China jails 113 in ethnic Xinjiang region
6/29/2014BEIJING — Chinese state media say 113 people have been imprisoned in the ethnic region of Xinjiang for terrorism or other charges.
The government-run news portal Tianshan.net said regional courts in the Kashgar area held open sessions to sentence the 113, including four who received life terms, in 69 cases.
The region, home to the Muslim minority of Uighurs, has seen a rise in violence in recent months. Beijing blames the violence on militants with ties to overseas terrorism groups. Uighurs have complained of repressive ethnic policies and practices and economic disenfranchisement in their resource-rich land.
In one case, two defendants were convicted of organizing and leading terror groups after they viewed terrorism materials, spread extreme religious thoughts and plotted terror activities, according to Tianshan.net.