Members of the Uyghur community held a protest march in Japan's Tokyo on Sunday, to mark the 12th year anniversary of July 5, 2009 violence in Urumqi, Xinjiang.
Pro Uyghur organisation, World Uyghur Congress (WUC), is commemorating the "Urumchi Massacre." According to the WUC, thousands of Uyghur protesters were killed, disappeared or injured, as the Chinese government cracked down on peaceful protests.
WUC said that this proved to be a pivotal turning point in the Chinese government's treatment of the Uyghur people.
"For the past 12 years, on July 5th, Uyghurs around the world commemorate the victims that have succumbed at the hands of the Chinese government during the Urumchi Massacre'', said WUC President Dolkun Isa ''In the years that followed July 5th 2009, Uyghurs have seen all of their fundamental rights stripped apart, and today we're facing a genocide.''
Reports from non-governmental organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, based on interviews with eyewitnesses, indicated that security forces deliberately used live ammunition during the unrest.
WUC further said Human Rights Watch identified 43 verifiable cases of enforced disappearances of Uyghur prisoners between July 6 and 7, although the number is certainly much higher.
( With inputs from ANI )
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