Washington, DC [US], July 17 : As the United States observes Captive Nations Week, the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) is urging the US and the global community to remember the ongoing plight of East Turkistan under Chinese occupation.
The ETGE recalled that on October 12, 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) invaded East Turkistan.
By December 22, 1949, the independent East Turkistan Republic was overthrown following the assassination of its leaders, an act facilitated by the Soviet Union in support of the PRC occupation, a press statement by ETGE said.
In 1955, the PRC rebranded much of East Turkistan as the "Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region," a move seen as an attempt to legitimise its occupation and suppress the East Turkistani people's desire for liberty and independence.
For the past 74 years, the East Turkistani people have steadfastly resisted Chinese occupation, seeking to restore their freedom and independence.
The Captive Nations Law, enacted by America on July 17, 1959, underscores the importance of upholding the aspirations for liberty and independence among captive nations. East Turkistan, also known as Turkistan, along with Tibet and other nations, was listed among these captive nations.
East Turkistan, home to the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples, remains a captive nation enduring severe repression, systematic genocide, and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Chinese government.
"The East Turkistan Government in Exile reiterates our urgent call to the US Government and U.S. Congress to formally recognise East Turkistan as a country occupied by China," Salih Hudayar, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Security of the East Turkistan Government in Exile, said.
"Condemning the Chinese occupation of East Turkistan, the root of the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity faced by our people, is a critical step towards justice and freedom," he further stated.
The ETGE urged the US Senate to swiftly pass the Uyghur Policy Act (S.1252), including the establishment of a Special Coordinator for East Turkistani/Uyghur Issues at the US State Department, as passed in H.R.2766 by the US House of Representatives on February 15 this year.
This legislation is seen as vital to ensuring that the plight of East Turkistan is addressed with the urgency it deserves and that a coordinated, whole-of-government response is implemented to address China's ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation.
Furthermore, the ETGE called on the US government to treat East Turkistan on par with Tibet by confronting and countering China's relentless propaganda, cultural and physical destruction, and systematic genocide in occupied East Turkistan.
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