September 2009 Xinjiang unrest

September 2009 Xinjiang attacks Ürümqi Location of Ürümqi within China
Part of Xinjiang conflict
Location	Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, PRC
Date	September 2009 (UTC+8)

In September 2009, Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China, experienced a period of unrest in the aftermath of the July 2009 Ürümqi riots. Late August and early September saw a series of syringe attacks on civilians. In response to the attacks, thousands of residents held protests for several days, resulting in the deaths of five people. In addition, the arrest and beating of several Hong Kong journalists during the protests attracted international attention.

According to Xinjiang police, attacks in which hundreds of individuals claim to have been stabbed with hypodermic needles began on 17 August. On 2 September, posters appeared around Ürümqi saying that 418 people had reported being stabbed or pricked, referring to the attacks as a "serious terrorist crime", although the government had so far not produced evidence of any terrorist link. Ürümqi authorities said that fewer than one in five of reported stabbings had left any obvious mark. A six-person People's Liberation Army medical review panel announced at a press conference: "In the patients we have seen in the last couple of days, there are many which we believe were not actually punctured with needles," They believed the false reports were due to widespread fear and lack of medical knowledge. According to state media, witnesses say those who had been attacked include Hans and Uyghurs, although the BBC said Hans claimed that they were being targeted.

In response to both concern over the attacks and dissatisfaction over the government's slowness in prosecuting people involved with the July riots, protesters took to the streets. Official media reported tens of thousands marching in the city centre on the morning of 3 September. The police dispersed the crowd with tear gas; five people died during the protests and 14 were injured. After the latest protest, the government announced a ban on all "unlicensed marches, demonstrations and mass protests".

On 4 September, the Communist Party Chief of Ürümqi, Li Zhi, was removed from his post, along with the police chief, Liu Yaohua. Li Zhi was later replaced with Zhu Hailan in a decision by the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Committee. No reasons were given for the dismissals. On 9 September, state media reported a further 77 syringe attacks from the previous two days.