East Turkistan govt in exile demands global action against China's 'genocide' of Uyghurs

Washington DC [US], August 15 (ANI): The East Turkistan Government in Exile has issued a powerful call for global intervention against the ongoing human rights abuses against the Uyghur community in China's Xinjiang.
The exiled government, representing the interests of the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan, has denounced what it describes as a "systematic campaign of genocide and colonization" by the Chinese government.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the East Turkistan Government in Exile highlighted a report from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), dated August 31, 2022. The report detailed severe human rights violations perpetrated by China, including forced labour, mass internment, forced sterilizations, forced family separations, and other atrocities.
The exiled government emphasized that these crimes are not isolated incidents but are part of a broader campaign aimed at eradicating the identity and existence of Turkic peoples in the region.
They argued that China's policies are driven by deep-seated racial and religious discrimination, and they criticize the international community, particularly the United Nations, for failing to take decisive action.
The statement calls on the UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, and UN member states to prioritize the 'Uyghur Genocide' on the agendas of the UN Security Council and General Assembly. It also urges support for legal efforts to hold Chinese officials accountable through the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"We, the East Turkistan Government in Exile, demand that @UNHumanRights Chief @Volker_Turk take immediate and uncompromising action to address this escalating humanitarian crisis. We call on UN Member States to elevate the #UyghurGenocide to the top of the UN Security Council and General Assembly agendas," the East Turkistan Government in Exile said in a post on X.
"Furthermore, we urge the global community to support East Turkistan's legal efforts to obtain justice and accountability by demanding that the International Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) initiate investigations and prosecutions against Chinese officials responsible for these heinous crimes," it added.
The East Turkistan Government in Exile further argued that the restoration of East Turkistan's independence is not only a regional issue but a global imperative.
It also drew parallels with the recognition of Palestinian statehood and asserted that the people of East Turkistan, who declared independence twice in the 20th century before being forcibly overthrown by the People's Republic of China, deserve similar recognition and support.
The statement concluded with a call for immediate and collective action from governments, organizations, and individuals worldwide to stand in solidarity with the East Turkistan people in their struggle for justice and freedom.
"The world must no longer stand by in silence. The time for decisive and collective action is now. We call on every government, organization, and individual to stand with us in our struggle for justice, freedom, and the preservation of our people", the statement read. (ANI)