The Ghulja, Gulja,[3][4] or Yining incident (Chinese: 伊寧事件, Yīníng Shìjiàn), also referred to as the Ghulja Massacre,[5] was the culmination of the Ghulja protests of 1997, a series of demonstrations[6] in the city of Yining—known as Ghulja in Uyghur—in the Xinjiang autonomous region of China.
| Ghulja Incident | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Xinjiang conflict | |||
| Date | February 3, 1997 February 3–5, 1997 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by |
| ||
| Goals | Uyghur independence | ||
| Methods | Protests, rioting | ||
| Resulted in | Crowd dispersed by police[1] | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death(s) |
| ||
| Injuries | 198 | ||
| Arrested | 1,600+ (dissident claims) | ||
Background edit
During the 1980s, the practice of meshrep had become increasing popular in Xinjiang amongst Uyghur youth. The cultural practice, which involves music, dance, and poetry, was seen by the state as a positive influence in the region. However, towards the middle of the 1990s the Chinese authorities began to see the meshrep movement as a threat. In 1996 Abduhelil Abdurahman, a prominent organiser of meshrep meetings, was jailed and subsequently beaten to death whilst in custody by the authorities in Xinjiang as part of the "Strike Hard" campaign.[citation needed] Meshrep attendees became a primary target of the "Strike Hard" campaign.[7]
Among the causes of the incident was the arrest of a group of women taking part in a meshrep on 3 February 1997,[7] as well as the general crackdown on attempts to revive elements of traditional Uyghur culture, including traditional meshrep gatherings.[3]
Incident edit
At around 9:00 am on 5 February 1997, demonstrations occurred during which the a crowd had marched shouting "God is great" and "independence for Xinjiang".[8] [9]
According to a local police official, the crowd initially numbered in the dozens, but quickly swelled in size.[10] A video of the incident taken at the time reportedly showed individuals chanting similar slogans as well as burning their identification documents.[8]
At noon, the demonstrations escalated as the crowd, numbering at about 1,000,[1] began to riot, attacking police and local residents, as well as burning shops and vehicles.[11][1][12]
The crowd was reportedly dispersed by police using clubs, water cannon, and tear gas. Official reports stated that 10 people, including a police officer, were killed,[10][1][4] while dissident sources claim that more than 100 were killed.[4] 198 people including security forces were injured.[13]
Aftermath edit
According to a police investigation, a number of participants in the demonstration and riots had arrived from Kashgar and Hotan.[8] Some of the participants in the incident fled from China to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but were detained by the U.S. military and handed over to the Pakistani government during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and were imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.[14] During incarceration, Chinese officials have visited Guantanamo to participate in interrogations.[14]
Exile sources claimed that 1,600 people[4] were arrested in a crackdown[15] carried out in the years immediately following the incident in Xinjiang. Rebiya Kadeer, who was present during the Ghulja incident, went on to become leader of the World Uyghur Congress.
According to Radio Free Asia, many Uyghurs who were arrested or detained on charges related to the incident have been sent to internment camps since 2017. Witnesses of the incident as well as family members, friends, and associates of those involved have also been allegedly rounded up and imprisoned.[16]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Deaths reported after separatist riot in Muslim region of China". The Irish Times. February 1997. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Uyghurs still push for accountability 25 years after Ghulja Massacre, Radio Free Asia, February 13, 2022
- ^ a b "China: Remember the Gulja Massacre? China's Crackdown on Peaceful Protesters". Amnesty International. February 2007.
- ^ a b c d "China Uighurs Executed". BBC News. January 27, 1998.
- ^ "Protest Marks Xinjiang 'Massacre'". Al Jazeera. February 6, 2007.
- ^ "Xinjiang to Intensify Crackdown on Separatists", China Daily, October 25, 2001.
- ^ a b Irwin, Peter (March 2, 2017). "Remembering the Ghulja Incident: 20th Anniversary of 'Uyghur Tiananmen' Passes With Little Notice". The Diplomat. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ a b c "《三联生活周刊》：揭开"东突"分子的恐怖面纱" (in Simplified Chinese). 新浪. November 2, 2001. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ^ "China's 'War on Terror'". BBC News. September 10, 2002.
- ^ a b "10 killed in ethnic clash in western China". CNN. February 10, 1997. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ "天山之痛——新疆恐怖事件回眸" (in Simplified Chinese). 南方周末. July 9, 2009. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
- ^ James Millward (2004). Violent Separatism in Xinjiang: A Critical Assessment. Policy Studies, East-West Center Washington.
- ^ "乌鲁木齐"7•5"事件主要特点及其引发的意识形态几点思考" (in Simplified Chinese). 新疆哲学社会科学网. October 22, 2009. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ^ a b "The Guantanamo 22". Aljazeera. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ "Gross Violations of Human Rights in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region". Amnesty International. 1999.
- ^ Hoshur, Shohret (February 16, 2021). "Uyghur Who Served 18 Years in Jail After Ghulja Incident Again Handed 18-Year Sentence". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved March 5, 2021.