Published by: THE WORLD UYGHUR NETWORK NEWS May 20, 1997

Provided to WUNN by the Transnational Radical Party:

UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

53rd SESSION

Statement on behalf of

Transnational Radical Party

UNDER ITEM 17

by Erkin Alptekin

Mr. Chairman,

Some governments claim that how they treat minority peoples is their

"internal affairs," and should not be interfered with by outside powers or

even the United Nations. Even when armed conflicts break out between the

state and a minority people, the UN is told not to comment. Yet, the work

of this Commission, the adoption of numerous human rights treaties and

declarations proves that human rights, including rights of minorities is

and must be the concern of the entire international community. What is part

of international law cannot, by definition, be the "domestic" or "internal"

affair of any state.

I wish to use an example with which I am very familiar to illustrate the

kind of treatment of a minority people which the international community

can not, under the present provisions of international law, tolerate.

Reports hit the press in February this year of the crushing of an uprising

of Uighurs in Ili and elsewhere in Eastern Turkestan, or Xinjiang as the

Chinese call my country. But the full story, and the reasons for the

uprising have not been fully revealed.

In April and May of last year 45 uprisings took place in 15 different parts

of Eastern Turkestan, and around 65,000 people took part. Close to 1,000

people were killed. These uprisings took place because of the desperation

which the Uighur and other Turkik peoples feel about their situation. They

feel they are faced with only two choices: accepting national extinction

through assimilation or a mortal struggle to defend their cultural and

religious identity.

China has carried out a systematic policy of repression of Uighurs and of

their Muslim religion, on the one hand; and of massive implantation of

Chinese settlers into Eastern Turkestan, on the other. Millions of Chinese

have come to settle in Eastern Turkestan under this policy, turning the

native peoples into a minority in their own land. But whereas any Chinese

can settle and work in our region, Uighurs are not allowed to settle in

China proper and are treated as foreigners by the Chinese. Frustration is

reaching an explosive proportion. One Uighur who was recently interviewed

expressed his feelings as follows: (and I quote)

"...So many Chinese come to Xinjiang. They get the jobs. Uighurs have no

jobs, no good homes, so many sleeping in the streets. I am one of the

masses, and I do not have any work. The Chinese have a good life, good

food, high buildings. The Hans have taken away all our raw materials. Oil,

gold, coal, cotton. What doesn't Xinjiang have? Why then is Xinjiang poor?

The Uighurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz are the real owners of Xinjiang. Being a

part of China means we are a minority. That has been a disaster for

development. It is better for us to be independent..." (End of quote )

Fierce anti-Chinese demonstrations broke out on February 5 and 6 of this

year. They started in Ili, after Chinese armed police broke into private

houses to disperse Uighur women who had gathered to pray. In the

demonstrations and clashes that followed, 400 Uighurs were killed.

According to eye witnesses, 146 persons were frozen to death when Chinese

troops used pressured water in freezing temperatures to fight

demonstrators. 90 Uighurs were beaten to death. 160 died when the Chinese

security forces opened fire on the crowd. Many more were wounded and at

least 2000 Uighurs were arrested. On 10 February, an 8 year old Uighur girl

named Fatima who demanded the release of her father; and a pregnant woman,

G lzira, who begged for the release of her husband, were shot to death in

the Public Security compound in Ili.

Mr. Chairman, I am giving these facts to bring to this Commission the real

situation of my people who have --against their wishes-- been made a

minority of China. Without these illustrations which provide a true

understanding of what is happening to our people and other minority

peoples, how can this Commission take effective action to protect the

rights of minorities and to prevent conflict? Recently reports emerged that

bombs had exploded in Eastern Turkestan and even Beijing, and Uighurs were

immediately blamed by China. I have reason to believe that at least some of

these bombs were planted to discredit the Muslim Uighurs and depict them as

Islamic fundamentalist extremists. This would make it easier for the

authorities to justify their repression. But unless you hear the true story

of the suffering of our people, it is hard for you to believe what is

really going on.

Mr. Chairman, we, our Tibetan brothers and sisters and oppressed peoples

throughout the world, many of whom are united in the Unrepresented Nations

and Peoples Organization (UNPO) look to this Commission on Human Rights to

bring hope and peaceful change to our people.

Thank You, Mr Chairman.