PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
28 March 2024
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WASHINGTON, DC — The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) unequivocally condemns the recent visit by an Arab delegation to Occupied East Turkistan, occurring during the sacred month of Ramadan. This visit, orchestrated amidst the Chinese government’s relentless campaign of genocide and suppression of religious freedoms, starkly highlights the contrast between the Arab delegation’s actions and the grim reality faced by Muslims in East Turkistan.
The ETGE views this visit as a calculated propaganda effort, aimed at legitimizing China’s brutal campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation against the Uyghur people and other predominantly Muslim peoples in East Turkistan.
Salih Hudayar, the ETGE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Security, remarked, “The timing of the Arab delegation’s visit during Ramadan—a period when practicing our faith could mean severe punishment—shamelessly endorses China’s genocidal policies aimed at erasing our religion, culture, and existence. This visit is a profound betrayal, ignoring the desperate plight of the Uyghur people and other Turkic peoples, and tacitly supporting China’s ongoing genocide and occupation in East Turkistan.”
During their visit, the delegation met with Ma Xingrui, the Chinese Communist Party secretary in Occupied East Turkistan, on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. This meeting further illustrates the complicity of the Arab delegation in the face of ongoing genocide perpetrated by the Chinese government against the native predominantly Muslim Turkic peoples of East Turkistan.
Comprising members from nations such as Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, and Tunisia, led by a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council of Palestine, the delegation’s failure to address the ongoing genocide and suppression of Islam in East Turkistan deeply disrespects the religious freedoms, rights, and ongoing struggles of the East Turkistani people.
Mr. Adil Ablimit, the ETGE’s Minister of Culture, Education, and Religious Affairs, condemned the visit, stating, “Their actions betray the foundational principles of Islam, which teaches compassion, justice, and the duty to stand against oppression. By standing with the Chinese oppressors, they have forsaken these principles, turning their backs on their brothers and sisters in faith in East Turkistan.”
The ETGE implores the international community, particularly Muslim-majority countries and their representatives, to see beyond the facade presented by the Chinese government. The reality of East Turkistan today is one of colonization, genocide, and occupation—one that the recent visit dangerously attempts to whitewash.
The ETGE remains committed to raising awareness of the situation in East Turkistan, advocating for justice, and working towards the restoration of East Turkistan’s independence to ensure the rights, freedoms, and existence of East Turkistan’s people. We urge global leaders, organizations, and individuals of conscience to join us in condemning the Chinese government’s atrocities and supporting the fundamental rights of the Uyghur and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan.
