Munich [Germany], July 6 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) commemorated the 17th anniversary of the 2009 Urumchi unrest, accusing the Chinese government of carrying out a violent crackdown on peaceful Uyghur protesters and saying the events marked a turning point in what it describes as the ongoing repression of the Uyghur people.

In a press release, the WUC highlighted that the protests began on July 5, 2009, when thousands of young Uyghurs marched toward People's Square in Urumchi following the killing of at least two Uyghur workers in Shaoguan. According to the organisation, the workers had been transferred from East Turkistan under a state-sponsored labour scheme and were attacked by a mob of Chinese factory workers.

The WUC alleged that between July 5 and 7, Chinese security forces killed, injured, detained and forcibly disappeared thousands of peaceful demonstrators seeking equal treatment and protection of their rights. It claimed that hundreds of armed police officers moved to disperse the protests before they reached People's Square, after which many Uyghurs were sentenced in proceedings lacking due process while others disappeared.

The organisation further said authorities imposed a six-month communications blackout across the region following the crackdown, cutting it off from the outside world.

'Every July 5th, we commemorate one of the darkest moments in the history of the Uyghur people,' WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun said in the statement. He alleged that the 2009 crackdown laid the foundation for what the organisation describes as the genocide of Uyghurs taking place today.

The WUC said Uyghur diaspora communities worldwide would hold demonstrations on July 5 to commemorate those who died during the unrest and to call for an end to what it describes as the ongoing persecution of Uyghurs.

The organisation also urged the international community to press for transparency regarding the fate of those killed, detained and disappeared during the 2009 events. (ANI)