The below statement is attributed to the Office of the Prime Minister of the Government in Exile of the Republic of East Turkistan
Today, October 12, 2025, marks seventy-six years since the People’s Republic of China invaded and occupied the sovereign Republic of East Turkistan. On this day in 1949, just eleven days after the founding of the so-called “People’s Republic of China,” Chinese Communist forces launched a military assault against our independent nation. On December 22, 1949, they forcibly overthrew the East Turkistan Republic, holding captive by force and violence our independence and national sovereignty.
This act of aggression was not an isolated event but the beginning of a brutal and prolonged campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation that continues to this very day. China’s invasion of East Turkistan and subsequent colonial domination are the root cause of the ongoing genocide against the people of East Turkistan. Over the past seventy-six years, millions of our people have been killed, while countless others have been subjected to mass internment, forced labor, torture, executions, forced sterilizations, and the systematic eradication of our religious, cultural, and national identity.
October 12 is observed as the National Day of Mourning of the East Turkistani nation. On this solemn day, we honor the memory of all who have perished under Chinese occupation and all who continue to suffer persecution and oppression. It is also a day of remembrance and resistance, a day to reaffirm our unbreakable resolve to restore our nation’s independence and to secure justice for the victims of China’s genocide, colonization, and crimes against humanity.
The East Turkistan Government in Exile and the people of East Turkistan, both at home and abroad, will never recognize China’s illegal rule nor accept its occupation. We call upon the international community to recognize East Turkistan as an occupied country and to hold the People’s Republic of China accountable for its crimes of aggression, genocide, and colonialism. We further call on all governments, organizations, and peoples of conscience to support the East Turkistani people’s inherent right to self-determination, decolonization, and the restoration of their national sovereignty.
The world must understand that the atrocities in East Turkistan are not mere human rights violations. They are acts of colonial domination, genocide, and crimes against humanity, the direct and inevitable consequence of China’s unlawful invasion and continued occupation.
Restoring East Turkistan’s independence is essential not only for the survival and dignity of our people but also for the preservation of peace and stability across Asia and beyond. A free and independent East Turkistan will contribute to global security, uphold universal values, and stand as a bulwark against tyranny and aggression.
May Almighty God guide and protect our nation, bless our people with freedom, and hasten the full restoration of our rightful independence.
— Prime Minister Abdulahat Nur
East Turkistan Government in Exile