China sentences Uygher former government officials to death for “Separatism”

Two Uygher former government officials have been sentenced to death for being separatist avtivists, said by a court, Beijing is getting increasingly criticized for acting against minority groups in the region.

According to a statement on the Xinjiang government website that was released Tuesday April 6, Shirzat Bawudun who is former head of the Xinjiang department of justice has been sentenced to death with a reprieve of two years (a death sentence with a reprieve is usually commuted to a life sentence) on the charge of with “splitting the country”. Mr Wang Langtao who is vice president of Xinjiang Higher People’s Court stated at a press conference that she conspired with a terrorist organization, took bribes and committed separatist activities.

According to news agency Xinhua, Bawudun found guilty of colluding with East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) after meeting with one of the group’s key members in 2003.

The court stated that Sattar Sawut who is former director of the Xinjiang education department was also sentenced to death with a reprieve of two years as he was found guilty of crimes of separatism and taking bribes. Officials said that he incorporated ethnic separatism, violence, terrorism, and religious extremism content into textbooks in Uygher language, which influenced people to attack and cause riots resulting in at least 200 deaths in 2009 in capital Urumqi.

The US says that Uyghers and other Muslim minorities in the region have been afflicted with “genocide”, however, Beijing is has denied such allegations of abuse and insists on Xinjiang policies being necessary against violent extremism.