Officials from the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) and Uyghur community members held protests in the US and Canada, demanding global accountability for what they call China’s ongoing genocide in East Turkistan, also known as Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The protests, marking the 36th anniversary of the 1990 East Turkistan Uprising, took place in Washington and Edmonton, Canada.
The ETGE stated that in 1990, thousands of East Turkistanis protested in Baren Township against China’s coercive population control policies, resulting in a violent crackdown by Chinese authorities. The ETGE claimed that over 3,000 people were killed, and more than 7,600 were arrested in the aftermath of the uprising.
Describing the Baren Uprising as a legitimate act of anti-colonial resistance, the ETGE highlighted ongoing human rights abuses in East Turkistan, including mass imprisonment, forced labor, and cultural destruction. Salih Hudayar, ETGE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Security, emphasized the protesters’ commitment to the restoration of the East Turkistan Republic during the Washington demonstration.
The ETGE accused senior Chinese officials of endorsing genocidal policies in East Turkistan and called for international recognition of the region as an occupied country. Abdulahat Nur, Prime Minister of the ETGE, urged Canada and the international community to take action against Chinese officials responsible for genocide and support accountability measures, including an International Criminal Court investigation.
