United Nations Radio

The UN Independent Expert on minority issues, Gay McDougall, is calling on the Chinese government to allow her access to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region where violence erupted in July 2009.

Gay McDougall

Clashes between ethnic Uyghur and Urumqi communities in the Xinjiang region this past summer led to loss of life on both sides, and the possibility of further hostilities cannot be ruled out.

McDougall made her first request to visit China in her capacity as the UN independent expert on minority issues in the immediate aftermath of the July violence, but her request has yet to been granted.

An independent and impartial assessment would be a positive step towards reconciliation, argues the UN expert, which is why she is re-stating her request to visit the region in a spirit of cooperation with the government of China and all communities.

She warns that the apparent fast-tracking of some trials and subsequent executions send shocking signals to some communities and may serve to further inflame tensions.

Nine individuals, mostly from the Uyghur ethnic group, were reportedly executed in November 2009 for their involvement in the violence. A month later, seven Uyghurs were reportedly sentenced to death, along with one ethnic Han.

Concerns remain over the whereabouts and circumstances of many others reportedly detained following the violence.

Jocelyne Sambira, UN Radio.

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