An Interview with Uyghur who eye-witnessed Yarkent Massacre in July 28, 2014
The interview was conducted in December 9 in 2023
It was in Ramadan, on July 28, at midnight I heard noise and people crying. We were all awake, too afraid to sleep. Around 2am I saw a few women come to our neighborhood. They told us that the police had killed some women and arrested others who took part in a tunek vigil, when they spend the whole night praying. They were all from Elishqu town. They didn’t have any shoes on, their dresses were muddy, and they kept crying. They told us that on the night of the 27th, women in Yaqatam and Tereklenge villages gathered at several houses to hold tunek while the men went to local mosque to pray.
About the time of the morning call to prayer, I heard gun shots. At first, I thought they were fireworks, but then I saw a helicopter flying overhead. Our village administrator asked our neighbors not to go outside. Then I heard the sound of motorcycles and calls of “Allahu Akbar.” The women who had escaped [from those villages] told us that the police came and arrested women house by house while they were holding their tunek. When the men came home from their prayer they learned what had happened. About 200 Uyghurs went to the police station and township administration to ask the authorities to release the women. They closed the gates but the protestors tore them down, and tried to get in. The protest turned into a violent clash, cars were burned, and people got shot.
In the morning I saw protesters started moving forward to the other end of the road. There were a lot of people, most of them were young. I heard them calling “Let them out, let them out.” Then I heard gunshots. Later I learned that about 30 Uyghur men got shot in front of the mosque. Then I heard a bomb exploding. Later I heard that about 60 Uyghurs died in the bomb blast.
The second day I saw a fire engine come to clean the blood from the streets. They used a high pressure water jet. I saw the blood streaming down both sides of the road. Later I learned from a friend that they collected the remains of 350 bodies. On the fourth day the propaganda started. That day people in Yarkent learned what happened. The TV and radio stations broadcast that a riot had been pacified, and terrorists had been killed, but the city was still under lockdown. Police started to round up people who were originally from Elishqu. According to my friends, 4800 people from Elishqu were arrested. Other townships close to Elishqu were also affected. A police friend told me that altogether around 10,000 men and women were arrested.
Note: This man in the picture is Ababekri Muhemmet. He got arrested for leaking the news out. He got sentenced 9 years. This year he should be released, let us ask China to release him and not to violate its own laws.
