Uyghur Genocide: That China perpetrates atrocities against Uyghur Muslims is not hidden from anyone. Many videos of Chinese atrocities have surfaced. This is why human rights groups have been demanding action against China for a long time. A similar demand has arisen once again. Uyghur human rights leaders have demanded action against the genocide and crimes being carried out by China against the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and other Turkic groups in the East Turkestan region.
Human rights leaders have demanded global action at a time when the US State Department released the 2023 Human Rights Report on April 22. It contains information about human rights crimes happening around the world. “ETGE calls for substantial global action against China’s genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other Turkic groups in East Turkistan,” the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) said in a statement.
What kind of atrocities is China committing?
According to news agency ANI, the statement said, “These atrocities include mass detention, forced labor and the forced detention of approximately one million Turkish children in government-run facilities.” “The Chinese government and the CCP are using genocide and crimes against humanity as tools to maintain their colonial occupation of East Turkestan,” said Salih Hudayar, ETGE’s foreign minister.
Demand for action from democratic countries including America
ETGE urges the international community, especially leading democracies and international organizations, to take action beyond condemnation. It says that sanctions, diplomatic pressure and other necessary measures should be taken to put pressure on China to end the ongoing genocide in East Turkistan. ETGE has also urged the US and other democratic countries to recognize East Turkistan as an independent country.
Crude log of China’s crimes
ETGE reported that in May 2014, the Chinese government declared a ‘people’s war’ on Uighurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan in the name of combating extremism, separatism and terrorism. By 2016 the ‘people’s war’ had transformed into genocide and crimes against humanity. The main reason for this was no action being taken by international organizations. China started putting people in concentration camps. Lakhs of people were put under house arrest.
ETGE’s statement said that not only this, thousands of people were sterilized in the camps. Women were raped and they were also sterilized. Information about lakhs of people being herded into camps and forced labor was also revealed. Turkish and Uyghur women were married to Chinese men. Religious and cultural buildings present in Uyghur areas were demolished. Turkish and Uyghur languages were banned.
Also read: Who are Uyghur Muslims and why does Beijing hate them? What is their status in China?