BEIJING, Dec. 18 -- China's top judge Zhou Qiang said on Thursday that courts in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region should try violent terror cases quickly and give heavy penalties.

The cases involve those threatening national security, damaging national unity and sabotaging social stability. They should be tried fast and given heavy penalties according to the law, Zhou said at a conference on mobilizing nationwide assistance to the region's courts.

The courts should also appropriately deal with civil and business cases relating to Xinjiang and those involving ethnic and religious affairs in accordance with the law, he said.