2009, July 5

Violent riots, which last several days, brake out in Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. The first day's rioting, which involves at least 1,000 Uyghurs, begins as a protest but later escalates into violent attacks which mainly target Han ("ethnic Chinese") people. After the People's Armed Police is deployed, hundreds of Han people clash with both police and Uyghurs. The official death toll is 197 people and 1,721 others injured, however Uyghur groups say the number of deaths is higher. Over 1,000 Uyghurs are arrested and detained. "Human Rights Watch" says that many Uughur men disappear during wide-scale police sweeps. Many vehicles and buildings are destroyed, shops are looted. Observers disagree on what caused the protests to become violent. Chinese media cover the riots extensively and western media are allowd to report freely from Xinjiang.
On 12 October 2009 six men are sentenced to death over Xinjiang riots.

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