Unmasking Today’s Uyghur Genocide: Insights from the Ghulja Massacre

Countless uprisings and peaceful demonstrations against the brutalities of Chinese colonization have been ruthlessly suppressed in East Turkistan since 1949, leaving the victims unaccounted for. One such demonstration, the peaceful Gulja protest on February 5, 1997, witnessed thousands of Uyghur men, women, and children demanding freedom of speech, cultural and religious autonomy, and equal treatment in the face of racial discrimination. Tragically, this peaceful gathering was met with excessive force by units of the People’s Armed Police and riot police, who reportedly opened fire on the crowd. The leaders of the demonstration were executed, and even after 27 years, hundreds of protesters remain imprisoned today.

Each year, on the 5th of February, Uyghurs across the globe unite in protest and remembrance of the Gulja massacre. Commemorating this tragic event serves not only as a means to honor and mourn those who sacrificed themselves for freedom but also as a powerful statement by the people of East Turkistan. It highlights that China’s ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs is not merely caused by “separatist” issue, as China utilizes as an excuse to cover its genocidal crimes. It is a stark reminder that China is determined to eliminate and oppress the Uyghur population, even when they peacefully demonstrate and advocate for basic human rights, as the Gulja protestors did, without any intention of establishing an independent East Turkistan.