East Turkistan Government in Exile Calls for Global Action Against Uyghur Genocide in China
The East Turkistan Government in Exile has issued a strong plea for international intervention to stop the ongoing human rights abuses against the Uyghur community in China’s Xinjiang region. Representing the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples, the exiled government condemned what it calls a ‘systematic campaign of genocide and colonization’ by the Chinese government.
In a statement on social media platform X, the exiled government referenced a United Nations report from August 31, 2022, which detailed severe human rights violations by China, including forced labor, mass internment, forced sterilizations, and forced family separations. They stressed that these are not isolated incidents but part of a broader campaign to eradicate the identity and existence of Turkic peoples in the region.
The East Turkistan Government in Exile criticized the international community, especially the United Nations, for not taking decisive action. They called on UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk and UN member states to prioritize the ‘Uyghur Genocide’ in the UN Security Council and General Assembly. They also urged support for legal actions to hold Chinese officials accountable through the International Criminal Court (ICC).
‘We, the East Turkistan Government in Exile, demand that @UNHumanRights Chief @Volker_Turk take immediate and uncompromising action to address this escalating humanitarian crisis. We call on UN Member States to elevate the #UyghurGenocide to the top of the UN Security Council and General Assembly agendas,’ the statement read.
The exiled government also argued that restoring East Turkistan’s independence is a global imperative, drawing parallels with the recognition of Palestinian statehood. They emphasized that the people of East Turkistan, who declared independence twice in the 20th century before being overthrown by China, deserve similar recognition and support.
The statement concluded with a call for immediate and collective action from governments, organizations, and individuals worldwide to stand in solidarity with the East Turkistan people in their struggle for justice and freedom. ‘The world must no longer stand by in silence. The time for decisive and collective action is now. We call on every government, organization, and individual to stand with us in our struggle for justice, freedom, and the preservation of our people,’ the statement read.
Doubts Revealed
East Turkistan Government in Exile -: This is a group of people who used to live in a place called East Turkistan but had to leave and now live in other countries. They want to make their home a free country again.
Uyghur Genocide -: Genocide means trying to destroy a group of people. Uyghurs are a group of people who live in China, and some people say they are being treated very badly there.
Global intervention -: This means asking countries all around the world to help stop something bad from happening.
Xinjiang region -: This is a part of China where many Uyghur people live.
UN report -: A report made by the United Nations, which is a group of countries that work together to solve big problems in the world.
Forced labor -: This means making people work very hard without paying them or giving them a choice.
Mass internment -: This means putting a lot of people in prison or camps, often without a good reason.
International Criminal Court -: This is a special court that deals with very serious crimes like genocide and war crimes.
Palestinian statehood recognition -: This means some countries agree that Palestine should be its own country, just like India is a country.
