WASHINGTON (IslamOnline) - The Chinese government has executed a leader of a Islamic group fighting for freedom in Xinjiang province accusing him of planning and committing "terrorist" attacks, state media reported on Friday.
The People's Court Daily reported that the Intermediate People's Court of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture handed down the sentence to Alerkin Abula, of the 113 member East Turkestan Islamic Party of Allah.
According to news reports, Abula was executed and 10 members of his organization were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two years to life.
The 10 were convicted for "conducting terrorist activities in various cities and areas in the aim of establishing an Islamic regime on native soil," said a newspaper.
The party targeted 32 Chinese government officials, Communist party members and "patriotic" religious figures for attack, it said. But it remains unclear whether the attacks have actually been carried out or not. Officials have declined any further comment.
Abula founded the East Turkestan Islamic Party of Allah in October 1993. Chinese Security Officials have been arresting members and obtaining criminal confessions against the group since 1997. They have been convicted for offenses such as "acquiring arms" and possession of "illegal propaganda tools", including a printing press.
Islamists began fighting for independence in Xinjiang soon after the Red Army occupied the area in 1949. Mao Tse-Tung had designed a program of massive immigration to the region that eventually led to ethnic Chinese comprising half the total population of 17 million.
The independence movement gained momentum in the early 1990s, leading to a brutal crackdown by the government.
According to Amnesty international, at least 190 ethnic Uighurs - Muslim inhabitants of Xinjiang - were executed between 1997 and 1999.
