Uyghurs protest Chinese occupation

Uyghurs protest Chinese occupation

Uyghur Turks living in different countries, primarily in Istanbul, organized a press statement and protest demonstration in front of Chinese consulates under the leadership of the International East Turkestan NGOs Union (UDTSB) in order to take a stance against the occupation of the Chinese Communist regime and the systematic genocide that has been carried out against innocent people for 75 years.

Many NGOs operating in Turkey, representatives of political parties and many East Turkistan people participated in the demonstration held in Istanbul, while the activists raised the Turkish flag and crescent in the sky and chanted slogans against China.

Reading the press statement, UDTSB President Hidayetullah Oğuzhan drew attention to the systematic genocide, assimilation, and marketization policies carried out by the occupying China for 75 years, and emphasized that there is no other way than independence for the liberation of the oppressed East Turkistan people. He continued his words by calling on the Turkish-Islamic world and the international community to support the Uyghurs.

Dear members of the press and participants,

Today, on the 75th anniversary of the East Turkistan occupation by fascist China, we have gathered here to once again condemn the occupation, colonialism, and oppression policies carried out by China in our region, to condemn the increasing genocide and ongoing human rights violations, and to once again demonstrate the determination of the East Turkistan people for independence. At the same time, we are making this press statement in order to commemorate our martyrs who sacrificed themselves for this struggle and to strongly express our resistance against the occupation.

East Turkistan has been a free and independent land since the history of humanity, and has been the homeland of the Uyghur and other Turkish tribes since time immemorial. This ancient geography is the cradle of thousands of years of Turkish culture and civilization, and the Chinese have never been able to establish either cultural or political dominance over this region. East Turkistan has continued its existence as a sacred homeland where the Turkish nation has always preserved its spirit of independence. However, in 1949, the brutal Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party barbarously invaded East Turkistan and usurped the independence of these ancient lands. From that day on, the right of East Turkistan people to self-determination was ruthlessly taken away from them, and their freedom and independence were disregarded. This occupation by China not only seized our lands, but also marked the beginning of a brutal colonial and genocidal project aimed at destroying thousands of years of Turkish heritage.

After occupying East Turkistan, China launched a ruthless colonial and genocidal policy to bring the region under its economic and cultural hegemony. It plundered the region’s natural resources and transported them to China, and the Uyghur people were never able to benefit from these riches. Immediately after the occupation, fascist China implemented assimilation policies aimed at destroying the religious and national identity of East Turkistan people . It banned Islamic worship, closed or destroyed tens of thousands of mosques, and arrested or executed religious leaders and scholars. The Uyghur language was removed from education and public life, and the Chinese language and culture were forcibly imposed. Today, this systematic genocide carried out by China in East Turkistan has become one of the greatest tragedies in human history. Millions of innocent people have been held captive in concentration camps, and as documented in a UN report, nearly one million children have been deprived of their culture, religious identity, and language under so-called state protection, and are being forcibly educated in China’s brainwashing camps. With millions of Chinese settlers settling in the region, the demographics of the region are being changed, and the existence of the Uyghur and other Turkic peoples is being threatened with forced abortions, sterilizations, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial executions. All of these clearly show that China is carrying out genocide before the eyes of the whole world.

In this context, the entire international community must understand that China's occupation of East Turkistan is not only a national issue, but also a global danger that threatens the world order. In particular, China is ruthlessly expanding its international economic hegemony under the name of the "One Belt, One Road" project and disrupting the economic balance in the world. With this project, it is seizing global trade routes and strategic resources, especially in Asia, and dragging countries into a debt trap. It is intervening in the internal affairs and political structures of small countries in Asia and Africa by putting them into financial dependency and using this dependency. Moreover, China is triggering a global ecological disaster that threatens the environment and human life as the country that causes the largest carbon emissions in the world. In addition, China is exporting the oppressive and mass surveillance tools it has implemented in East Turkistan to the world by strengthening its authoritarian governance approach. These surveillance technologies are used not only to keep the Uyghur people under control, but also to spread despotism and a new fascism around the world. With these oppressive methods, China is becoming a global threat that threatens freedoms.

