In London, members of the Uyghurs and the Tibetan communities staged a protest outside the Chinese embassy to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the Urumqi massacre.
On July 5, 2009, the Chinese government launched a massive crackdown against Uyghurs who were protesting against the killing of two Uyghurs and in the aftermath, thousands of protestors were killed. Many had disappeared or were presumably sent to concentration camps.
As per reports, 197 people died, and 1,721 suffered injuries in the riot and Uyghur-run mosques were temporarily closed.
The Communist government of China also booked over 400 individuals with criminal charges for their actions during the riots and nine were executed in November 2009, and by February 2010, at least 26 had received death sentences.
Reports from non-governmental organizations and interviews given by eyewitnesses confirmed that security forces deliberately used live ammunition during the protest.
London was not the only city where protests were held to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the riots. Members of the Uyghur community also held protests all over the world organised by the Uyghur Solidarity UK.
Pro Uyghur organization, World Uyghur Congress (WUC), is commemorating the “Urumchi Massacre.”
On July 4, the East Turkistan Association of Canada has launched a 15-day walking protest against China’s massive human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims.
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