Kazakhstan: Uyghurs and Kazakhs in Almaty commemorate East Turkistan Uprising

Astana [Kazakhstan], April 7 (ANI): Uyghurs and Kazakhs gathered in Kazakhstan’s Almaty to commemorate the East Turkistan Uprising in Baren in 1990 on April 5. Nearly 200 members of Almaty’s Uyghur and Kazakh communities attended the event organized by the East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM) as an Iftar Dinner for East Turkistan.

In addition to remembering the 1990 East Turkistan Uprising, also known as the Baren Revolution, the attendees highlighted China’s ongoing genocide against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Turkic people in East Turkistan and prayed for the liberation of people, the East Turkistan Government in Exile said in the press release. Kazakh and Uyghur Almaty community members delivered speeches about the history of East Turkistan, the Baren Revolution, China’s alleged ongoing genocide, and the need for the Central Asian Uyghur and Kazakh communities to support the people in ‘Occupied East Turkistan’, stated the press release.

Others spoke about the importance of the East Turkistan National Movement and its efforts to fight for East Turkistan’s and its people’s rights. Some of the speakers recited poems and highlighted the importance of Uyghurs living free and independent of China as the only way to put an end to the genocide.
At the event, Otkur M, an Uyghur Muslim from Almaty, said, “We should support the East Turkistan National Movement because it is the only organization fighting for our country and people’s independence,” according to the East Turkistan Government in Exile press release.

Chinese People’s Liberation Army violently suppressed the protests led by Zeydin Yusup led protests against China’s genocidal colonial policies in Baren township on April 5, 1990. As a result, many East Turkistanis took up arms and fought against Chinese forces in order to reclaim East Turkistan’s independence, the East Turkistan Government in Exile said in a press release.

Over several days, thousands of unarmed Uyghurs and other Turkic people were massacred and more than 7,600 East Turkistanis were arrested, many of whom were tortured, sentenced to prison terms or executed, as per the press release.
Raikhana Mukhlis, East Turkistan National Movement’s region director for Central Asia in the press release, said, “The Baren Massacre, which occurred in the aftermath of the East Turkistan National Uprising in 1990, was one of many massacres that the East Turkistani people have endured over the last three decades.”
She added, “Unfortunately, it culminated in the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples.”

Meanwhile, dozens of Uyghurs and American supporters, led by the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) and East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM), gathered in front of the US Capitol Building to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the 1990 East Turkistan Uprising on April 5.

They urged the United States Congress to introduce and pass legislation recognizing East Turkistan as an occupied territory, the East Turkistan Government said in the press release. The demonstrators urged the international community, particularly the US, to uphold its promise of ‘Never Again’ by passing new legislation and taking measures to end China’s ongoing campaign of colonisation, genocide and ‘occupation in East Turkistan’.