Uyghur Americans commemorate 15th anniversary of Urumqi massacre in US capital city

In a post on X on Friday, the Uyghur American Association said, “Uyghur Americans today commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Urumqi Massacre in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC.”

Uighur Americans today commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Urumqi Massacre in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC. pic.twitter.com/wH99HwXxia

— Uyghur American Association (@Uyghur_American) July 6, 2024

This tragic incident occurred on July 5, 2009, when thousands of Uighur Muslims marched to the People’s Square in central Urumqi to protest the Chinese government’s handling of the Shaoguan incident.

On 5 July 2009, violence broke out between ethnic minority Uighurs and Han Chinese in Urumqi, Xinjiang's largest city, leaving several people dead and injured over three days. In this incident, several Uighurs were killed by a mob of Chinese factory workers during a dispute.

The 15th anniversary of the Ürümqi Massacre was commemorated by various groups and individuals involved in human rights, Uyghur advocacy, and remembrance of the victims. These events generally serve as a platform to raise awareness of the Ürümqi Massacre, remember the victims, and advocate for justice and accountability.

There are many significant issues concerning Uighurs in China. Reports from various sources indicate that Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region face widespread human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, forced labor, forced assimilation practices, and religious and cultural suppression.

The Chinese government is accused of interning thousands of Uighurs in the name of combating extremism and terrorism. In these camps, detainees are allegedly abused and kept in harsh conditions to radicalise them.

According to reports, Xinjiang is tightly monitored through surveillance technologies, including facial recognition, AI-powered surveillance systems, and mass data collection.

On July 5, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), a Uyghur rights organization based in Munich, Germany, condemned Chinese authorities for atrocities committed against the Uyghur community in East Turkistan in a statement released on Friday.

The WUC criticised Beijing and said the country should take responsibility for atrocities in the East Turkistan/Xinjiang region and compensate victims.

In a post on X, the World Uyghur Congress said, “On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Urumqi Massacre, WUC and @GfbV demand that the government should finally admit its responsibility for the genocide of Uyghurs in East Turkistan and compensate the victims.”