Amnesty International has blasted Beijing for crackdowns on ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang, on China's Western frontier, since riots shook the region in 2008 and 2009.
The Uyghurs are a Turkic people and predominantly Muslim, and in Xinjiang, they live among Han Chinese settlers from what they call The Inland.
International Uyghurs are pushing for Xinjiang's autonomy from China.
REUTERSAn ethnic Uighur man sits at his outdoor carpet stall near the Dong Kuruk Bridge mosque in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, July 16, 2009, after bloody ethnic riots there. ReutersAn ethnic Uighur man sits at his outdoor meat stall near the Dong Kuruk Bridge mosque in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region July 16, 2009. Security remains heavy in ethnic Uighur neighbourhoods of Xinjiang regional capital Urumqi after riots on July 5 between the Muslim Uighur minority and majority Han Chinese wounded more than 1,600. The official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday that 192 people were killed in the riots, and that around 1,000 people have been detained.REUTERSEthnic Uighur women walk past a sign outside a small mosque in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region July 16, 2009. REUTERSUigher demonstrators protest outside China's consulate in Melbourne August 7, 2009. Uigher protesters on Friday gathered outside China's consulate in Melbourne to demonstrate against China's recent crackdown in Xinjiang province.REUTERSRebiya Kadeer, president of the World Uyghur Congress, gestures during a news conference over the situation of the Uyghurs at the European Parliament in Brussels September 1, 2009.REUTERS
