Updated Nov. 15, 2024, 6:50 p.m.
Read RFA coverage of this topic in Uyghur.
U.S. lawmakers gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington this week to mark “East Turkestan National Day,” the anniversary of two short-lived independent Uyghur states, pledging their support for Uyghurs facing persecution in northwestern China.
Nov. 12 marks the founding of the two republics called East Turkestan in 1933 and in 1944 in what is now known as China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The United States and parliaments of other Western countries have declared that China has committed genocide or crimes against humanity in Xinjiang based on credible evidence of mass detentions in camps, forced sterilizations of Uyghur woman and other severe rights abuses.
Wednesday’s event was attended by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Tom Suozzi, Uyghur studies scholars, and officials from the Uyghur American Association, or UAA.
The commemoration began with the national anthems of the U.S. and East Turkestan, followed by remarks from UAA President Elfidar Iltebir and a short film about the two independent republics.
Statements of congratulations were delivered by Congressional-Executive Committee on China chairs Rep. Chris Smith and Senator Jeff Merkley. CECC Commissioner Senator Marc Rubio, who was recently tapped by President-Elect Donald Trump to lead the State Department, issued a statement marking the anniversary, which was read at the event by an aide.
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After the film, Pelosi described Uyghur culture and governance as “treasure[s] to be preserved, continued and strengthened.”
She also reaffirmed what she called “strongly bipartisan” support for the Uyghurs in both houses.
“In China, millions of Uyghurs and other Muslims have endured outrageous barbaric abuses,” she said. “We want to make sure that those in prison ... are not forgotten.”
“I always say if we don’t speak out for human rights in China … We lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights in any other place in the world,” she added.
Call for stronger measures
Congressman Suozzi acknowledged the work and sacrifices that the diaspora has put into highlighting the persecution Uyghurs face in China, pointing out that their activism subjects them to “transnational repression in the process.”
He vowed to continue working with the community to help bring relief to their friends and family members back in Xinjiang.
In a message delivered to attendees by a representative, Rubio emphasized the genocide Uyghurs are facing and the need for stronger, more practical measures against it.
“We need to take further actions to impose economic and reputational costs on the CCP,” he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
“Countries around the world also need to do more to stop the goods produced with [Uyghur] forced labor from entering their countries, press the CCP to release innocent members, intellectuals, religious scholars and cultural icons who are still in prison, and to stop the CCP from subjecting Uyghur women to horrific crimes, including forced abortion, sterilization, sexual violence and separation from their children,” he said.
A statement by CECC Co-chair Christopher Smith said that he expected Rubio, if confirmed as secretary of state, would further elevate the Uyghur issue as part of U.S. policy.
“We do have our work cut out for us,” he said. “But I believe that together with your leadership here, we can prevail.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley, the other CECC co-chair, noted in a statement that while some steps have been taken regarding the Chinese government’s Uyghur genocide, China hasn’t changed its ways, and the incoming Trump administration needs to take stronger measures.
20th century states
The first East Turkestan Republic was founded by Turkic - mostly Uyghur - intellectuals on Nov. 12 in 1933 as the only independent republic of Turkic people outside of the Republic of Turkey, formed a decade earlier at the end of the Ottoman Empire.
The budding nation was formed around the capital of Kashgar city - a key node in the ancient Silk Road trade route between China and the West - and had its own flag, constitution, passport, and complete state administration system.
Hui Muslim warlords nominally allied with the Kuomintang-led nationalist government in Nanjing sacked Kashgar in 1934, leading to the dissolution of the republic on April 16 that year, a mere six months after its founding.
The first republic served as an example for the second, lengthier republic founded in 1944, following the Ili Rebellion in Xinjiang.
The second East Turkestan Republic, which lasted until 1949, was more fully formed and boasted its own standing army with modern weaponry, multilingual media outlets, currency and postal system.
The state was initially backed by the Soviet Union, but funding ceased as a result of Moscow’s wartime alliance with the Chinese nationalists' Republic of China.
It was dissolved when communist forces prompted nationalist troops to retreat from mainland China to the island of Taiwan and Mao Zedong formally declared the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949.
While the two republics were brief, they demonstrated the Uyghur community’s capacity to manage an independent state based on democratic principles, Uyghur activists say.
Gratitude for US support
Speaking after the lawmakers on Wednesday, George Washington University Professors Sean Roberts and Eric Schlussel elaborated on the Uyghur experience of nation-building.
Roberts noted that the Uyghurs are not just a minority demanding equal rights in China, but rather a community aspiring for national self-determination.
Schluessel lamented that both Uyghur republics fell victim to power politics between China and the Soviet Union.
He said that the 91st and 80th anniversaries of the republics are a time to reflect on “the ongoing experiments that are [part of] the struggle for Uyghur political rights.”
“I look forward to witnessing the next experiment, whatever form it takes and wherever it may be,” he added.
At the end of the event, UAA President Iltebir expressed gratitude for the “tremendous support” that the U.S. government has provided to the Uyghur community.
“East Turkestan Republic Day holds great significance for us,” he said. “This event is incredibly meaningful because it demonstrates that the U.S. government continues to have our backs.”
Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
An earlier version of this story mistakenly said that the second East Turkestan Republic lasted until 1946.