Society
Five sentenced to death for violence in Urumqi riot
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-03 16:58
URUMQI: Five people were sentenced Thursday to death for murder and other crimes committed in the July 5 riot in Urumqi, capital of west China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The defendants were Memeteli Islam, Mamattursun Elmu, Memeteli Abburakm, Kushiman Kurban and Helil Sadir.
Memeteli Islam was convicted of battering to death police officer Wan Jingang with a brick.
Mamattursun Elmu and Memeteli Abburakm were convicted of killing bystander Wang Zhenwu with a rock, before smashing the van of Zou Yuqiang and killing Zou and a woman, Fan Silan, inside.
Mamattursun Elmu was also convicted of setting fire to a van and a grain shop, which resulted in the deaths of five people in the shop: Zhao Zhangshi, Zhang Liujun, Zhang Yu, Yu Xinli and Liu kunpeng.
Kushiman Kurban was convicted of smashing the windows of a tyre store with a rod and stabbing to death bystander Wang Ningning.
Helil Sadir was convicted of killing Wang Lei with a beer bottle. Another person involved in the beating, Abdulla Memet, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Another man jailed for life, Baret Turjun, was convicted of arson and involvement in beating to death bystander Zhang Qingliang.
The cases were heard in the Uygur language and interpretation was provided as hundreds of people, including relatives of the defendants and the victims, were present at the trial.
Trials in five other cases connected with the riot will be heard by the court on Friday, according to court sources.
On October 30, the Higher People's Court of Xinjiang upheld death sentences for nine people convicted of crimes committed during the riot.
