Salih Hudayar, the East Turkistan Government in Exile’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Security, participated in a panel discussion organised by the Court of the Citizens of the World on Sunday.

The panel, part of the China Tribunal, addressed the ongoing Uyghur genocide. In his remarks, Hudayar highlighted the root causes of the genocide, attributing it to the Chinese occupation and colonization of East Turkistan.

He underscored the region’s long history of independence and detailed the significant events that have led to the current crisis. Hudayar criticized China’s portrayal of normalcy in East Turkistan, calling it “completely untrue.”

He pointed to recent actions by the Chinese government, noting that “Just yesterday, Chinese Communist Party’s secretary in East Turkistan Ma Xingrui oversaw a joint military and police drill involving several thousand Chinese military and police to carry out a high-intensity crackdown against Uyghur and Turkic people.”

“The root of this issue, this ongoing genocide, is colonization,” Hudayar stated.

“We believe it is simply because of Chinese occupation and colonization. East Turkistan is the historical homeland of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Turkic peoples. Today, the Chinese population is only 40 percent, whereas the Uyghurs, Turkic, and others are less than 60 percent. China began to intensify its colonization and genocide, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union.”

Hudayar called on governments and institutions worldwide to uphold their commitments to human rights, freedom, democracy, and self-determination. He emphasised the need for meaningful action to hold China accountable and to end its ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation in East Turkistan.

The panel discussion underscored the urgent need for international intervention and support to address the human rights abuses occurring in East Turkistan, advocating for the global community to take a firm stand against the atrocities.