebiya Kadeer. "However, we know that the Chinese government uses the threat of 'terrorism' to persecute and intimidate all Uyghurs. PRC authorities must allow independent scrutiny of any evidence they have for the claims they are making. We call on the leaders in Beijing to facilitate an investigation into the alleged terrorist activities in East Turkestan by an independent outside commission, such as a delegation from the United Nations."

The PRC has long sought to equate all Uyghur opposition to PRC rule with "terrorism." East Turkestan remains the only part of the People’s Republic of China where people are still executed for non-violent crimes of political opposition to the Chinese state. Chinese government authorities never present any evidence whatsoever to support these claims. There is no video evidence; there are no independent witness statements; and there is no corroborating evidence from any other source whatsoever.

Official PRC government documents and statements frequently use vague and generic terms such as "East Turkestan terrorist organization" or "East Turkestan terrorist force," implying that a unified and strong group of terrorists exists. Hundreds of official speeches, reports, and news articles discussing East Turkestan use the "terrorist" designation. However, almost all independent observers have rejected the legitimacy of these types of government claims.
On January 8, 2007, PRC authorities reportedly raided a "terrorist camp" near the village of Kosrap, in the mountainous region of the Pamir Plateau. This raid was said to have resulted in the death of 18 people. PRC authorities have yet to provide documentation of this alleged terrorist camp.