Campaign for Uyghurs marks 35 years since Barin Massacre, calls out China’s ongoing Uyghur repression

Washington DC [US] April 7 (ANI): Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) commemorated the 35th anniversary of the Barin Massacre. On April 5, 1990, in the town of Barin, East Turkistan, brave Uyghur individuals organized a peaceful demonstration against the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) oppressive One-Child Policy and the cruel targeting of Uyghur women through forced abortions, as stated in a CFU release.

The CCP reacted with overwhelming military aggression, leading to a violent confrontation and the deaths of numerous protesters. Survivors endured mass detentions, torture, and lengthy prison sentences after facing unjust trials in biased and corrupt courts, according to the CFU statement.

The Barin Massacre took place less than a year following the Tiananmen Square Massacre during a period of fierce crackdowns on dissent throughout China. While Tiananmen remains vividly remembered worldwide, Barin has been systematically forgotten. This erasure reflects the CCP’s ongoing censorship and historical distortion targeting the Uyghur population, as referenced in the CFU release.

CFU Executive Director Rushan Abbas stated, “The Barin protests were a cry for justice and for the right to exist. Thirty-five years later, the Chinese regime’s assault on the Uyghurs has escalated into full-fledged genocide and transnational repression aimed at erasing Uyghur identity and silencing advocacy. But our voices will endure. We remember Barin and the brave Uyghur protesters and carry forward their struggle for human rights and the strength to stand up against tyranny,” as quoted by the CFU release.

In remembrance of the victims and heroes of the Barin Uprising, CFU urges democratic countries, international bodies, and all who uphold human dignity to hold the Chinese government responsible for the continuing genocide against the Uyghur population. Inaction allows genocide to persist. Achieving justice demands decisive measures. We call on the global community to honor Barin not merely with words but with a commitment to halt the ongoing atrocities against humanity perpetrated by the CCP, as stated in the release.