Wang Lequan

Wang Lequan was born in 1944 in Shandong and served as a CCP official. Appointed Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 1994, he held the post until 2010 — a tenure of over fifteen years, making him one of the longest-serving leaders of Xinjiang in the reform era. His governing style was characterised by high-pressure security management, with the suppression of the "three evil forces" (separatism, extremism, and terrorism) as the central pillar of his administration.

Following the outbreak of the Ürümqi riots on 5 July 2009, Wang ordered a forceful response against those involved and directed the large-scale arrest operations that followed. International human rights organisations raised concerns over the mass arrests and subsequent death sentences. Wang was removed from his post in April 2010 and succeeded by Zhang Chunxian.