Turkic minorities in US celebrate East Turkistan's independence day, protest against Chinese oppression
Nov 13, 2022
Washington [US], November 13 : The celebration of the independence day of East Turkistan, in front of the White House, turns into a protest against the Chinese oppression
A number of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Uzbeks and American supporters of East Turkistan gathered in front of the White House in Washington to celebrate East Turkistan's Independence and the 89th and 78th anniversaries of the First East Turkistan Republic and Second East Turkistan Republic, The East Turkistan government in exile reported.
The event was organized by East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM) and the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE). The participants of the event called on the international community to intervene and stop "China's ongoing colonization, genocide and occupation campaigns."
Dr Aziz Sulayman, the Acting Foreign Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile, said, "Since China violated our sovereignty and invaded our country in late 1949, the people of East Turkistan have been subjected to an ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation for the past 73 years."
Prime Minister Salih Hudayar of the East Turkistan Government in Exile, urged the G20 leaders to underscore that the "free world will no longer tolerate China's "imperialism and colonialism."
"We call on President Biden, Prime Minister Modi, and all democratic leaders at the G20 to make it clear to Xi and the racist Chinese government that the free world will no longer tolerate China's imperialism and colonialism," East Turkistan government in exile quoted Dr Aziz Sulayman as saying.
Salih Hudayar further said, "We plead with the international community to intervene and act swiftly to end China's Holocaust-like genocide in East Turkistan before it's too late." Meanwhile, Ben Lowsen, a former US Army Attache in Beijing, thinks that if they continue to call for action from US President and US Congress, they will soon witness a "free and independent East Turkistan."
"I believe that if we continue to demand action from the [U.S.] President and [U.S.] Congress, we will soon see a free and independent East Turkistan," the East Turkistan government in exile quoted Ben Lowsen as saying.
As per the East Turkistan government in exile report, the Manchu Qing Dynasty annexed East Turkistan and renamed it "Xinjiang" in 1884. The report further said that East Turkistan regained its independence on November 12, 1933, as the East Turkistan Republic. Since then, the people of East Turkistan celebrate the day as the nation's independence day. However, the East Turkistan Republic fell to the Soviet and Chinese invasion on April 16 in 1934.
The East Turkistani people, however, resisted Chinese colonialism and declared their independence on November 12 in 1944 as the East Turkistan Republic. China invaded East Turkistan on October 12 in 1949 and the independent East Turkistan Republic was "overthrown" on December 22 in 1949.
The report said that the Chinese government has been committing genocide since 2014 and has caused the internment of millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other Turkic peoples in concentration camps, prisons, and labour camps. As per the report, the United Nations findings have revealed that Uyghur and other Turkic detainees were subjected to "forced indoctrination, torture, rape, sexual abuse and organ harvesting."
