A coalition of 61 East Turkistani and Uyghur organizations published a letter urging Congress to recognize East Turkistan as an “occupied country” under Chinese colonization and take further action to address the Uyghur genocide.
They asked Congress to pass a resolution recognizing East Turkistan’s right to self-determination, as was done for Tibet.
Other requests included renaming the Uyghur Policy Act to reflect other ethnic groups in the region like Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, appointing a State Department position for the region, and supporting international legal action against China.
📢 PRESS RELEASE – Over 60 East Turkistani / #Uyghur Organizations Urge the U.S. Congress to Recognize #EastTurkistan as an Occupied Country.
🔗https://t.co/Cm3X1Rq5z3@VOANews @RepYoungKim @RepBera @SenMarcoRubio @RepGallagher pic.twitter.com/tQUGDyq4j2
— East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) (@ETExileGov) February 20, 2024
The letter noted over 3 million people have been detained in concentration camps in East Turkistan, where China has been engaged in cultural genocide, forced sterilization and other human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic groups since 1949.
The victims wrote, “We implore the U.S. Congress to take the lead in pushing a reluctant executive branch of the U.S. Government to take meaningful actions to truly end this prolonged humanitarian crisis…by addressing the root cause of the ongoing genocide in East Turkistan: Chinese colonization and occupation of East Turkistan.”
“With deep appreciation, we acknowledge the United States Congress’s steadfast commitment to upholding the rights and freedoms of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples in our homeland,” the signatories continued.
“However, the genocide persists relentlessly in 2024,” they lamented.
The group asked “the U.S. Congress to introduce and adopt a resolution recognizing East Turkistan, like Tibet, in accordance with U.S. policy of respecting the right to external self-determination.”
The letter concluded, “We urge the U.S. Congress to support East Turkistan’s efforts to obtain justice and accountability by supporting East Turkistan’s complaint before the International Criminal Court (ICC).”
“And (or) by referring China’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity before the International Court of Justice (ICJ),” added the victims.
Congress has taken some action through legislation like the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, but more is needed to help end the ongoing genocide, the coalition argued.
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