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China: a UN inquiry required re Xinjiang
Published by Uyghur Canadian Society on Jul 24, 2009
31 Signatures 
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Target: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada
Region: Canada
Web site: http://www.uyghurcanadiansociety.org
Background (Preamble):
An introduction to Uyghurs and their motherland, East Turkistan (look) www.uyghurcanadiansociety.org
East Turkistan, also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, lies in the heart of Asia.
East Turkistan is located beyond a logical boundary of China, the Great Wall. Historically, East Turkistan is a part of Central Asia, not of China. East Turkistan's people are not Chinese; they are Turks of Central Asia.
The version of the Urumchi unrest that has been presented to the world by the Chinese government follows this narrative. On July 5, Uyghur “plotters” took to the streets and in a display of “beating, smashing, looting, and burning” killed 197 people and injured 1,721. The riot was masterminded by Rebiya Kadeer and the World Uyghur Congress. Yesterday, Nur Bekri, the Chairman of what the Chinese government calls the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, admitted that Chinese security forces used live ammunition and shot dead protestors, who were referred to as “mobsters” in the official media, to control the unrest.
This version of events, as is so often the case with Chinese reporting, is not true. For instance, we know that far more than 12 Uyghurs were shot by Chinese authorities.
The Chinese government, through its proxies in the official media, is obscuring the truth in order to conceal a mass killing of Uyghurs by Chinese security forces. Furthermore, through its demonization of Uyghur protestors in the official media, it is attempting to justify the impending mass executions of Uyghurs as promised by Chinese officials.
East Turkistan, also known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, lies in the heart of Asia.
East Turkistan is located beyond a logical boundary of China, the Great Wall. Historically, East Turkistan is a part of Central Asia, not of China. East Turkistan's people are not Chinese; they are Turks of Central Asia.
The version of the Urumchi unrest that has been presented to the world by the Chinese government follows this narrative. On July 5, Uyghur “plotters” took to the streets and in a display of “beating, smashing, looting, and burning” killed 197 people and injured 1,721. The riot was masterminded by Rebiya Kadeer and the World Uyghur Congress. Yesterday, Nur Bekri, the Chairman of what the Chinese government calls the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, admitted that Chinese security forces used live ammunition and shot dead protestors, who were referred to as “mobsters” in the official media, to control the unrest.
This version of events, as is so often the case with Chinese reporting, is not true. For instance, we know that far more than 12 Uyghurs were shot by Chinese authorities.
The Chinese government, through its proxies in the official media, is obscuring the truth in order to conceal a mass killing of Uyghurs by Chinese security forces. Furthermore, through its demonization of Uyghur protestors in the official media, it is attempting to justify the impending mass executions of Uyghurs as promised by Chinese officials.
Petition:
TO: The Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada
We, the undersigned,
Considering, with deep sadness, the tragic riots of July 5, 2009 in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China during which at least 192 Uyghur and Han Chinese people died in and around Urumqi, with 810 victims still in hospital, according to official Chinese sources;
and given that over 1,400 people, arrested in Urumqi since July 5, face the possibility of torture and are not being given access to their families or lawyers of their choice – and Chinese lawyers have been threatened with revocation of their
licences if they represent Uyghurs who have been arrested;
and given that the true numbers, likely much higher, are impossible to ascertain because of strict Chinese media
censorship and a shutdown of phones and internet;
We call on the Canadian government to:
• appeal to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to launch a full-scale, fair and impartial investigation into the causes and outcomes of the events in Xinjiang on and since July 5.
• urge the Chinese government to respect and protect Uyghurs' rights to life and freedom from discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin by addressing widespread abuses and violations of these rights; and refrain from using the events as an excuse for a brutal crackdown on Uyghurs across China.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada
We, the undersigned,
Considering, with deep sadness, the tragic riots of July 5, 2009 in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China during which at least 192 Uyghur and Han Chinese people died in and around Urumqi, with 810 victims still in hospital, according to official Chinese sources;
and given that over 1,400 people, arrested in Urumqi since July 5, face the possibility of torture and are not being given access to their families or lawyers of their choice – and Chinese lawyers have been threatened with revocation of their
licences if they represent Uyghurs who have been arrested;
and given that the true numbers, likely much higher, are impossible to ascertain because of strict Chinese media
censorship and a shutdown of phones and internet;
We call on the Canadian government to:
• appeal to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to launch a full-scale, fair and impartial investigation into the causes and outcomes of the events in Xinjiang on and since July 5.
• urge the Chinese government to respect and protect Uyghurs' rights to life and freedom from discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin by addressing widespread abuses and violations of these rights; and refrain from using the events as an excuse for a brutal crackdown on Uyghurs across China.
The China: a UN inquiry required re Xinjiang petition to Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada was written by Uyghur Canadian Society and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition. Contact author here. Petition tags: uyghur, uighur, east, turkistan, urumqi, riot, xinjiang, lawrence, cannon, canadian
