Heavily armed Chinese paramilitary police stand along a street in Urumqi on Monday. (Associated Press)More than 200 people alleged to have participated in the deadly riots in China's Xinjiang province will go on trial this week, according to state media.
China's state-run newspaper, China Daily, reported Monday the trials will be held in the Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi, where the worst of the ethnic riots occurred in July. It was not clear what day the trials would start or how long they would run.
At least 197 people were killed and more than 1,700 people injured in the worst ethnic violence in decades, according to the Chinese government.
About 2,000 people were detained in connection with the unrest.
Most of the arrests of riot suspects were made in Urumqi and Kashgar, a city in southern Xinjiang.
The protests started July 5 in Urumqi when demonstrators gathered to demand justice for two Uighurs killed in June during a fight with their Han co-workers at a factory in southern China.
Mob clashes
The demonstration turned into a riot, as armed Uighur mobs clashed with police and passersby. They also set ablaze or otherwise damaged hundreds of vehicles, stores and street vendor stalls.
In response to the riot, hundreds of Han Chinese rampaged through the city two days later with sticks and meat cleavers, looking for Uighurs and revenge.
The unrest spread to other cities in the region.
Little information has been released by officials about the investigation that led to the arrests.
3,300 pieces of evidence
The China Daily reported the court would examine 3,300 pieces of evidence, including alleged weapons, video clips and photographs.
Those detained after the riots face charges that range from vandalizing public property to murder.
Security in the city has been increased ahead of the trials, the newspaper reported. Officials are concerned there may be protests during the trials.
The Uighurs, an ethnically Turkic, predominantly Muslim group make up the majority in Xinjiang, a region in northwest China bordering Central Asia and Mongolia.
Their relations have often been tense, with the ethnic Han Chinese who predominate in the country. Many Uighurs feel they're discriminated against by the government in Beijing and an Uighur separatist movement has existed for decades.
With files from The Associated Press
