China sentences 12 people to death over Xinjiang violence

A Chinese court on Monday sentenced 12 people to death for organizing terrorist attacks that killed 37 civilians in northwest China's Muslim-majority Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in July, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Intermediate People's Court of Kashgar Prefecture also sentenced 15 others to death with a two-year reprieve, according to the official news portal of the local government.
Nine people were jailed for life while another 20 defendants got four to 20 years behind bars. An additional two defendants were released on probation.
On July 28, a gang armed with knives and axes attacked a police station and government offices in Elixku Township, and some moved on to the nearby Huangdi Township, attacking civilians and smashing vehicles as they passed. Dozens of Uygur and Han Chinese civilians were killed or injured.
About 41.5 percent of Xinjiang's 21 million population is Uygurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group.
Located in a volatile region, Xinjiang has been battling separatism, extremism and terrorism since China took control of the area in 1949. During its most deadly unrest in decades, 197 people were killed and about 1,700 others injured in the July 2009 riot.