Ghulja incident

The region of East Turkistan (officially Xinjiang) in China witnessed armed clashes and terrorist attacks throughout the 1990s by separatist militants particularly the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) along with the use of State terror.

[6] In 1996, the government of the People's Republic of China initiated a "Strike Hard" campaign to crack down on suspected separatist activity.

[12] According to Sanlian Lifeweek, a video of the incident taken at the time reportedly showed individuals chanting similar slogans as well as burning their identification documents.

[9] At noon, the demonstrations escalated as the crowd, numbering at about 1,000,[1] began to riot, attacking police and local residents, as well as burning shops and vehicles.

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.