The democratization of the East Turkistan polity has long been an aspiration of our people since the founding of the first East Turkistan Republic in November 12, 1933. Both the first and second East Turkistan Republic had initiated reforms across East Turkistan but this was interrupted due to China’s invasion in late 1949. Prior to the Chinese invasion, the people of East Turkistan had already experienced some democratic governance as our East Turkistan under the first and second East Turkistan Republic had an elected parliament which held the government accountable.

Following China’s invasion of East Turkistan in October of 1949, the PRC occupied East Turkistan and overthrew the independent East Turkistan Republic on December 22, 1949.

Over the decades, numerous committees and organizations were set up in exile to represent the interests of East Turkistan and its people with the goal of restoring East Turkistan’s independence. In 1992 following the fall of the Soviet Union, numerous leaders of various East Turkistan organizations convened in Istanbul, Turkey to form the East Turkistan National Congress.

In 2004, the East Turkistan National Congress split into two with those advocating for East Turkistan’s independence forming the East Turkistan Government in Exile in September of 2004. On November 22, 2004, elections were held and the East Turkistan Parliament in Exile convened in Washington, DC for the first General Assembly.