Further unrest in west China’s Urumqi region following syringe attacks

October 13th, 2009 URUMQI - Six people have been sentenced to death for their part in the murderous riots in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjing Uygur autonomous region, that took the lives of 197 people on July 5. The six learned they face execution at the Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi.

September 15th, 2009 Chinese ban transport of explosives in UrumqiBEIJING — Chinese police on Tuesday banned explosives from being transported in the western region of Xinjiang, the scene of deadly ethnic rioting this summer, while more suspects were being investigated for a spate of mysterious syringe attacks. The Xinjiang Public Security Ministry said transport of weapons, ammunition, explosives and radioactive goods into or within Xinjiang would be suspended from Sept.

September 14th, 2009 URUMQUI - The blood samples of Urimqui's latest syringe attack victims showed no trace of radioactive, toxic or viral substances, such as AIDS, an expert at a Beijing-based laboratory has said. However, Director of Disease Control and Biological Security Office with China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Qian Jun, has said that the victims have showed signs of depression.

September 12th, 2009 China sentences 3 to prison over needle attacksBEIJING — A court in western China's Xinjiang region sentenced three people to up to 15 years in prison Saturday in the first trials over a series of mysterious syringe attacks that led to mass protests against the local government. The three, all ethnic Uighurs, were sentenced by the Intermediate People's Court in the regional capital, Urumqi, state media reported.

September 11th, 2009 New needle attacks reported in Chinese citiesBEIJING — Mystery needle attacks appeared to spread in China's far western region as authorities arrested nine new suspects in three cities, officials said Friday. The suspects were recently detained in the Xinjiang region cities of Hotan, Altay, and Kashgar in connection with alleged attacks involving hypodermic needles, a press officer at the Xinjiang government press center in the provincial capital Urumqi said Friday.

September 11th, 2009 China sentences 3 to prison over syringe attacksBEIJING — A court in western China's Xinjiang region sentenced three people to up to 15 years in prison Saturday for a series of mysterious syringe attacks that led to mass protests against the local government. The protests by tens of thousands of Han Chinese earlier this month said the government can't guarantee their safety.

September 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Chinese officials in Urumqi have termed the recent syringe attacks as "terror attacks". "They aimed to unsettle the city's atmosphere," said Yan Yuxing, former president of Urumqi Municipal Intermediate People's Court.

September 9th, 2009 URUMQI - Despite a death penalty warning, 77 cases of needle attack were reported between Sunday and Monday evenings in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, police say. So far, police have caught 45 suspects during the syringe scare, of whom 12 remain in police custody.

September 6th, 2009 China: Syringe-wielding assailants may face deathBEIJING — China says assailants behind syringe attacks that sparked protests in the western city of Urumqi could face the death penalty if convicted. The official Xinhua News Agency said Sunday that harsh punishment would be meted out to those who stabbed others with hypodermic needles containing poisonous or harmful substances or contaminated by drug use.

September 6th, 2009 URUMQI - In the aftermath of Xinjiang riots that erupted on July 5, the party chief of Urumqi and police chief of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have been sacked. According to a decision by the CPC Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Committee, Li Zhi, secretary of the Urumqi Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was replaced by Zhu Hailun.

September 4th, 2009 China blames ethnic separatists for needle attacksURUMQI, China — China's Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu has blamed ethnic separatist forces for a bizarre series of needle attacks in the restive western region of Xinjiang. Meng's comments Friday come as thousands of mostly Han Chinese have taken to the streets of the regional capital Urumqi for a second day to demand increased security.

September 4th, 2009 Chinese city quiet after protests left 5 deadURUMQI, China — Security was heavy in the western Chinese city of Urumqi on Saturday after two days of demonstrations over a series of syringe attacks left five people dead and 14 injured. China's security chief blamed Muslim separatists on Friday for the needle attacks that have heightened tensions following ethnic rioting in July that left nearly 200 people dead according to official count.

September 3rd, 2009 URUMQI - Crowds demanding security guarantees gathered at a number of places in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang region in China, Thursday morning following hypodermic syringe attacks in the city. More than 1,000 people gathered in Xiaoximen area, a police officer said.

July 9th, 2009 URUMQI - A senior official has warned that China will execute anyone found to be behind the 156 riot killings in the north west city of Urumqi. Sky News quoted Li Zhi, the Communist Party boss of Urumqi, as saying that the government would seek the death penalty over bloody protests in the capital of Xinjiang.

July 7th, 2009 BEIJING - Several hundred Uighurs staged a protest Tuesday as Chinese officials took a group of foreign journalists on a tour of Urumqi, the riot-hit capital of the far western region of Xinjiang. The protesters sat down after they were blocked by riot police, reporters in Urumqi said.