Let’s Not Forget Uyghur Genocide!

While global attention remains fixated on the Israel-Gaza conflict and many other major events, the ongoing Uyghur genocide, which has been unfolding since 2016, is largely overshadowed. Shockingly, up to 3 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims still find themselves confined in China's concentration camps and prisons, reminiscent of Nazi-style oppression. Compounding this tragedy, over a million Uyghur children, separated from parents detained in these facilities, are placed in state-run orphanages, where they are systematically stripped of their Muslim culture, Uyghur heritage, and language.

In response to this dire situation, International Support for Uyghurs is organizing a protest on February 4, 2024, to mark the solemn 27th anniversary of the February 5th Ghulja Massacre in 1997. On that historic day in 1997, thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic people in East Turkistan peacefully protested in Ghulja against restrictions on Uyghur culture and the execution of over 30 human rights activists. The Chinese authorities violently suppressed the peaceful demonstration, resulting in the death of more than 100 protesters and the arrest of thousands of Uyghurs in the ensuing weeks and months. 

It is crucial to underscore that the Uyghur genocide is not a recent development but has been a harsh reality since 1949 when the Chinese Communist Party occupied East Turkistan.

The forthcoming protest aims to ensure that the profound lessons learned from that dark chapter in history are preserved and never forgotten, casting a light on the ongoing genocide the Uyghur people are facing. 

Please join our protest. Thank you!