Crocus

by | Mar 12, 2018 | Crocus

How Can We Help?
You are here:
< Back
This article is about the 1997 Ghulja incident. For the Yining incident which led to the abolition of the East Turkestan Republic, see Abolition of the East Turkestan Republic.

Ghulja is the capital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture

The Yining incident (Chinese: 伊寧事件, Yīníng Shìjiàn) was the culmination of the Ghulja protests of 1997, a series of demonstrations[3] in the city of Yining—known as Ghulja in Uyghur—in the Xinjiang autonomous region of China.

Background

Further information: Second East Turkestan Republic and Terrorism in China

During the 1980s, the practice of meshrep had become increasing popular in Xinjiang amongst Uyghur youth. The cultural practice, which involves music, dance, and poetry, was seen by the state as a positive influence in the region.

Among the causes of this incident was the arrest of a group of women taking part in a meshrep on 3 February 1997.

Incident

At around 9:00 am on 5 February 1997, demonstrations occurred during which the a crowd had marched shouting "God is great".

According to a local police official, the crowd initially numbered in the dozens, but quickly swelled in size.[4] A video of the incident taken at the time reportedly showed individuals chanting similar slogans as well as burning their identification documents.[5]

At noon, the demonstrations escalated as the crowd, numbering at about 1,000,[1] began to riot, attacking police and local residents, as well as burning shops and vehicles.[6][1][7]

The crowd was reportedly dispersed by police using clubs, water cannon, and tear gas. Official reports stated that 10 people, including a police officer, were killed,[4][1][8] while dissident sources claim that more than 100 were killed.[8] 198 people including security forces were injured.[9]

Aftermath

According to a police investigation, a number of participants in the demonstration and riots had arrived from Kashgar and Hotan.[5] Some of the participants in the incident fled from China to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but were detained by the U.S. military and handed over to the Pakistani government during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and were imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.[10] During incarceration, Chinese officials have visited Guantanamo to participate in interrogations.[10]

Exile sources claimed that 1,600 people[8] were arrested in a crackdown[11] carried out in the years immediately following the incident in Xinjiang.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Deaths reported after separatist riot in Muslim region of China". The Irish Times. February 1997. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Uyghurs still push for accountability 25 years after Ghulja Massacre, Radio Free Asia, February 13, 2022
  3. ^ "Xinjiang to Intensify Crackdown on Separatists", China Daily, October 25, 2001.
  4. ^ a b "10 killed in ethnic clash in western China". CNN. February 10, 1997. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "《三联生活周刊》：揭开"东突"分子的恐怖面纱" (in Simplified Chinese). 新浪. November 2, 2001. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  6. ^ "天山之痛——新疆恐怖事件回眸" (in Simplified Chinese). 南方周末. July 9, 2009. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
  7. ^ James Millward (2004). Violent Separatism in Xinjiang: A Critical Assessment. Policy Studies, East-West Center Washington.
  8. ^ a b c "China Uighurs Executed". BBC News. January 27, 1998.
  9. ^ "乌鲁木齐"7•5"事件主要特点及其引发的意识形态几点思考" (in Simplified Chinese). 新疆哲学社会科学网. October 22, 2009. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "The Guantanamo 22". Aljazeera. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  11. ^ "Gross Violations of Human Rights in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region". Amnesty International. 1999.
Categories
Table of Contents