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Transcript/Script English((INTRO: ))
[[Uyghur rights groups in Washington are calling on governments around the world to stand up to Beijing. They accuse China of genocide and remember what happened 14 years ago in Urumqi, China, during violent confrontations between Uyghurs, Han Chinese and the police. They say not much has changed. Graham Kanwit has this report.]]
((PROTESTERS CHANTING ACT NOW AMERICA))
((NARRATOR))
Through their voices…
((PROTESTERS CHANTING ACT NOW AMERICA))
((NARRATOR))
And painful memories of the past…
[[Radio: Aziz Sulayman is a member of the East Turkistan Government in Exile]]
((Aziz Sulayman, East Turkistan Government in Exile)) ((In Person Interview)) ((English))
((3:08)) “I found out that he was sentenced to 17 years in prison without any court trial.”
[[Radio: Amanalla Kashgari is with the East Turkistan Youth Congress.]]
((Amanalla Kashgari, East Turkistan Youth Congress)) ((In Person Interview)) ((English))
"Many of my classmates were arrested. Several of them were killed.”
((NARRATOR))
…These Uyghurs in exile accuse China of arbitrarily detaining their loved ones and carrying out other human rights violations in the Uyghur homeland, which they call East Turkistan. Officially the region in northwest China is called Xinjiang.
Outside the White House, these Uyghurs say they want independence from China. They are also commemorating an event they will never forget in the Xinjiang capital, Urumqi, 14 years ago this month.
[[FOR RADIO: Again, Sulayman.]
((Aziz Sulayman, East Turkistan Government in Exile)) ((In Person Interview)) ((English))
((1:46)) “Mass killed them, mass shoot them and their bloods stained all of Urumqi city, and all night they (Chinese) washed the blood with the pressure washer in order to hide their crime.”
((FEED FOOTAGE OF URUMQI 2009))
((NARRATOR))
The 2009 unrest in Urumqi was sparked by violence at a factory in southern China. Six Uyghur men were accused of sexually assaulting two ethnic Han Chinese women, which led to brawling that left two Uyghurs dead. In Urumqi, Uyghurs took to the streets, demanding justice for the killings.
Amanalla Kashgari says the Urumqi protest started peacefully.
((Amanalla Kashgari, East Turkistan Youth Congress)) ((In Person Interview))
((2:58)) ((English))
“They wanted those criminals to be charged and a proper investigation to be carried out. However, instead of their voices being heard and sit down with the officials, they were brutally cracked down by the paramilitary.”
((NARRATOR)) ((FEED FOOTAGE OF URUMQI 2009))
According to Chinese officials, nearly 200 people died, most of them Han Chinese. But Uyghur activists say that there were many more Uyghur victims, and that China’s repression in their homeland continues to this day. Several countries, including the United States, have described China’s actions as genocide.
((GRX))
In a statement to VOA, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu describes people who call the Xinjiang region East Turkistan as “separatist forces” that undermine China’s national unity. The statement says, “The issues related to Xinjiang are not about human rights. They are about countering violent terrorism, radicalization and separatism. The accusation of ‘genocide’ in Xinjiang is a flat-out lie of the century.”
((End GRX))
((NARRATOR)) ((protest video))
The protesters at the White House are calling on the international community to take more action.
[[FOR RADIO: Tumaris Almas is with the East Turkistan Youth Congress]]
((Tumaris Almas, East Turkistan Youth Congress President)) ((In Person Interview))
((5:41)) “If the people, the whole world, help us to boycott Chinese products, then I think that this is the very, very good approach to stop them and close concentration camps.”
((NARRATOR)) ((video of Aziz))
Among these protesters’ demands is one that is more personal.
((NAT POP))
((Aziz Sulayman, East Turkistan Government in Exile)) ((In Person Interview))
((2:30)): "My brother. His name is Alim Sulayman..."
((NARRATOR)) ((Holding up Photo of Alim Sulayman on phone))
Aziz Sulayman's hope is that someone can
((Mandatory CG: Sulayman family photo))
help him find his missing brother.
((end courtesy))
((Graham Kanwit for VOA News, Washington))
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