Six men have been sentenced to death in the western region of Xinjiang for their part in the ethnic rioting between Han Chinese and Uighurs in July that took 197 lives, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Intermediate People’s Court of Urumqi handed down the sentences after the defendants – all Uighurs – were found guilty of arson and murder. One was accused of killing five people with a dagger and a pipe wrench as well as setting fire to a building. Four others were convicted for beating to death four people and starting a blaze in a shop that killed five more. A seventh defendant was sentenced to life in prison. On Saturday one Han Chinese man was given the death penalty and another ordered to spend life in prison for their role in the south China factory riot that triggered the Han-Uighur violence in July. The trials were seen as an attempt by the government to reclaim the trust and confidence of its citizens.
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