Abdurehim Ghene Uyghur

The impact of the “Where is My Family” campaign which began on December 18, 2020, with about 15 Uyghur youths in Turkey who are unable to trace their parents and relatives in East Turkestan, has been growing in front of the Chinese government’s consulates in Istanbul and Ankara.

Hundreds of Uyghurs also joined this movement which made strong impression on Turkey. As a result of the campaign, the Chinese consulate in Istanbul announced that they would response if protestors provide detailed information of their parents and relatives. However, the Chinese Consulate refused to accept the materials when the protesting Uyghurs archived detailed materials of more than 5,000 Uyghurs. Uyghurs protesting against the Chinese embassy’s dishonesty have announced that the event has been renamed to ” from Family duty, to National duty ” and called on the Uyghurs around the world to join the movement and hold peaceful demonstrations in front of the Chinese embassy in their countries of residence. I joined the movement and began a week-long demonstration in front of the Chinese Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands, on March 1, in order to track down whereabouts of my 19 family members. I held a ceremony to raise the national flag of East Turkestan with the East Turkestan national anthem. I lined up pictures of the Uyghur massacre in front of the embassy and issued a statement against the Chinese government’s genocide against the Uyghurs.