Ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meeting with his Chinese counterpart and other senior Chinese officials on February 5-6, the East Turkistan government in Exile has urged him to take a firm stance against China's ongoing genocide, colonization and occupation in East Turkistan.
In a press release, the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) urged Blinken to call for the release of millions of imprisoned East Turkistanis, including intellectuals like Perhat Tursun. According to the press release, February 5 marks the 26th anniversary of the 1997 Ghulja Massacre in East Turkistan's Ghujla city.
"The United States must recognize and condemn the 1997 Ghulja Massacre," ETGE Prime Minister Salih Hudayar said in the press release.
"We call on Secretary Blinken to use this opportunity to take a firm stance against China's ongoing genocide and colonization in East Turkistan," he added.
In order to mark its 26th anniversary, the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) and the East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM) will hold a demonstration outside the White House on February 5 to condemn the massacre and China's ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide and occupation in East Turkistan, according to the press release.
According to the press release, the demonstration is part of a larger movement by the East Turkistani / Uyghur diaspora in the United States to make their voices heard and make efforts to end China's colonization, genocide, and occupation of East Turkistan.
The ETGE in the press release said that Uyghurs and other Turkic people in East Turkistan have suffered under China's rule since its invasion of East Turkistan in 1949. They have been kept in concentration camps, prisons, and labour camps. It claimed that forced sterilization and forced marriages of Turkic women to Chinese men have caused a steep decline in Turkic population growth rates.
"The root cause of East Turkistan's ongoing genocide and suffering is Chinese occupation and colonization," the East Turkistan Government in Exile President Ghulam Yaghma said in the press release.
"We implore the international community to recognize that restoring East Turkistan's independence is the only way to end China's ongoing genocide and ensure the survival of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan," Ghulam Yaghma added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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