ATAA CONDEMNS VIOLENCE AGAINST TURKIC UIGHURS IN CHINA, MOURNS MORE THAN 150 KILLED, 1000 WOUNDED SINCE WEEKEND

The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) condemns the hate crimes and killings that have occurred against Uighur Turks in the Xinjiang province of China.  Since Sunday, ethnic Hans, armed with clubs lead pipes, shovels and meat cleavers, have killed over 150 and seriously wounded over 1000 Uighurs.

Mostly Uighur elderly and woman engaged in a peaceful demonstration for Uighur rights and self-determination IN what is commonly referred to as “East Turkistan”.  They waived Tibetan and East Turkistan flags, tearfully mourned the deaths and oppression, and demanded the release of Uighur men who had been seized from their homes by the Chinese military.

The Turkic Uighurs, a mainly Sunni Muslim group with a distinct culture, is the largest ethnic group in the heart of Xinjiang, an oil-rich region in western China.  However, the Uighurs have been oppressed by the Han, the dominant ethnic group in the country, despite equal rights guarantees in the Chinese Constitution.  At least 1,434 people are being held by the Chinese authorities.  Information on the fate of the Uighurs has become difficult to obtain, as Chinese authorities have imposed curfews, cut off mobile and internet services, sent armed units into neighborhoods, and clamped down on visitations to the region.