Published by: The World Uyghur Network News, April, 28, 1997

[ETIC, 4/27/97] On April 8, 1997, a serious incident happened in a prison located in the northern part of Keriya county of Khotan Wilayet (region) of Eastern Turkistan. In the afternoon, several inmates of the prison's 5th block simultaneuosly attacked 9 prison guards killing 6 of them with ketmens (kind of a spade), and seriously wounding the rest. 22 rioters escaped from the prison with the guns of the guards. The other prisoners of the block chose to stay. Those escaped had been given long term and death sentences. Having pursued the fugitives for 3 days, the police caught 5 rioters. Two of them were immediately executed in front of the prison inmates.

ETIC has been receiving reports that the situation in the prisons in Eastern Turkistan are extremely inhumane. The political prisoners are subjected to physical tortures, including heavy beatings by batons, and deprivation of food. The bodies of killed inmates are usually not returned to their relatives, but secretly buried in the prison cemeteries.

[Abdullah Pamir, Abduljelil Karkash, Munich]