| Ghulja Incident | |
| Partof: | the Xinjiang conflict |
| Time: | February 3–5, 1997 |
| Place: | Yining, Xinjiang, China |
| Causes: |
|
| Goals: | Uyghur independence |
| Result: | Crowd dispersed by police |
| Methods: | Protests, rioting |
| Side1: | Uyghur independence activists |
| Side2: | Chinese government |
| Fatalities: |
|
| Injuries: | 198 |
| Arrests: | 1,600+ (dissident claims) |
The Ghulja, Gulja, or Yining incident (Chinese: {{linktext|伊寧|事件, Yīníng Shìjiàn), also referred to as the Ghulja Massacre,[1] was the culmination of the Ghulja protests of 1997, a series of demonstrations[2] in the city of Yiningknown as Ghulja in Uyghurin the Xinjiang autonomous region of China.
During the 1980s, the practice of meshrep had become increasing popular in Xinjiang amongst Uyghur youth. The cultural practice, which involves music, dance, and poetry, was seen by the state as a positive influence in the region. However, towards the middle of the 1990s the Chinese authorities began to see the meshrep movement as a threat. In 1996 Abduhelil Abdurahman, a prominent organiser of meshrep meetings, was jailed and subsequently beaten to death whilst in custody by the authorities in Xinjiang as part of the "Strike Hard" campaign. Meshrep attendees became a primary target of the "Strike Hard" campaign.
Among the causes of the incident was the arrest of a group of women taking part in a meshrep on February 3, 1997,[3] as well as the general crackdown on attempts to revive elements of traditional Uyghur culture, including traditional meshrep gatherings.[4]
At around 9:00 am on February 5, 1997, demonstrations occurred during which the a crowd had marched shouting "God is great" and "independence for Xinjiang".[5] [6]
According to a local police official, the crowd initially numbered in the dozens, but quickly swelled in size. A video of the incident taken at the time reportedly showed individuals chanting similar slogans as well as burning their identification documents.[5]
At noon, the demonstrations escalated as the crowd, numbering at about 1,000, began to riot, attacking police and local residents, as well as burning shops and vehicles.[7] [8]
The crowd was reportedly dispersed by police using clubs, water cannon, and tear gas. Official reports stated that 10 people, including a police officer, were killed,[9] [10] [11] while dissident sources claim that more than 100 were killed.[11] 198 people including security forces were injured.[12]
According to a police investigation, a number of participants in the demonstration and riots had arrived from Kashgar and Hotan.[5] Some of the participants in the incident fled from China to Afghanistan and Pakistan, but were detained by the U.S. military and handed over to the Pakistani government during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and were imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.[13] During incarceration, Chinese officials have visited Guantanamo to participate in interrogations.[13]
Exile sources claimed that 1,600 people[11] were arrested in a crackdown[14] carried out in the years immediately following the incident in Xinjiang. Rebiya Kadeer, who was present during the Ghulja incident, went on to become leader of the World Uyghur Congress.
According to Radio Free Asia, many Uyghurs who were arrested or detained on charges related to the incident have been sent to internment camps since 2017. Witnesses of the incident as well as family members, friends, and associates of those involved have also been allegedly rounded up and imprisoned.[15]