The Strike Hard Campaign

 

On March 15, 2001, the Xinjiang Legal Daily announced that “the key points of the Strike Hard Campaign in our region will be to strike strongly at the separatist terrorist forces.” The Campaign has essentially placed pressure on the judiciary sector to process a large number of cases in a short amount of time.

 

Man being arrested as a result of The Strike Hard Campaign in 2002. Photo courtesy of Al Jazeerah.

 

In the course of the Strike Hard Campaign, a variety of arrests have occurred and sentences given.

-In the Aksu prefecture, 186 people were arrested for endangering state security.

-In the counties of Atush, Akqi, and Akto, 24 people were sentenced publicly, two of which were sentenced to death, for sabotaging the public order and social stability.

-In Urumqi, 8 people accused of having severely endangered social stability were sentenced to prison terms of between 4 and 13 years.

-By May 10, 2001, authorities were prosecuting 3,701 cases and had dissolved 185 gangs.