Washington, DC [US], July 6 : Dozens of Uyghurs, East Turkistanis, and American allies held a demonstration outside the White House on Saturday to mark the 16th anniversary of the July 5, 2009 Urumchi Massacre, where thousands of peaceful Uyghur demonstrators were killed or disappeared by Chinese forces in Urumchi, the capital of occupied East Turkistan.
The event was organised by the East Turkistan Government in Exile, the East Turkistan National Movement, the East Turkistan Parliament in Exile, and the East Turkistan National Fund.
The rally began with the United States National Anthem, honouring America's 249th Independence Day, followed by the East Turkistan National Anthem, symbolising the ongoing struggle for independence and freedom from Chinese occupation, as per the East Turkistan National Movement's official statement.
Salih Hudayar, ETGE Foreign and Security Minister and leader of the ETNM, opened the demonstration with a powerful statement, saying, "The Urumchi Massacre set the stage for the systemic genocide we witness today, a genocide that continues to devastate our people. Today, in 2025, the Uyghur Genocide is not a memory; it is a living nightmare that continues to claim lives, tear families apart, and destroy an entire nation."
Hudayar condemned US Ambassador to China David Perdue's meetings with Chinese officials complicit in genocide and other crimes, the statement added.
"That meeting, framed as 'law enforcement cooperation,' is not diplomacy; it is appeasement of a genocidal regime. It is a betrayal of American values and those facing genocide in the 21st century," he said.
According to East Turkistan National Movement, he warned of horrific crimes continuing under occupation and stated, "An estimated 25,000 to 50,000 Uyghurs and other Turkic youth are killed each year so their organs can be sold to wealthy Chinese and international buyers. This is industrialised, state-run murder for profit."
He closed with a call to action, saying that "the restoration of East Turkistan's full independence is not just a moral obligation--it is the only solution to ending China's ongoing genocide. Our resistance is just. Our cause is righteous. And our goal is clear: the full restoration of East Turkistan's independence."
Major Ben Lowsen (Ret.), A US-China strategist and sinologist spoke next and affirmed 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 and noted that "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."
Amannisa Mukhlis, director of Family and Women's Affairs at ETNM, gave an emotional address about China's war on women and children, saying, "East Turkistani women are being raped, forcibly sterilized, made to undergo abortions, and locked up in concentration camps. These so-called 'marriages' are not unions--they are state-sponsored mass rape."
On the regime's campaign against Uyghur identity, she stated, "More than 1 million East Turkistani children have been stolen from their families and sent to Chinese boarding schools. They are forbidden from speaking their language, practising their faith, or remembering their identity."
Her conclusion was clear "Without independence, our children have no future. That is why we say clearly: East Turkistan must be free and independent."
Tursunay Ziyawudun, a survivor of China's concentration camps, delivered remarks in Uyghur, calling on Uyghurs worldwide to step up. "We who live in freedom must not stay silent. We must speak out louder. We must fight for those who cannot speak," she said.
The demonstration concluded with chants calling on the United States to act. Participants raised their voices with, Urumchi to genocide -- Never forget!; East Turkistan is not China -- it never was, it never will be!; President DonaldTrump, act now to stop imperialist China! Apply the Captive Nations Law now! Recognise East Turkistan!; America, don't delay, end China's genocide today!.