43 Uighurs missing: HRW

BEIJING: Dozens of ethnic Uighurs have disappeared since being detained in the wake of the riots in China’s Xinjiang region, a human rights group has said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the 43 men and teenaged boys were taken in police sweeps of Uighur districts of Urumqi, and had since vanished without a trace. The riots and protests in the city in early July left nearly 200 people dead. China’s central government declined to answer questions about those detained by the authorities in Xinjiang.

“The cases we documented are likely just the tip of the

iceberg,” said Brad Adams, Asia director, HRW.

The rights group is calling for the Chinese government to give details of everyone it is holding in detention.

In a report on the disappeared people, HRW said the police had searched two Uighur areas of Urumqi immediately after the riots. At least 43 people were taken away and had not been heard of since.