Civic groups yesterday held a flag-raising ceremony in Taipei to observe the independence of the former East Turkestan Republic, urging nations to condemn acts of Uighur genocide and to support the human rights and sovereignty of Uighurs in the region.
Members of the Taiwan East Turkestan Association and representatives from the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights Project, along with Taiwanese civic groups, assembled in front of the Legislative Yuan and raised the national flag of the former republic while singing its anthem.
Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission secretary-general Wuer Kaixi yesterday said that the national anthem’s name is translated as the March of Freedom or the March of Independence, adding that the lyrics speak of Uighurs who sacrificed their lives for liberty.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“We hope one day that this anthem will be played across the lands of East Turkestan,” he said.
Taiwan East Turkestan Association president Ho Chao-tung (何朝棟) said the presence of Uighur labor camps and attempts to commit genocide against Uighurs are globally recognized truths.
“Only by obtaining sovereignty can one uphold and safeguard human rights,” Ho said.
Uyghur Human Rights Project outreach specialist Tashken Davlet said the international community is aware of China’s actions against Uighurs and other Turkic minorities in the region.
The independence movement is now one in which Uighurs fight against genocide and destruction of culture, and serve to unite the people and allow them to be proud to identify as Uighurs, Davlet said.
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