The New Dominion

From Tian Shan Net via the Associated Press, seven Uyghur victims of violence that occurred during and after Olympics were officially named “Revolutionary Martyrs (革命烈士)” on Monday along with three other individuals who died in non-related incidents. Of the seven honored victims, one was a security guard killed during the attacks on Kucha governmental buildings on the morning of August 10th, three were killed by perpetrators passing through a checkpoint at Yamanya near Kashgar, while the final three were involved  in violence at Jiashi (Peyziwat in Uyghur) when authorities clashed with fugitives in a cornfield.

According to the Tian Shan article, these individuals were honored under the third article of the “Regulations for the Canonization of Revolutionary Martyrs,” which deems individuals who “valiantly sacrifice their lives to protect or rescue human lives, national property, or collective property” and “meet death at the hands of the enemy while carrying out revolutionary responsibilities, or are captured and meet death at the hands of the enemy for remaining steadfast, or are persecuted unto death” worthy of the title.

With Uyghur rendered into pinyin, the three revolutionary martyrs who died in separate incidents are:

• Ma Jun (马军), for sacrificing himself to prevent arson
• Tuerhong Niyazi (吐尔洪·尼亚孜), for valiantly sacrificing himself to save a youth who had fallen into a body of water
  
• Wang Chunsheng (王春生), for sacrificing himself to save Tuerhong Niyazi

The seven honored victims of the attacks that occurred during the summer, all Uyghurs, are:

• Nueraili Aihemaiti (努尔艾力·艾合买提)
• Kuerban Yakufu(库尔班·牙库甫)
• Maimaitiaili Kuerban (麦麦提艾力·库尔班)
• Tuermaimaiti Abola (图尔麦麦提·阿卜拉)
• Duolikun Abudukelimu (多力昆·阿不都克力木)
• Abudureaji Kadier (阿布都热阿吉·卡迪尔)
• Yimingjiang Kadier(依明江·卡迪尔)

The AP article mentions that the victims of the heavy truck attack in Kashgar were all named revolutionary martyrs shortly afterward, whereas it took a good half-year for these victims to be given the honor. I’m curious as to what explains the discrepency; obviously there are a set of regulations defining who can be elevated to the stats of revolutionary martyr, but while both the Kashgar victims and the victims above died during surprise attacks, the first group was honored swiftly whereas the second group was honored only after what one assumes was a lengthy vetting.

The article makes no mention of the fate of the drowning youth that both Tuerhong Niyazi and Wang Chunsheng died to save.