Mass Arrests and More Demonstrations in Urumchi

Image:newser

As Human Rights Watch   http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2005/04/10/china-religious-repression-uighur-muslims    joined calls for restraint from China, in its response to protests in Urumchi, East Turkestan (re-named as Xinjiang by communist China) further demonstrations appear to have emerged following the killing of over 150 people on Sunday’s peaceful protest. Reports indicate a predictably forceful and oppressive response from Chinese security forces ,with thousands of troops on the streets of the East Tukestan capital, large number of indiscriminate arrests have been reported, with one source claiming that over 1,000 Uyghurs had been forcibly detained since the demonstration on Sunday.

Today Uyghur demonstrators took to the streets once more,  demanding the release of those who had been taken from their homes by communist Chinese security forces, around 200 Uyghur women mounted a demonstration as international journalists were being taken around Urumchi on what was a propaganda exercise by the communist authorities. The women were protesting against the arrest of their husbands during a crackdown by the Chinese security forces. Following the mass arrests hundreds of  Uyghurs confronted heavily-armed riot police demanding the release of those taken in the crackdown following Sunday’s protests.

Image:ap

Local witnessses, reported on the newswire, described Chinese security forces sweeping through areas of Urumchi making house-to-house arrest. One woman, Maliya, said: “My husband was taken away yesterday by police. They didn’t say why. They just took him away.”  Abdul Ali, a Uyghur man in his twenties who had taken off his shirt, held up his clenched fist. “They’ve been arresting us for no reason and it’s time for us to fight back.”