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Five more face execution for role in China riots

Chinese troops were deployed in the streets of Urumqi during the summer.
Chinese troops were deployed in the streets of Urumqi during the summer.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • More than 20 people have received death sentences after being convicted following riots
  • July riots prompted by long-simmering resentment between minority Uyghurs and majority Han
  • Unrest continued in August when Uyghurs were accused of attacking Han with syringes
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Beijing, China (CNN) -- Five more defendants were sentenced to death for their roles in summer riots that killed around 200 people in western China, officials said Thursday.

The five sentenced to death were among 22 defendants that went on trial this week by the Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi, according to a local government statement.

Along with the five people to be executed, another five were sentenced to death but the execution will be postponed for two years, the statement said.

The others received sentences ranging from 10 years in prison to life in prison.

This group is part of dozens of people who have put on trial for the alleged role in the violent ethnic clashes in China's Xinjiang autonomous region that broke out this summer.

More than 20 people have received death sentences after being convicted of crimes related to the unrest.

The riots in July were prompted by long-simmering resentment between minority Uyghurs and majority Han Chinese. The Uyghurs are mostly Muslims in Xinjiang. Some Islamists refer to the region as East Turkistan.

Around 200 people were believed to have been killed in the riots. The unrest continued in August when Uyghurs were accused of attacking Han Chinese with syringes filled with different substances.

In September, China sent 7,000 security personnel to Urumqi to ease tensions after Han Chinese protested the syringe attacks.

China's constitution guarantees ethnic minorities equal rights. However, minority groups such as the Uyghurs say the Han discriminate and ethnic tensions run deep.