Governor: No secret trials, Internet controls in Xinjiang now

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A top government official in Xinjiang said Tuesday there are no secret trials or Internet controls in China's far west ethnic region, almost two years after a deadly riot rocked the regional capital Urumqi.

"Any person who breaks Chinese laws shall be (prosecuted and) tried in public while his/her legitimate rights shall be protected," said Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Government, when attending the ongoing parliamentary session in Beijing.

He noted that China is a country under the rule of law.

"There are no secret trials or closed-door trials in Xinjiang," he told reporters.

The Internet access in the region had been cut off for 10 months in the wake of the July 5 riot in Urumqi in 2009, which left 197 people dead and more than 1,700 injured.

"The Internet access resumed on May 16 last year against the backdrop of improved social situation and growing call from the Internet users," he said.

"The first thing for Party secretary Zhang Chunxian to do in Xinjiang was to re-open the Internet access, which is good for learning public opinions and improving our work," he said.

Zhang was appointed Xinjiang regional secretary of the Communist Party of China in April last year, replacing Wang Lequan.

"There are no Internet controls in Xinjiang now," Nur Bekri said.

Special Report: NPC, CPPCC Annual Sessions 2011