BEIJING: China has sentenced nine people to death on terrorism-related charges in its ethnically divided western region of Xinjiang, state media said on Thursday, as authorities crack down following several deadly attacks.
Multiple courts in Xinjiang sentenced 81 suspects on various terror-related charges, state-broadcaster CCTV said.
In the past year Xinjiang – home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority – has seen an increase in violent clashes, which Beijing blames on organised terrorist groups seeking independence for the region.
Critics say Beijing exaggerates the terror threat in Xinjiang to justify hard-line measures, and point to economic inequality and cultural and religious repression of Uighurs as causes of unrest.
Also on Thursday, 29 people described as “terrorist suspects” were detained in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi on charges including “inciting separatism” and “gathering mobs to disturb order in a public place”, the state-run Xinjiang Net said.
The 29 cases were processed according to new rules calling on state prosecutors to complete terror-related investigations within 24 hours, the report said.
Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2014