Uyghurs Protest at US State Department on East Turkistan's Day of Mourning
WASHINGTON – The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE), and the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM) led by Prime Minister Salih Hudayar and concentration camp survivors, will gather in front of the US State Department, Wednesday, Dec 22, from 11:30 AM – 1 PM EST, to protest on East Turkistan’s National Day of Mourning.
The demonstrators will be calling on the Biden Administration to take stronger actions to help end China’s ongoing genocide of Uyghurs and Turkic peoples. They will also be urging the U.S. to recognize East Turkistan as an occupied country and captive nation similar to Tibet.
WHO: The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE), East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM), survivors of China’s concentration camps and their relatives
WHAT: Protest on East Turkistan’s Day of Mourning
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec 22, 11:30 AM – 1 PM EST
WHERE: Gathering and press opportunity in front of the U.S. State Department – 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520
The rally will also be live-streamed at Facebook.com/ETAwakening
FOR BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
ETNAM and the ETGE thank the U.S. Government for recent sanctions on Chinese entities, the passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act by Congress.
We urge the Biden Administration to do the following:
1. President Biden must sign the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law ASAP;
2. Expedite the asylum applications of Uyghurs and other East Turkistanis in the United States, grant further refugee to other Uyghurs who fled China’s Genocide;
3. Support East Turkistan’s complaint against Chinese officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC)
4. Recognize East Turkistan as an Occupied Country. The East Turkistan Republic was overthrown by the CCP (PRC) on December 22, 1949, and renamed “Xinjiang.”
BACKGROUND
On December 22, 1949, the newly established People’s Republic of China overthrew the independent East Turkistan Republic and formally annexed East Turkistan (Xinjiang) into China. Since that day, China has been engaging in a brutal campaign of colonization and occupation, which has led to the ongoing campaign of Genocide against Uyghur and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan.
Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples of East Turkistan view December 22 as a dark day in their recent history. The loss of East Turkistan’s independence on this day is commemorated by East Turkistani diaspora communities across the world as East Turkistan’s National Mourning Day.
Since June 4, 2018, ETNAM and the ETGE have urged the U.S. and other governments worldwide to recognize the Genocide, recognize East Turkistan as an occupied country, sanction Chinese officials and entities, and grant refugee to Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples fleeing the Genocide.
After China’s occupation of East Turkistan in 1949, China renamed it Xinjiang, which means new territory.
China denies all the accusations, saying it is acting against the rise of terror forces and there are reports it is also concerned with separatist movements in the region.