In addition, in recent years, the occupying China has been shamelessly staging a game to cover up the genocidal policies it has been carrying out in East Turkistan. It has been taking delegations from Muslim countries on carefully designed fake routes and making them say that the people in the region are living "happily and peacefully." The beneficiaries of this dirty propaganda include academics, businessmen with vested interests in China, media organizations, journalists, celebrities, and even religious leaders. While these treacherous collaborators are trying to whitewash China's genocidal crimes, they are also taking part in the suffering and oppression of the Uyghur people. The people of occupied East Turkistan will consider this cooperation of their religious and linguistic brothers with China as treason and will never forgive it.

China's occupation of East Turkistan is a cruelty and savagery that threatens not just one region but the entire world. This occupation, which has been ongoing for 75 years, has been engraved as a black mark on human history with massacres, assimilation, and genocide. This cruelty will not end until the occupation ends. It is a moral responsibility not only for East Turkistan people but also for all of humanity to put an end to the Chinese occupation of East Turkistan and to oppose and stop the genocide and human rights violations that are currently being implemented. The international community should not remain silent against this genocide. The United Nations, human rights organizations, and all conscientious people should raise their voices and take action against these oppressive policies of China.

As the International Union of East Turkistan NGOs:

• We demand that all states accept East Turkistan as a territory occupied by China and support our struggle for independence, which we are carrying out through legitimate means.

• We call on the UN, EU, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Organization of Turkic States, and all other states to take action to stop China’s racist attitude, restrictions on human rights and freedom of belief, and the “Contemporary Nazi Torture Camp” practice, which it continues under the pretext of “terrorism and religious extremism.”.

• We call on the UN General Assembly and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to appoint a special representative for East Turkistan, send an independent monitoring team, and hold a negotiation session.

• We call on governments and international organizations to apply diplomatic pressure on China to find solutions to the human rights violations and cultural oppression in East Turkistan.

• We encourage all consumers and businesses worldwide to be aware of supply chains that may involve forced labor from East Turkistan and to ensure that products are sourced ethically.

Today, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the East Turkistan occupation, we once again condemn China’s policies of colonialism, oppression, and genocide. China must be held accountable for its crimes against the people of East Turkistan and must immediately end its occupation of the region. Our struggle for the freedom and independence of East Turkistan will continue with determination. On this occasion, we would like to thank everyone who supports the just cause of East Turkistan people and invite you to raise our voices even higher with your support for our people’s struggle for freedom.”

CONDEMNATION FROM NGO REPRESENTATIVES AND POLITICIANS

Following this, Hoca Ahmed Yesevi Association Board of Trustees Member and International East Turkistan NGOs Union Chief Advisor Mr. İlyas SAKA, Nation Party Istanbul District Chairman Özcan YAY, Master Journalist Halis Ozdemir, and World Uyghur Congress Foundation Chairman Abdureşit Abdulhamid made separate speeches.

Towards the end of the demonstration, opinion leader Abdulkadir Yapshan made a speech, saying that he always felt sad when he remembered the situation of East Turkistan people, that the East Turkistan issue was perceived only as a “human rights issue” on a global scale, whereas the real issue in East Turkistan, which is an ancient Turkish homeland, was the cause of the homeland, and that the Chinese were concerned with destroying all Turkish existence in the region, and that they had been pursuing terror policies against civilians for 75 years for this purpose.

Finally, the press release and protest demonstration ended peacefully after the prayers made by the Deputy Chairman of the East Turkistan Scholars Union, Abdusalam Alim Hocaefendi, addressed the English-speaking community.

PROTESTS AGAINST CHINA ALL OVER THE WORLD

On the other hand, on September 29, a protest was held against the 75-year Communist Chinese occupation in Dam Square in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with the participation of Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongolians, Taiwanese, Hong Kongers and dissident Chinese.

The demonstration began with the East Turkistan National Anthem, and the press release was read by Uyghur Turk Abdurrehim Ghani.

On the same day, Uyghurs living in Canada, carrying East Turkistan and Canadian flags, chanted slogans against the genocidal crimes committed by China in East Turkistan. They gathered in front of the Chinese consulate to protest China's occupation of East Turkistan.

Uyghurs living in Sweden gathered in front of the Chinese embassy in Stockholm on October 1, under the leadership of the Swedish Uyghur Education Association, and chanted the slogan "Murderer China, Get Out of East Turkistan" against China's occupation of East Turkistan and the ongoing genocide in the region.