East Turkistan Persecution

East Turkistan persecution has been hidden by the Chinese government for decades. However, with the presence of satellite imaging and stories from citizens living under this persecution, a consistent story is now emerging.

One of China’s best-kept secrets is what has happened in the part of China previously known as East Turkistan. Salih Hudayar is the Prime Minister of East Turkistan now lives in exile because undoubtedly he would be arrested if he tried to return to his country.

This once independent country is now living under the dictatorial thumb of China and is largely hidden from attention due to its remote location. The area used to be on the Silk Road, which was the main trade route between China and Russia. For centuries, the indigenous Uyghurs lived there as a peaceful, independent nation since the fifth century. Turkistan became a vassal state to the Qing dynasty in what is now known as China.

Competition among the British and Russian Empires along with the Qing Empire in the east resulted in constant turmoil. Fearing the Russians would overtake the territory, the British supported an invasion by China into Turkistan finally conquering it in 1884. Turkistan then became incorporated into the Qing Empire and renamed “Xinjiang” meaning “New Territory.”

On November 12, 1933, the various ethnic groups living in Turkistan declared independence and became the East Turkistan Republic. This lasted only a few months until the Soviets and Chinese armies invaded and overthrew the Republic.

Ten years later on November 12, 1944, the people again declared themselves the independent state of East Turkistan. The country was able to remain independent until it was invaded by the Chinese Communists and finally lost their independence on December 22, 1949 when it became a part of greater China.

Less than 5% of the population at that time were Chinese, and most of the Chinese living there were soldiers and their families. That has now changed with the massive internment of over 3 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and Tatars in concentration camps with millions more in prisons. There has also been a mass migration of the Chinese population into the area with the Uyghurs becoming a minority population in their own land.

The Chinese attempt to repress the expression of any religion including Christianity. The Chinese view any allegiance to religion as competing with the state, and so is to be repressed. Minority populations are isolated, monitored, repressed, and punished for any expression of religious belief.

East Turkistan Government in Exile

Flag of East Turkistan

The East Turkistan Government in Exile was officially founded in 2004. It is a democratically elected official body representing East Turkistan.

Due to the political activism of the Prime Minister, his family has not been heard from since 2017. He also notes his relatives have been detained and sent to concentration camps and prisons. Other members of the government have faced similar persecution from the Chinese government.

Concentration Camps and Prisons

The Chinese government has built over 1300 so-called “re-education” centers otherwise known as concentration camps across East Turkistan. These camps old over 3 million people of various ethnic groups.

Additionally, hundreds of new prisons are also built across the country holding millions of more people. China’s 2019 defense strategy whitepaper indicates these prisons and camps are built primarily for the purpose of preventing East Turkistan’s independence.

People in these camps are being tortured, raped, sterilized, and there are even reports of dissident’s organs being removed for sale.

Forced Marriages

Women are forced to marry native Chinese men in order to reduce the population of the ethnic majority.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

The Chinese government has also been forcing Uyghur and other Turkic women to marry Chinese men in order to eradicate the existence of this dissident population.

Children are forcibly separated from their families and sent to state-run orphanages to be culturally and politically indoctrinated as loyal Chinese citizens.

Furthermore, millions of youth have been transferred throughout China to be used as cheap labor for factories producing shoes for Nike, Adidas, Gap, Zara, and consumer electronics. This is at the same time that China is sending Chinese settlers into the province to dilute the population.

Economic East Turkistan Persecution

The region of East Turkistan is very rich in natural resources such as oil, natural gas, gold, silver, uranium, iron, copper, and coal, the indigenous people are living in extreme poverty. All the fertile areas in the province are occupied by Chinese colonists.

The wealth from these resources is taken by the Chinese government in order to empower greater China and its people.

The Chinese government has labeled the indigenous peoples as being “enemies of the state and people” and treats them accordingly. They are not permitted to worship at all, and children are not permitted to learn about their culture or learn their language. Children are removed from their parents and taught Mandarin Chinese and taught the Chinese atheist philosophy.

No one is permitted to travel outside of their neighborhood or freely associate.

Nuclear Testing

Image by Alexander Antropov from Pixabay

The Chinese Government carried out 46 surface nuclear tests in the province from 1964 to 1996 destroying much of the country. It is estimated that about 750,000 deaths have been caused by nuclear fallout from these tests.

The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War estimated the radioactivity produced by this nuclear testing. They determined it released about 48 kilograms of pulverized plutonium. Inhalation or ingestion of one-millionth of a gram can cause organ damage.

A 1998 British Documentary titled “Death on the Silk Road” documented the birth defects and malformation that are thought to have been produced by the radiation produced by these tests. East Turkistan has the highest mortality rate of all the 28 provinces and regions occupied by the Communist Party of China.

More information concerning the East Turkistan Government in Exile can be found here.

Summary Concerning East Turkistan Persecution

The brutal dictatorship of the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) over one of their provinces is frightening.

It is concerning that such brutality even exists during the twenty-first century and that so few people are even aware of its existence.

Of course, part of the problem is the remoteness of this area, and that access to the region has been blocked by the Chinese government.

The brutality of forced sterilizations and organ harvesting of alleged dissidents would be difficult to believe were it not for the multiple reports of its existence. This is not even to mention the religious persecution and genocide being enforced against this population who are helpless to defend themselves.

Satellite images confirm the presence of the concentration camps and prisons which have recently sprouted up across the countryside. Documentaries document the excess deaths and deformities produced from years of nuclear testing and the environmental damage produced.

Hopefully, the world community will acknowledge the crimes being committed against these people by a brutal dictatorship and at least embarrass the Chinese regime through the widespread dissemination of this information.