Thirty-two people are facing prison time in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in western China for acquiring or sending terror-related videos, state media reported on Thursday.

Among the sentences handed down by courts in seven cities and prefectures of Xinjiang, three people will be jailed for life, and 29 will be behind bars for four to 15 years.

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According to official government news website Tianshan, the convicts were involved in the cases where they used mobile phones and the Internet to spread religious "extremist violent terror" videos and audios to manage, lead or take part in terrorist groups.

China has over 40 "violent terror gangs" taken down and more than 400 people detained in the region since the start of a one-year crackdown in May 23 who are purportedly guilty for numerous bloody attacks in Beijing.

A total of 11 terror cases from cities all over Xinjiang were concluded where reports reveal that convicts are confirmed to be Uighur based on their names, who are mainly from Aksu, Turpan, Hotan and the capital Urumqi.

Uighur groups and human rights campaigners stated that unrest has been provoked in Xinjiang because of Beijing's oppressive rules, including constraints on Muslim practices. This, however, has been refuted by the Chinese government.

Uighurs claim that most profits from the resource-rich and strategically-located Xinjiang region have gone to the Han Chinese. The sentencing of their members is China's way of suppressing their rights because they are afraid that the Uighurs will use the worldwide web to break into their domination of news, Dilxat Raxit, spokesperson for the expat group the World Uighur Congress, said in an email.

Tagsterror, Islam