UN Calls for Restraint in Xinjiang

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling for restraint in the violence in Xinjiang. He is hopeful an investigation will be launched, looking into the violent events which surrounded Sunday’s riots.

A spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says Chinese authorities and ethnic groups in Xinjiang should refrain from further violence after Sunday’s riots.

[Rupert Colville, UN Spokesman]:
„The High Commissioner (urges) Uighur and Han civic leaders, and the Chinese authorities at all levels, to exercise great restraint so as not to spark further violence and loss of life.“

He says the High Commissioner is concerned for the region.

[Rupert Colville, UN Spokesman]:
“The High Commissioner is alarmed by the large number of casualties during Sunday’s rioting in Urumqi, as well as by continuing reports of high tension and unrest in the region.“

The High Commissioner say that the demonstrators had the right to protest peacefully and those detained should be treated in line with international law.

[Rupert Colville, UN Spokesman]:
„The High Commissioner called for a transparent independent investigation into the causes of the rioting and the reasons why it escalated to the point of causing injuries or loss of life to over a thousand people, as well as identifying the victims and establishing precisely what happened to them. We believe such a process is essential to create trust.”

Pillay’s statement came today as riot police fired tear gas to disperse rock-throwing clashing Han and Uighur protesters.

(NTDTV)