Li Zhi was highly visible during the July 2009 Ürümqi riots ; he calmed crowds on the streets of the capital using loudspeakers . After a series of deadly syringe attacks in the city , on September 5 , 2009 , after approval from the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China , Li was stripped of his post as party chief of Ürümqi . No official reasons were given for his removal from office ; however , the Xinjiang leadership was facing tough questions from the local population on what was perceived as the poor handling of the rioting and subsequent unrest . Some sources suggest that Li was a scapegoat , removed to calm calls for the resignation of Wang Lequan , the Xinjiang regional party chief . The Xinjiang police chief was also removed from office on the same day
deadly syringe attacks
September 2009 Xinjiang unrest
Li Zhi (politician)