Don’t forget Ghulja Massacre

Abdurehim Gheni Uyghur

Today, the 5th of February, is another painful commemoration day on which “Ghulja Massacre” took place 25 years ago by Chinese government and terrorized the Uyghur people as one of the most bloody crackdowns in recent history. It cannot disappear from the memory of the Uyghur nation. “Ghulja” is an Uyghur city where Uyghur independence was declared and East Turkestan Republic was established on 12th of November, 1944. For Chinese, this city is always a sensitive area.

On 5th of February, 25 years ago, a peaceful demonstration led by Abduhelil Abdumejit broke out in Ghulja to show their discontentment for Chinese policies of banning   Uyghur Meshrep, football gathering, forcefully transferring Uyghur children and girls to mainland Chinese provinces, and allowing and not controlling the widespread drug abuses in the region. This peaceful demonstration ended up in a blood bath by the Chinese armed police and soldiers using machine guns, fire bombs and police dogs. For two weeks, a state of emergency and martial law was declared, airports and bus stations were closed, all main roads to the city were blocked, and all the the houses in the city were searched to arrest thousands of innocent young man.  Prisons and detention centers with cold little dungeons in the region were packet with Uyghur young man. Later on, all these man were gathered in a open square on snow and ice, forced them to walk bare foot and sprayed icy-cold water on their bodies, which caused their fingers and legs to be frostbitten and later were amputated viciously, or frozen to death. All the leaders of this demonstration were given capital punishment, and followers are still in prison until this day after 25 years.

Every year, On 5th of February, we protest around the world commemorating “Ghulja Massacre” and grieving for those who sacrificed themselves for freedom and expose China’s crimes and genocide against Uyghurs in the past 73 years and today.