Beijing, Nov. 9 (AP): Nine men have been executed for taking part in ethnic rioting that left nearly 200 people dead in July, the first suspects put to death in the unrest, Chinese state media reported today.

The worst ethnic unrest in decades began on July 5 in Xinjiang when minority Uighurs attacked Han, who make up China's dominant ethnicity, only to face retaliatory attacks later.

The official China News Service reported that the nine were executed after a final review of the verdicts by the Supreme People's Court as required by law. Earlier reports had identified those condemned as eight Uighurs and one Han.