Accessibility links

Breaking News

Eight Sentenced To Death In China For Xinjiang Attacks


A court in China's northwestern Xinjiang Province has sentenced eight members of the Uyghur community to death on December 8 for two deadly attacks in the region.

The Intermediate People's Court in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, sentenced another five to death with a two-year reprieve, and four others were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.

In May, 39 people were killed and 94 injured in an attack on a market in Urumqi.

In April, three people were killed and 79 were injured in an attack at a railway station in the city.

Also on December 8, the AP cited a lawyer of prominent jailed Uyghur professor Ilham Tohti that seven of Tohti's students had been jailed for three to eight years after being convicted of separatism.

Tohti was sentenced to life in prison for separatism in September.

Uyghurs in Xinjiang, a Turkic Muslim people indigenous to the region, have long complained about their treatment under Chinese rule.

Based on reporting by Xinhua and AP

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG