Washington DC [US], July 6 : On the 16th anniversary of the Urumchi Massacre, dozens of Uyghurs, East Turkistanis, and American allies gathered outside the White House to demand US action against what they described as China's ongoing genocide in Occupied East Turkistan.
The rally, organised by the East Turkistan Government in Exile, the East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM), the Parliament in Exile, and the East Turkistan National Fund, was marked by impassioned speeches and a clear call: Recognise East Turkistan and end all cooperation with the Chinese regime.
According to the East Turkistan National Movement's press release, the demonstration opened with both the US and East Turkistan national anthems, symbolising solidarity and the struggle for freedom. Salih Hudayar, Foreign and Security Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile and leader of the ETNM called the 2009 massacre "the precursor to today's systematic genocide."
"In 2025, the Uyghur genocide is not history, it is a nightmare still unfolding," said Hudayar. He condemned recent meetings between US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns and Chinese officials accused of complicity in genocide. "Framing such contact as 'law enforcement cooperation' is nothing short of appeasement," he said.
Hudayar also exposed horrific allegations, stating, "Between 25,000 to 50,000 Uyghur youth are killed every year for their organs. This is state-run, industrialised murder for profit."
Retired US China strategist Major Ben Lowsen echoed these concerns, warning that "China was always willing to kill Uyghurs by the thousands, tens of thousands. And that's unimaginable in a free society like ours. And we can't be naive. China's threat is not only to Uyghurs and other Turkic people. China's threat is on our doorstep. It's terrorising our citizens and our residents."
He further urged the free world to prepare to fight the CCP: "The free world must be ready to fight. We must fight the Chinese Communist Party and their plot. We must fight and be ready to fight the Chinese military around the world."
He ended with a direct appeal to the United States and the free world: "Learn this name: East Turkistan. Understand this truth: it is a nation, it always has been, and it will be again."
Amanisa Mukhlis, Director of Family and Women's Affairs at ETNM highlighted atrocities against women and children: "Forced sterilizations, abortions, rape, these are not isolated cases but a systematic war on Uyghur identity," she said.
Tursunay Ziyawudun, a concentration camp survivor, urged the global Uyghur diaspora to take action: "We must not stay silent. We must fight for those who cannot speak."
As per the East Turkistan National Movement's statement, the rally ended with chants urging the US government to apply the Captive Nations Law, recognize East Turkistan as an occupied country, and end China's genocide.
The movement's demands remain firm: end all US-China law enforcement ties, impose sanctions on complicit CCP officials, fully enforce the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, and support East Turkistan's independence.