Washington, DC [US], October 13 (ANI): The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) on October 12, marked the 77th anniversary of what it described as China’s invasion of East Turkistan, calling on the United Nations and governments worldwide to support the territory’s decolonisation and independence.
In an official statement posted on X, ETGE said Chinese Communist forces began their military invasion of the then Republic of East Turkistan on October 12, 1949, eleven days after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The statement claimed that the East Turkistan Republic was forcibly overthrown on December 22, 1949, leading to the loss of its independent institutions and the beginning of Chinese occupation and colonial rule.
According to the ETGE statement, the past 77 years have been marked by what it described as systematic colonisation, political repression, forced assimilation and the destruction of East Turkistani national identity, culminating in the ongoing Uyghur genocide. The organisation maintained that China’s continued occupation and colonial domination remain the root causes of the alleged genocide and the denial of fundamental rights, freedoms and national sovereignty.
The statement accused China of committing serious atrocities against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other East Turkistani communities, including mass internment, alleged organ harvesting, forced labour, torture, forced sterilisation, family separations, religious persecution and the destruction of cultural and national heritage. ETGE described these actions as part of a broader system of colonial subjugation aimed at consolidating Chinese control over the region.
Marking October 12 as the East Turkistani nation’s National Day of Mourning, ETGE said it was honouring those who lost their lives defending their homeland, those who died under Chinese occupation and victims of what it described as ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity. The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to seeking justice, ending Chinese occupation and restoring East Turkistan’s independence and sovereignty.
The statement also highlighted a petition submitted on May 5 by the East Turkistan Government in Exile and the East Turkistan National Movement to the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonisation. According to ETGE, the petition seeks recognition of East Turkistan as a Non-Self-Governing Territory and aims to address what it described as the unresolved question of Chinese occupation and the East Turkistani people’s right to self-determination, decolonisation and independence.
ETGE called on the United Nations to fulfil its responsibilities under the UN Charter and the principles of decolonisation. It urged the UN General Assembly and the Special Committee on Decolonisation to formally address East Turkistan’s political status and take steps towards ending what it termed Chinese colonial domination.
The organisation also appealed to the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada and other governments committed to freedom and international law to recognise East Turkistan as an occupied country, hold China accountable for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity, and support the East Turkistani people’s right to self-determination and national independence.
Addressing the international community, including Muslim-majority and Turkic nations, ETGE said genocide prevention, decolonisation and the protection of peoples’ right to self-determination were international responsibilities rather than matters of political convenience. It warned that continued silence and inaction over the alleged atrocities would prolong the suffering of East Turkistani communities and undermine international principles.
The statement further argued that ending the Uyghur genocide would require addressing what ETGE described as the underlying system of colonial domination, rather than focusing solely on individual human rights violations. It maintained that the conditions enabling persecution would persist without an end to Chinese occupation and the restoration of East Turkistan’s sovereignty.
Abdulahat Nur, Prime Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile, said that decades of what the organisation described as colonial subjugation had neither erased the nation’s identity nor weakened its determination to restore its sovereign state.
ETGE said an independent and sovereign East Turkistan would contribute to regional peace, international security, justice and human dignity. On the National Day of Mourning, the organisation reiterated its commitment to continuing its struggle until East Turkistan’s independence and sovereignty were restored. (ANI)
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