Munich, July 6 -- The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) commemorated the 17th anniversary of the 2009 Urumchi unrest, accusing the Chinese government of carrying out a violent crackdown on peaceful Uyghur protesters and saying the events marked a turning point in what it describes as the ongoing repression of the Uyghur people.

In a press release, the WUC highlighted that the protests began on July 5, 2009, when thousands of young Uyghurs marched toward People's Square in Urumchi following the killing of at least two Uyghur workers in Shaoguan. According to the organisation, the workers had been transferred from East Turkistan under a state-sponsored labour scheme and were attacked by a mob of Chinese factory workers.

The WUC alleged that bet...