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East Turkistan Government-in-Exile (ETGE) has welcomed the advancement of the Uyghur Policy Act of 2025 (S.1542) by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, while urging lawmakers and the administration to take additional steps to address the situation in East Turkistan.
According to the ETGE press release, the legislation, introduced by Senator John Curtis and co-sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley, seeks to strengthen US support for Uyghurs through diplomatic engagement, foreign assistance initiatives, Uyghur-language training for Foreign Service Officers, and efforts to counter attempts to block discussion of Uyghur issues in international forums. The organisation noted that a companion measure introduced in the House of Representatives had already secured passage in September 2025. As stated in the ETGE press release, President Dr Mamtimin Ala welcomed the committee's decision to advance the bill but argued that international efforts have not sufficiently addressed what the group describes as an ongoing genocide. He maintained that the issue should be viewed not only through a human rights lens but also in the context of what the organisation calls the Chinese colonial occupation of East Turkistan. The ETGE press release further criticised references to Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples as "minorities" within China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, claiming such terminology undermines their right to self-determination and obscures the broader political dimensions of the conflict. According to the press release, the organisation also expressed concern over recent remarks by senior Chinese leader Wang Huning during a visit to the region. ETGE alleged that policies promoting ethnic unity and intensified counterterrorism measures contribute to what it describes as cultural erasure and repression. The group reiterated allegations that China's "Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism," launched in 2014, has involved mass detention, forced labour, coercive birth-control measures and the destruction of cultural heritage, according to the ETGE press release. The ETGE press release also called on the United States to appoint a Special Coordinator for East Turkistani Issues at the State Department, similar to the existing position focused on Tibet. Additionally, the organisation urged targeted sanctions against Chinese officials and support for East Turkistan-related initiatives at the United Nations. (ANI)
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