12 November 2025
Press Release – For Immediate Release
East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE)
East-Turkistan.Net
contact@East-Turkistan.Net
Today, the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile (ETGE) commemorates East Turkistan National Independence Day, honoring the anniversaries of the First East Turkistan Republic (1933 – 1934) and the Second East Turkistan Republic (1944-1949) — and the liberation of Kashgar on November 12, 1864, which led to the establishment of the State of Yette Sheher (1865-1877).
For more than a century and a half, November 12 has embodied the East Turkistani nation’s unbroken determination to live free, sovereign, and independent. The liberation of Kashgar from Manchu Qing occupation in 1864, and the founding of the First and Second East Turkistan Republics in 1933 and 1944, are enduring symbols of our people’s resistance to foreign domination and our commitment to national sovereignty and independence.
“November 12 reminds the world that East Turkistan is a nation that has repeatedly declared its independence,” said Dr. Mamtimin Ala, President of the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile. “The loss of our national sovereignty in 1949 opened the door to colonization, occupation, and genocide. Restoring our national independence is not merely a political goal — it is the only way to secure our people’s survival, freedom, and dignity,” he added.
Since the Chinese Communist invasion of East Turkistan on October 12, 1949, our homeland has been subjected to systematic colonization and genocide. Millions of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples have been detained, enslaved, and killed under China’s colonial occupation. This is the direct result of an illegal occupation and the denial of East Turkistan’s sovereignty.
The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile reiterates that independence is the only viable path to protect our people and ensure their human rights. No amount of “autonomy” under Chinese rule can substitute for freedom. The world must recognize that the genocide in East Turkistan stems from the destruction of our sovereign state in 1949.
“Our position is clear and unwavering,” declared Abdulahat Nur, Prime Minister of the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile. “East Turkistan was an independent nation. It remains an occupied country. The ETGE will continue to lead our people’s struggle until full independence and sovereignty are restored,” he further added.
Across the world, East Turkistani communities will hold official commemorations and demonstrations — not only to honor our nation’s history, but to reaffirm our people’s enduring struggle for survival and the restoration of our national independence. The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile and its Parliament-in-Exile join the East Turkistani diaspora in Washington, D.C., and across the globe in observing this solemn and dignified National Independence Day.
On this 161st anniversary of Kashgar’s liberation and 92nd anniversary of the First East Turkistan Republic, and the 81st of the Second East Turkistan Republic, the ETGE honors the martyrs who fought to restore our national independence and sovereignty and calls upon the international community to support East Turkistan’s just cause for decolonization, external self-determination, and the restoration of our national independence and sovereignty.
Long Live Independent East Turkistan!