Munich [Germany] April 4 : The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) marks the 35th anniversary of the Baren Uprising, solemnly paying tribute to the thousands of Uyghurs who perished during the violent crackdown by Chinese authorities in Akto County, East Turkistan, from April 5 to 10, 1990, as highlighted in a WUC release.
"This year commemorates 35 years since the Baren Uprising, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of courageous Uyghurs," declared WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun. "We must honor their memory and strive for justice for all Uyghur victims who lost their lives in the fight for fundamental freedoms," according to a WUC statement.
On April 4, WUC organized a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Munich from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, where demonstrators gathered to demand justice not only for the Baren Uprising victims but also for all Uyghurs facing persecution by the Chinese government, according to the release.
The Baren Uprising is recognized as a significant event in the Uyghur struggle against China's oppressive policies. On April 5, 1990, around 200 Uyghurs marched to the local government office in Baren, protesting Beijing's increasingly severe political, religious, and cultural suppression. Tensions had escalated significantly over reports of forced abortions and sterilizations targeting Uyghur womenpractices aimed at decreasing the Uyghur population under the pretense of family planning, as noted in the WUC release.
In retaliation, the Chinese government initiated a large-scale military operation to suppress the protests, deploying over 18,000 troops to a town with only 19,000 residents.
Over the next five days, more than 3,000 Uyghurs were reportedly killed. To this day, no independent investigation has taken place regarding the massacre, leaving the victims without justice, according to the WUC release.
The WUC stressed that the Baren Uprising was not an isolated event but rather a harbinger of the severe brutality to follow. Since 1990, Chinese repression in East Turkistan has escalated, with the international community now recognizing the situation as genocide. Uyghurs continue to endure mass arbitrary detentions, forced sterilizations, systematic forced labor, religious restrictions, and widespread transnational repression.
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