New York : Members of the Uyghur community led by the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE), held a protest in front of the United Nations headquarters in the US over China's hypocrisy. The Uyghurs urged the international community to address the China-East Turkistan conflict and "act against China's ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation in East Turkistan."
The protest was held simultaneously as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi led a UNSC meeting on the Israel-Hamas conflict and "served to expose China's hypocrisy and denounce its colonial and genocidal policies in Occupied East Turkistan." The protesters held posters and placards that read, "Independence is the only way forward for East Turkistan" and "Stop China's Uyghur genocide."
In the press release, the East Turkistan Government in Exile stated that the protest was not only a show of resistance but a powerful statement against the hypocrisy of the Chinese government. It said that Wang Yi in his address advocated for the "right of the Palestinian people to statehood" and "their right to existence." However, China wages a brutal campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples in Occupied East Turkistan with the goal to stop the restoration of East Turkistan's independence.
The East Turkistan Government in Exile said that the duplicity was the central theme of the East Turkistani protest. East Turkistan Government in Exile's Foreign Minister, Salih Hudayar, participated in the protest and expressed his outrage at China's duplicity.
In the press release, Salih Hudayar said, "The hypocrisy of the Chinese government, which calls for recognition and support of Palestinian statehood while simultaneously opposing and denying East Turkistani statehood and the most basic human rights to the people of East Turkistan, must be exposed and challenged."
"The global community cannot claim to stand for justice and peace while allowing such blatant double standards to persist," he added.
The protest represented a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle for East Turkistan's freedom. Mamtimin Ala, President of the East Turkistan Government in Exile, who was not present at the protest, reiterated East Turkistan's call for the international community's support, according to the press release.
Mamtimin Ala said, "The East Turkistani people have shown unwavering determination in their fight for independence. It's high time the international community recognizes and actively supports East Turkistani people's right to statehood and struggle for decolonization and independence."
The East Turkistan Government in Exile urged governments, international bodies, and all advocates for justice to join in solidarity with East Turkistan and take measures towards resolving the China-East Turkistan conflict.