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On the 16th anniversary of the July 5th Urumchi Massacre, Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) honoured the victims of one of the most brutal state-led crackdowns in modern Chinese history, renewing calls for justice and international accountability.
The organization marked the day with a renewed demand that the world remember the innocent Uyghur lives lost and confront the Chinese Communist Party's escalating crimes against humanity. In response to the peaceful demonstrations, the Chinese government executed a violent crackdown, deploying armed police who resorted to brutal and lethal tactics against unarmed protesters. In the subsequent days, thousands of Uyghurs were arrested, went missing, or lost their lives. State media initiated a propaganda campaign attributing the unrest to external "separatist" forces and obscuring the events of the Shaoguan massacre. Sixteen years later, the actual casualty count remains uncertain, and the CCP continues to suppress information, silence survivors, and utilize the massacre as a pretext for heightened repression in East Turkistan. "As we mark the 16th anniversary of the Urumchi Massacre, we honour the lives stolen by a regime that fears truth and justice," stated Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of CFU. "The Chinese Communist Party's use of violence to silence peaceful protestors in 2009 paved the way for today's genocide. The world failed to respond to the CCP's brutal bloodshed then and continuously turned a blind eye to today's genocide in pursuit of economic interests and business ties with Beijing. We urge the international community to confront this history, demand transparency for today's atrocities, and hold the CCP accountable for its crimes against humanity." The Urumchi Massacre on July 5th continues to be a pivotal moment in the Chinese regime's violent campaign against the Uyghur population, which has since escalated into an ongoing genocide characterised by mass internment, forced labour, and the systematic eradication of Uyghur identity. Campaign for Uyghurs urges democratic nations, multilateral organisations, and human rights defenders around the globe to address this legacy of state violence and support the Uyghur people in demanding the truth, accountability, and enduring justice. As we honour the victims of July 5, we reaffirm our pledge to elevate Uyghur voices and expose the CCP's atrocities on the international stage. (ANI)
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