East Turkistan to the US: Remember China’s Atrocities

WASHINGTON: As the Trump Administration is coming toward the end of its term, the East Turkistan Government in Exile and many Uyghurs across the global diaspora are urging the U.S. State Department to designate China’s atrocities against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan [renamed Xinjiang] as genocide.

“We thank the U.S. Government under the Trump Administration for everything they have done for East Turkistan and its people,” said Salih Hudayar, Prime Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile. “We especially thank Secretary Mike Pompeo and urge him to seal his legacy by doing one final kindness for our oppressed people and formally recognizing the genocide before January 20th.”

The East Turkistan Government in Exile and many in the global East Turkistani – Uyghur diaspora have high expectations for the incoming Biden Administration to uphold their campaign promises to the Uyghurs but also to continue the tougher stance on China, especially over human rights and the atrocities happening in East Turkistan, initiated by the Trump Administration.

Uyghurs rally outside the White House to urge the United States to end trade deals with China and take action to stop the oppression of the Uighurs and other Turkic peoples on Aug. 14. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“We strongly encourage the incoming Biden Administration to urge U.S. allies across the world to recognize China’s atrocities in East Turkistan, and to Boycott the Beijing 2022 Olympics,” Prime Minister Hudayar said. “The U.S. Government must take a more active approach to resolve the East Turkistan issue by formally recognizing East Turkistan as an Occupied Country and by treating it on par with Tibet.”

In late December, the outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ordered a review to determine if China’s atrocities against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan (what Beijing calls “Xinjiang”) constitute genocide.

China has denied the atrocities and has even shamelessly responded with a tweet from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, that defended its genocide and dehumanized the Uyghurs.

Uyghur demonstrators gather in front of the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 2020. (Photo courtesy of ETNAM / ETGE)

The Twitter post was linked to an article by state mouthpiece China Daily and said: “Study shows that in the process of eradicating extremism, the minds of Uygur women in Xinjiang were emancipated and gender equality and reproductive health were promoted, making them no longer baby-making machines. They are more confident and independent.”

Since China invaded and occupied East Turkistan in late 1949, it has been waging a brutal colonization, genocide, and occupation campaign.

In recent years millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples have been sent to concentration camps, prisons, and forced labor camps where they have been subjected to forced indoctrination, forced medication, rape, torture, organ harvesting, slave labor, and even death.

Hundreds of thousands of Uyghur and Turkic women have been forcibly sterilized. Over 3.7 million babies were forcibly aborted since 1979 due to China’s campaign to eradicate the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan.

The U.S. designation of China’s atrocities against Uyghur and other Turkic peoples in Occupied East Turkistan could be the Trump Administration’s most meaningful China policy.

As the U.S. changes its leadership, the East Turkistan Government in Exile hopes this leadership change will bring positive developments on the East Turkistan issue.

Lisa Conklin

Lisa is an Eastender from London in her second year in Taipei where she teaches English, and in her spare time writes poetry. She is a practicing vegan and lover of yoga who lives 'off-grid' as much as possible. She is our weekend editor.