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 address the ongoing human rights abuses against the Uyghur community in China’s Xinjiang region. Representing the interests of the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples, the exiled government condemned what it describes as a ‘systematic campaign of genocide and colonization’ by the Chinese government.
In a statement on social media platform X, the East Turkistan Government in Exile 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. The exiled government 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 statement criticized the international community, especially the United Nations, for not taking decisive action and called on UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk and UN member states to prioritize the ‘Uyghur Genocide’ on the agendas of the UN Security Council and General Assembly. It also urged support for legal efforts 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. They now live in other countries and want to help their home region.
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.
Xinjiang region -: This is a part of China where many Uyghur people live. It’s in the northwest part of the country.
UN report -: The UN, or United Nations, is a group of countries that work together to solve big problems. They wrote a report saying that Uyghur people are being treated very badly in China.
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-like places without a fair reason.
International Criminal Court -: This is a special court that deals with very serious crimes, like genocide, that happen in different countries.
Palestinian statehood recognition -: This means some people want to officially recognize Palestine as its own country, similar to how the East Turkistan Government in Exile wants recognition for their region.
