One year ago on 5 July 2009 thousands of Chinese of Uighur ethnicity demonstrated in Urumqi, the regional capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). In the aftermath of the Urumqi protests, the authorities detained more than 1,400 people. Amnesty International believes that it is imperative that the Chinese authorities allow independent and impartial investigation into the events of July 2009, whilst ensuring that those providing information to the investigation are protected from harassment, intimidation or punishment. Any trials should be conducted fairly and without recourse to the death penalty.