The below statement was issued by the President’s Office, photo credit: File Photo

Peace and greetings to all the East Turkistani people and those living in exile.

Today, April 5th, 2021, marks an important date in East Turkistan’s history because 31 years ago, the Barin Revolution erupted on this day. On April 5th, 1990, the people of Barin Township and surrounding areas in Akto County, East Turkistan, being unable to bear the oppression, the genocide, and the murder of our babies under the guide of “family planning policies,” rebelled against the Chinese occupation forces.

Since the day the Chinese occupation forces invaded East Turkistan, they waged unbearable oppression, colonization, and genocide against East Turkistan’s people. At every opportunity, they massacred East Turkistan’s people.

Over the past 71 years, our political leaders have been killed and replaced by Uyghur appearing Chinese puppets. In addition, our prominent intellectuals, our businessmen and businesswomen, religious scholars and leaders, and people from all walks of life have been slandered and killed. By doing this, the Chinese occupation forces have sought to instill fear among our people and prevent them from even daring to speak out.

Despite living under these difficult situations, our national hero, our beloved martyrs under Zeydin Yusup, led the East Turkistani people to rebel during the Barin Revolution. Unfortunately, this righteous revolution ended within two weeks due to China’s occupation forces, air and ground forces bombarding and mercilessly crushing those who participated in the revolution along with innocent civilians.

It was natural for our underprivileged people to be defeated as they were only armed with primitive weapons that they made at home. Despite our people knowing that their weapons were far inferior compared to those of the Chinese occupation forces, they were unable to stand silent to the overwhelming oppression and murder of their babies. They started the revolution with the concept that “rather than dying in captivity, we shall die resisting.”

When our people started this revolution, they had taken note of the fact that the Soviet Union was falling and that communism was declining worldwide. Thus, they started the revolution with high hopes that if they started the revolution, the international community, especially the free world, would come to their aid. Unfortunately, despite battling the Chinese occupation forces for nearly two weeks, no country came to their aid because the Chinese occupation forces had prevented all information from going in and out of East Turkistan, especially Akto County. By the time the world got news of the Barin Revolution, it was too late to send help.

Although the Chinese occupation forces brutally crushed the Barin Revolution, it played a crucial role in awakening East Turkistan’s people. It showed the world that the East Turkistani people’s spirit had not died. If the opportunity rises, East Turkistan’s people were willing to rise up to defend themselves and fight against the Chinese occupation forces.

Our fellow East Turkistani people, let us remember this important day. Let us honor the hero’s that are determined by our conscience and our intellect and not those that the Chinese occupation forces have thrown at us as “heroes.”

There is no doubt that we face all these calamities, this genocide because our homeland East Turkistan is occupied by the Chinese invaders. Thus, it is the responsibility of all East Turkistanis to strive to restore East Turkistan’s independence. Safeguarding and ensuring our human rights, freedoms, religion, culture, and very existence depend on this.

Our dear East Turkistanis, we are all children of East Turkistan, so let’s all take responsibility towards East Turkistan, let’s all take responsibility towards restoring East Turkistan’s independence. Let’s all beware of those who in appearance claim to be representatives of Uyghurs, representatives of our cause. In reality, they strive actively to make East Turkistan appear as an “internal affairs” issue of China by deciding the world by telling our people one thing and telling others another.

If we need to look for role models, let us take Abdukadir Damolla, Sabit Abdulbaqi, Elihan Tore, Zeydin Yusup, and other national heroes models. Let’s all respect and honor our revolutionaries, our heroes, and national leaders. Let’s all be faithful, hopeful, loyal, selfless, and vigilant.

May God Almighty protect our people from China’s coronavirus and all the Chinese occupation forces’ evil plots. May God Almighty grant our people liberation and East Turkistan its independence and make us among those who are successful. Amen