East Turkistan Government‑in‑Exile Calls for Independence on 22nd Anniversary

On September 14, the East Turkistan Government‑in‑Exile (ETGE) marked its 22nd anniversary with a renewed push for independence. Dr. Mamtimin Ala, the movement’s president, stood before the media in Washington, D.C., and reminded listeners that the exile government was founded exactly 22 years ago when Uyghur, Kazakh and other Turkic leaders gathered to keep the idea of a sovereign East Turkistan alive.

“We are the political successor of the short‑lived East Turkistan Republic that was crushed after China’s 1949 takeover,” Dr. Ala said, his tone both solemn and defiant. He argued that the people of the region have endured more than seven decades of what he described as colonial subjugation, mass internment, forced assimilation and, increasingly, a campaign of genocide.

The exile government’s statement listed alleged crimes ranging from forced labour camps to family separations, and it pointed to UN experts and several foreign parliaments that have already labeled the situation a genocide. “Our national identity has not been erased,” Ala insisted, noting that the ETGE has spent two decades lobbying governments, international organisations and courts to spotlight these abuses.

In May 2026, the ETGE filed what it called the first ever petition on the East Turkistan issue to the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonisation. The document questions China’s claim over the territory, frames the region as an occupied nation, and calls for the right of self‑determination and decolonisation under international law.

Dr. Ala appealed directly to the global community, urging states and institutions to treat East Turkistan not merely as a Chinese province but as a colonised nation with an inherent right to decide its own fate. He asked for concrete support – diplomatic, legal and political – to hold Beijing accountable for the alleged crimes.

“Our struggle will continue through diplomatic channels and any other peaceful means allowed by international law,” Ala promised. He concluded with a firm reminder that sovereignty is not a favour to be granted by any power; it is a right the East Turkistani people have always possessed.

The ETGE said it will keep raising the issue in every appropriate forum until, in its words, “the occupation ends and East Turkistan’s independence is restored.”