Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chairmen Recognize the Fourth Anniversary of the Riots in Xinjiang, China and Express Concern with the Government of China’s Continued Repression of Uyghur Rights.

Washington – Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission co-chairmen Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) today recognize the fourth anniversary of the riots and violence in Xinjiang, China and express their deepest concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in the People's Republic of China, especially for the Uyghur Muslim community. The co-chairs are increasingly concerned about the worsening and repressive situation for minorities in China.

On July 5, 2009, hundreds of the minority Muslim Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region of China rioted against the Han majority. This was the worst outbreak of ethnic violence in China in more than 30 years. Within just two days, 197 people died, 1,700 were wounded, and more than 1000 were detained. The PRC government's response to the violence was unacceptable, and the whereabouts of many of the 1000 Uyghurs detained on July 5, 2009 remain unknown today. The Government of China continues to repress the rights of the Uyghur minority. Recent reports indicate that Uyghurs face religious, political, and cultural repression, and they are also subject to deprivations of due process, forcible disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

Together, the co-chairmen call for the Government of China to stop the targeted, government-sponsored violence against the Uyghur minority and to commit to upholding the human rights of all citizens.

The mission of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission is to promote and advocate human rights in a nonpartisan manner both inside and outside of Congress.