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The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) has issued a strong condemnation against what it described as deliberate attempts to equate alleged collaborators of the Chinese occupation regime with leaders who genuinely struggled for East Turkistan's independence and sovereignty.
In a statement posted on X, the ETGE said such narratives amount to "historical falsification and political sabotage", aimed at weakening the East Turkistan national liberation movement. The group asserted that conflating collaboration with resistance undermines decades of sacrifices made by those who fought and died for full independence. The ETGE specifically rejected claims portraying Isa Yusuf Alptekin as a leader of East Turkistan's independence struggle. According to the statement, Alptekin opposed both the First East Turkistan Republic (1933-34) and the Second East Turkistan Republic (1944-49) and instead served the interests of Chinese authorities. The exile government alleged that he promoted the concepts of "autonomy" and "cultural rights" under Chinese rule as a substitute for complete independence, a move it described as collaboration with occupying forces. The ETGE further criticised those who praise Alptekin and the so-called "Three Effendis", alleging that such figures are being elevated not out of historical misunderstanding but due to political alignment with what it called a long-standing Chinese strategy. According to the statement, the promotion of autonomy and human rights under Chinese governance, rather than full sovereignty, has been used to prolong and entrench Chinese control over East Turkistan. The exile body accused individuals who glorify these figures of attempting to obscure the distinction between genuine resistance and collaboration to shield themselves from historical accountability. It warned that blurring this line serves to extend what it described as colonial domination and threatens the survival of East Turkistan's Turkic population. The ETGE said that those who collaborated with occupying forces cannot be regarded as heroes or statesmen. It stressed that the future of East Turkistan, in its view, lies solely with those who continue to demand the complete restoration of independence and sovereignty. (ANI)
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