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Chinese Communist Authorities in East Turkistan
Arrested 250 Young man in Ili
East Turkistan Information Center News. February 4,
2003.
On the eve of the Sixth anniversary of Ghulja
massacre (which occurred on February 5th, 1997), the
Chinese Communist authorities in Ili Autonomous
Prefecture carried out mass arrests against Uyghurs.
In five days from January 30th to February 4th,
Chinese police forces arrested 250 innocent Uyghur
youth on various kinds of charges in Ghulja city. The
Chinese Communist Party authority alerted the Chinese
armed forces and the public security police in the
entire Ili Autonomous Prefecture and implementation
martial law. Great number of Chinese national security
forces patrolled streets in Ghulja city.
Chinese Communist authorities feared the anniversary
of Ghulja massacre might trigger new big scale
demonstrations and other opposition activities against
repressive Chinese rule. The local government Ili
Autonomous Prefecture asked each government employee
to guard their post under all kinds of circumstances.
All administrative and judicial officials were advised
not go to public places during Chinese Spring
Festival.
In this new crack down, hundreds of Uyghur youth who
participated or who were suspected of having
connection with the peaceful demonstration in Ghulja
were arrested, and this kind of mass arrests is still
continuing.
When the Chinese is joyfully celebrating their Spring
Festival, the Uyghurs in East Turkistan experiencing
repression and mass arrests by Chinese Communist
authorities. This casts a dark shadow to the upcoming
Kurban Eid bayram (festival of sacrifice), which
arrives soon after the Chinese Spring Festival.
On February 5-6 of 1997, thousands of Uyghur youth
took to the streets of Ghulja City staged a
large-scale peaceful demonstration protesting China¡¯s
increased political, religious repression, and racial
discrimination against the indigenous Uyghur people of
East Turkestan. The Chinese authorities responded the
peaceful demonstrations by sending fully armed
paramilitary police forces to break up the unarmed
demonstrators. The Chinese paramilitary police used
tear gas and water canon, and created a
confrontational atmosphere. After Chinese provocation,
both sides clashed, the Chinese armed to the teeth,
the Uyghurs with bare hands.
Since the peaceful protest turned into a violent clash,
Chinese paramilitary police opened fire towards the
crowd and immediately killed more than ten Uyghurs.
Then, they detained thousands of Uyghur demonstrators,
arrested suspected demonstrators and sympathizers, as
well as their relatives. The Chinese paramilitary
police divided the detained Uyghurs into several
groups. One group, which was numbered more than 100
were forced to take off their clothes and were hosed
down with icy waters in cold winter. Several people
died on the scene with great pain.
Since then, the Chinese communist government in Ili
Prefecture altogether held 1500 court hearings, tried
more than 60000 Uygurs and 51000 were convicted on
various "political crimes". Among those, more than
8000 including Ibrahim Ismail, Abdushukur Abdumijit,
Ablimit have been either publicly or secretly executed,
and more than 11000 were sentenced the life in prison,
more than 14000 were sentenced 10 -20 years in prison,
and more than 10000 were sentenced 1-10 years in
prison.
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