East Turkistan Government in-Exile condemns China’s village name changes as cultural genocide

The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) expressed deep concern on Thursday over China’s recent renaming of villages in East Turkistan, calling it a deliberate assault on the region’s cultural and historical identity.

The ETGE condemned these actions as part of China’s broader strategy to erase the rich heritage of East Turkistan and emphasised the urgent need for global intervention to halt what it described as a genocidal campaign.

According to the ETGE, East Turkistan, historically an independent nation, was annexed by the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Since then, China has systematically renamed over 3600 villages in the region, replacing Uyghur and other Turkic names with Chinese terms.

This move, as highlighted in a recent Human Rights Watch report, underscores China’s attempt to suppress the cultural and religious heritage of East Turkistan’s native peoples.

“The Chinese invader’s erasure of Uyghur village names is a calculated effort to obliterate our history and identity. These Uyghur names are not merely words; they embody our culture, our faith, and our connection to the land of East Turkistan,” remarked Mamtimin Ala, President of the East Turkistan Government in Exile.

The ETGE further detailed China’s extensive campaign of repression in East Turkistan, including mass internment, torture, enforced disappearances, and forced sterilisation targeting Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic populations. It described these actions as genocidal and colonial, aimed at assimilating and dominating the region.

“The systematic erasure of our villages, towns, cities, and even our country’s name is not just an attack on our heritage, but a direct assault on our very existence. China’s genocidal colonial acts aim to strip us of our identity, our history, and our future,” Ala added.

Calling for international action, the ETGE urged concerned governments and the United Nations to hold China accountable for its actions in East Turkistan. It emphasised the importance of preserving the cultural and religious heritage of the region, stressing that the loss of village names with deep historical and religious significance has profoundly affected the daily lives and identity of the East Turkistani people.

“We urge the international community to leverage all available platforms, including the upcoming UN Human Rights Council sessions, to demand an end to Beijing’s prolonged campaign of colonisation, genocide, and occupation in East Turkistan,” the ETGE stated.

The ETGE in the statement also urged the international community, concerned governments and the United Nations to take significant actions to hold the Chinese government accountable and question them for their heinous genocide and colonisation in East Turkistan.

Furthermore, the ETGE also said, “We urge the international community to leverage all available platforms, including the upcoming UN Human Rights Council sessions, to demand an end to Beijing’s prolonged campaign of colonisation, genocide, and occupation in East Turkistan”.

The ETGE statement also expressed that the only way to end this ongoing genocide and colonisation is through the restoration of East Turkistan’s independence.