East Turkestan: Rebiya Kadeer Denounces A “Cultural Genocide” In Xinjiang
UNPO, 26 March 2013
In an interview given to a Belgian newspaper, the President of the World Uyghur Congress, Rebiya Kadeer, explained that China’s policies constitute “cultural Genocide” against her people.
Sixty-six year old Rebiya Kadeer is a small lady full of strength. As President of the World Uyghur Congress she travels across the World to raise awareness about the situation in Xinjiang, or East Turkestan, which was occupied by the Chinese Communists in 1949. Like the Mongols and Tibetans, the Uyghurs had benefited from “independence in the past” but have been assimilated by China for the past 50 years, without being able to stop China’s forceful advance. “Culturally, linguistically, historically, we belong to Central Asia, not to China”, says Rebiya Kadeer. This rich business woman who built her wealth from scratch and is the mother of 11 children defends the rights of women and now lives in the United States, after having spent six years in a Chinese jail. We met with her.
Which are, in your view, the key reasons for Chinese presence in Xinjiang?
Our territory covers one sixth of China. East Turkestan plays a key geostrategic and historical role for all its neighbors: Russia, China, India – and the UK in the past. For Beijing, it is a passage towards Central Asia and even the Middle East. We are also rich in terms of natural resources and minerals. We have petrol, gas, coal, gold, silver and 130 other kinds of minerals. But natives of the land do not benefit from them. If the Tibetans and we were able to exploit our own resources, we would be amongst the richest in the world!
Your region is supposed to be “autonomous” within the People’s Republic of China. Is it really?
If this were the case, I wouldn’t be here today to complain about Chinese policies! After they invaded us, the Chinese Communists gave the indigenous peoples the status of autonomy in 1955. They renamed our region “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”. At the time, they promised us many things: they would help us develop and we would be able to determine our own political future, practice our religion, and preserve our traditions and our culture. Of course, they didn’t fulfill their promises. This autonomy only exists on paper. The vast majority of Uyghurs do not benefit from this prosperity and economic development the Chinese propaganda claims it is bringing to the region. The authorities trample our fundamental freedoms and violate the rights enshrined in their own Constitution.
In 1949, only two Chinese lived in East Turkestan. The Chinese authorities systematically encouraged the Han from Mainland China to settle in our region, which means that today the Chinese population in the region is almost equal in number to the Uyghur population. Those who lived in the areas rich in oil and gas were forced to give up their land and find a new place to live while Chinese migrants took their places. Positions in the administration are pervaded by the Chinese. As for our language, which was supposed to be the official language of the region along with Chinese, it is now banned in education, from pre-school to university.
The Chinese government has put in place a policy of destruction and systematic assimilation. In the past few years, this has clearly become a cultural genocide.
Some Uyghurs are members of the National Assembly, whose youngest member is Uyghur. You were also a delegate. What do you make of them?
They cannot represent the population: they are not elected by the people. The Communist Party selects them. The authorities also selected me. Some of them still hope that by holding such a position they will be able to explain the region’s position and influence the policies. But, with time, they discover the reality of things: policies are fixed long in advance and it is impossible to change them.
This assembly is but a recording chamber with no real authority. Delegates have only to raise their hand like robots – most of them don’t even know why they are raising their hand. I also did this!
What do you demand: independence or, as with the exiled Tibetan authorities, a real autonomy within the People’s Republic of China?
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who has fought for 60 years, asks for a true autonomy. Dialogues have been held, but did not lead to any results. What China wants is to cheat the Tibetans. We are faced with the same situation. Up until July 2009, some Uyghurs believed that if Beijing accepted to guarantee their real autonomy they would be able to live alongside the Chinese. But since July 5th 2009 (when violent demonstrations resulted in the death of at least 140 people, Ed.), tensions have been rising considerably and it is now impossible for us to live together with the Chinese.
The people are sick of this promise of autonomy, which the government has never fulfilled. What we really want now is self-determination. If the population is given the opportunity to give its opinion freely, it will do so. Of course, we still need to take reality into account and we would like to enter into a peace dialogue with the Chinese authorities.
What do you expect from the new President, Xi Xinping?
Of course, I would very much like for him to change the policy towards my people, but also towards his people. However, I don’t expect him to reform the system in the near future. Most of the Standing Committee members are conservative and will not allow him to bring about change. What I fear the most is the discourse that encourages Han nationalism. The attitude of Western powers is key: genuine pressure from their side would force the Chinese power to reform itself in the long run.
But your cause has not resounded much internationally… Is this because the Uyghurs are Muslim?
Our religion is not the major cause of lack of support. In reality, the Uyghur question is rather recent. As opposed to the Tibetans, our leaders were not able to flee the country to inform the international community of our situation. They were all killed in a so-called plane accident when they went off to negotiate with Mao in 1949.
It was not until the 1990s and 2000s that our activists were able to come to Europe and the United States and that we were able to start to raise awareness across the world – which we have managed with success.
Some Uygurs were held in Guantanamo, some were found in Pakistan and Afghanistan in Taliban-occupied zones. The Chinese portray them as terrorists each time tensions arise in Xinjiang. How do you deal with this negative image?
We do not correspond to the image the Chinese would like to project about us. In addition to this, the West does not believe them any more. The Uyghur prisoners in Guantanamo were interrogated and cleared of all charges. It is normal to find Uyghurs in Pakistan and Afghanistan: these countries are our neighbors. The situation is getting worse each day in China. Every family has at least one member in prison and one out of five families has a member who was executed. Many try to escape persecution. We cannot legally leave the country so activists escape through the mountains and some end up in Pakistan or Afghanistan. Pakistan has deported Uyghurs back to China, where they have been executed. Many have stayed in Afghanistan, a country without rule of law where it is easier to live clandestinely. The Chinese authorities use Uyghur presence in these countries as a tool to discredit us and to continue their repression of East Turkestan. They utilize the fight against terrorism to eliminate dissidence in East Turkestan.
We have to ask ourselves why the Uyghurs are rising against China. I condemn violence. Each one of us yearns for peace and the respect of our rights and freedoms. But China denies us all of our demands and we have no way through which to complain and we are frustrated – but, unfortunately, frustration leads to violence.