Video surveillance footage: beaten to death by Uighurs

Three surveillance videos from last July’s riots in China’s Uighur province have recently resurfaced on the Net. The violent footage shows a Han Chinese beaten to death by a mob of Uighurs. Why are these dated videos suddenly appearing online?

The scene was filmed by hospital surveillance cameras in the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi on July 5. That week, ethnic riots left 197 people dead, according to state media.

After the bloodshed, Chinese media were quick to broadcast footage of torched Chinese stores and injured Han Chinese (the main ethnic group in the country), blanking out images of the brutal police repression against Uighur protestors.

Nearly two months after the clashes, the situation remains very tense in Urumqi. The three videos, that show different moments of the same mob scene, were posted for the first time on YouTube "xjwlmq" in August. The buzz surrounding them only truly started on September 4, when they were posted on Liveleak the day Han protests broke out in Urumqi. Our Observers wonder whether Chinese authorities are not behind the buzz’s timing: the footage offers a perfect justification for Han anger and violence.

Warning: these images may be upsetting.

The attack took place in front of Urumqi’s largest hospital. The YouTuber adds that the medical staff from the hospital didn’t dare intervene for fear of being attacked themselves.

Images from the other two surveillance cameras

“This is a propaganda effort to rally Han opinion against Uighurs”

Erkin, member of the Paris-based association SOS-Uighurs.

Only the Chinese police have access to this kind of video archive. There has been no Internet connection in the Xinjiang province since July 5. The only ones to have access to Internet are probably high-ranking government officials or the police. It is very possible that posting these videos was a propaganda effort to try to rally Han opinion against Uighurs. It’s also a way to provide western media with footage that tarnishes the Uighur image. Once more, no images of Uighur victims have been published.

We condemn all acts of violence, no matter the ethnic origin of the victim. These images only make the inter-ethnic conflict worse.

Relations were already tense between Hans and Uighurs in the 1990s, but discrimination, mass migration, unemployment and destruction of the Uighur culture have made frustration levels boil over in the Uighur community.

China has to tackle the root causes of the violence. It must put an end to its colonialist policies, halt the Uighur deportations and massive Han migration. It must demonstrate its commitment to restoring peace and harmony, and re-open telecommunication channels in the region. "