The article below was originally published by Phayul , photo credit: Phayul
DHARAMSHALA, July 23: A Congressional briefing marked ‘Captive Nations Week 2025’ by spotlighting the ongoing struggles of East Turkistan, Tibet, and Southern Mongolia held in the Rayburn House Office Building of the U.S. Congress in Washington DC on Monday.
Organised under Public Law 86-90 of the United States , the Captive Nations Resolution of 1959, the event brought together exiled leaders, national security experts, and Congressional staff to address what speakers described as the continued occupation, cultural genocide, and political erasure of these nations under the Chinese Communist regime.
The Captive Nations Resolution formally recognises nations oppressed by communist imperialism and calls on the United States to support their liberation. East Turkestan and Tibet are explicitly named in the resolution, underscoring the legal and historical significance of U.S. advocacy for their independence.
Tenzin Wangdu, a Tibetan-American activist representing the Tibetan Rangzen (independence) movement, affirmed Tibet’s long-standing sovereignty, stating, “Tibet has never been legally recognised as part of China. Our unique culture, language, and governance flourished for over a thousand years before the 1951 invasion.”
Rejecting narratives of “peaceful liberation,” Wangdu called for an end to “empty statements” and demanded concrete action. “Only independence can guarantee the survival of the Tibetan people,” he emphasised.
Salih Hudayar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Security for the East Turkistan Government in Exile, delivered a keynote address, affirming, “East Turkestan was named in the 1959 resolution not as part of China, but as a nation under communist occupation. That law is still in effect—and tragically, so is our captivity.”
Hudayar outlined what he described as an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan, including the mass incarceration of millions, forced separation of over one million children from their families, and the harvesting of organs from thousands of detained youths—a claim corroborated by 2024 Congressional testimony.
Hudayar urged Congress to formally recognise East Turkistan as an occupied nation, hold hearings on its struggle for independence, and investigate CCP infiltration and repression within the Uyghur diaspora. “Removing the CCP is not enough,” he said. “The Chinese empire must be dismantled.”
Speaking on behalf of Southern Mongolia, Korean-American journalist Se Hoon Kim detailed Beijing’s campaign to eliminate Mongolian cultural identity through language suppression, assimilation policies, and marginalisation of traditional life. “This is not merely a crackdown,” Kim warned, “but a deliberate erasure of an ancient heritage.”
The event concluded with a joint statement and proclamation from the representatives of East Turkistan, Tibet, Southern Mongolia, and other oppressed peoples. It declared, “The right of all captive nations to recover their independence and exercise national sovereignty is absolute and non-negotiable.” The declaration pledged to continue the struggle until liberty and justice are restored.
The Captive Nations Resolution of 1959, formally known as Public Law 86-90, is a United States Congressional resolution that designated the third week of July as “Captive Nations Week.” This resolution was a symbolic gesture aimed at raising awareness about nations that were under the control of communist or other non-democratic regimes, particularly those within the Soviet bloc. It also encouraged the American people to support the aspirations of these nations for freedom and independence.