From Xinjiang: Far West China Blog:  As of midnight last Friday, February 5th, it was announced that 27 more “outside Xinjiang” websites have been opened in addition to the four sites that were already accessible. After spending this past weekend searching over all these sites I can tell you that progress has been made, although each of them loads quite slowly. What’s more…one of them doesn’t load at all (the China Rail site received a "Connection Interrupted").

Excuse me, folks. That would be 26 more websites open, not 27.  (Continue reading on Xinjiang: Far West Blog)

In the Washington D.C. area?  Then make sure you join us for a screening of On a Tightrope, a documentary following four Uyghur children living in an orphanage who dream of becoming champion tightrope walkers, an ancient Uyghur tradition.  The film examines the hardship the children face and the struggles of all Uyghur people living under Chinese Communist rule.

See the film at the Laogai Museum (1109 M St NW, Washington, DC) on February 11, 2010 at 6PM.  Traditional Uyghur snacks and refreshments to be served. Come early to see our Special Exhibition "The Uyghur Experience:Sixty Years Under Chinese Communist Rule"

This event is co-sponsored by the Laogai Research Foundation and the Uyghur American Association.

Also make sure you check out our live blog of the event here.

According to Xinhua (via Reuters and BBC), earlier today the Chinese government pressed forward in the campaign against the Uyghur’s arrested after the July riots in East Turkestan (Xinjiang) that left approximately 200 people dead and wounded an additional 1,600 people, according to government statistics.  In a court in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, five more people were sentenced to death.

Previously, nine were executed last month and three others were given the death penalty with a two year reprieve. 

Along with the five sentenced to death, eight other individuals received prison time, with two receiving life in prison.  This new batch of sentences brings the total number of July uprising convictions to 34, with five more cases to be heard in court tomorrow.

For more on the struggle of the Uyghur people and the occupation of East Turkestan, please see Harry Wu's interview with Rebiya Kadeer and the Uyghur American Association.