More Than 200 to Be Tried in China for Ethnic Rioting (Updated)

The New York Times reports that more than 200 people may be put on trial this week for their participation in the Urumqi riots in July:

China Daily, an English-language newspaper, quoted an unnamed police source as saying security had already been ratcheted up for the trials, which would be held in the Intermediate People’s Court in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital, site of the riots.

The charges include vandalizing public property, inciting crowds to cause bodily harm, murder, arson and robbery, the newspaper said. Investigators were reported to have assembled more than 3,300 pieces of evidence for the trials, including video clips, photographs and bloodied weapons.

See also an article from the Guardian.

Blogger Lian Yue wrote the following comment on Twitter about this news:

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When a woman drank alcohol in Malaysia, her caning was postponed until after Ramadan. Yet China chooses this period to hold the big trials in Xinjiang. Those in power are usually so sensitive to criticism, but not this time.