China to prosecute Xinjiang judge for letting off terror suspects

BEIJING (Reuters) - Authorities in China's violence-prone western region of Xinjiang will prosecute a former judge who reduced penalties and let off people suspected of terrorism, a regional government said.

Hundreds have died in recent years in Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people, in unrest blamed by Beijing on Islamist militants and separatists, though rights groups say the violence is more a reaction to repressive Chinese policies.