It has been more than 20 years since I became acquainted with the respected Dalai Lama. Since then, we have met on many occasions and continuously supported one another. There are many reasons behind this enduring friendship and alliance. One of the most important is that we deeply understand each other’s suffering.
Uighurs, Tibetans and Mongolians have lived under a colonial regime unlike any other — the inhumane rule of the Chinese Communist Party. The cruelty we have experienced is unprecedented not only in its brutality, but also in its form.
Where else in the world do officials intrude into people’s homes under a policy such as “Pair Up and Become Family”? Where else is atheistic, communist propaganda promoted inside places of worship? Where else does a father’s alleged crime lead to the arrest of his child, or a husband’s so-called offense result in the detention of his wife? What other regime covers the heads of millions with black hoods and sends them to camps that they call “vocational schools”?
These are only a few examples of the repression we are enduring. The extent of this cruelty is almost beyond belief — even for those under Chinese rule, and especially for people in the West, who struggle to imagine that human beings could treat one another in such ways.
To suffer injustice is one agony; to be unable to express it to the world — to fail to make others believe it — is another. We, the Uighurs and Tibetans, have endured both.
In our darkest moments, our voices and testimonies about China aligned with those of the Dalai Lama. This made it somewhat easier to explain China’s tyranny to the world — because we could bear witness for each other.
Even without coordination, our facts and pain echoed one another.
Through our shared efforts and solidarity, we might not have changed our people’s fate in dramatic ways, but we have succeeded in convincing part of the world that genocide is occurring — in Tibet and in East Turkestan. That awareness itself is a significant step forward.
In response, China now spends enormous sums to organize puppet delegations and stage false scenes to hide the evidence. However, the truth will not remain hidden. China would ultimately pay the price for being the state that committed genocide in the 21st century — and that price would only grow.
One reason our friendship with the Dalai Lama remains unshakable is our shared belief in a creator. We do not believe we descended from apes; we see ourselves as human beings with divine origins. Justice, equality and peace are the foundations of our cultures. Both our peoples seek to live in dignity, freedom and in peaceful coexistence with our neighbors.
We are united in these sacred goals. We walk this path together. We pay the price together.
With the cooperation of humanity, we would achieve our goal. Just as we contributed to human civilization in the past, we would continue to add to it in the future.
I sincerely wish His Holiness the Dalai Lama continued good health and a long life.
Rebiya Kadeer is a former president of World Uyghur Congress.
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