Five people were sentenced to death in Urumqi, in the far western province of Xinjiang Thursday 3 December. The men were accused of murdering a police officer and killing bystanders during the worst ethnic riots in China in July. The riots erupted when ethnic Uighurs rampaged through the city, killing up to 200 ethnic Han Chinese, before order was restored. The accused had Uighur-sounding names and the proceedings were held in Uighur.

The trial began in October against 21 people accused of having taken part in July’s riots. Nine people have  since been executed.

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