Press Release – For immediate release
4 April 2015
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) commemorates the 25^th anniversary of the Baren Uprising that took place in Akto County, Kizilsu Kirghiz Prefecture, from April 5-10, 1990. The uprising led to the death of between two and three thousand Uyghurs in the process and would mark the onset of a decade of harsh repression by Chinese authorities. These five days in April not only serve as a horrific memory, but as a symbol of the ongoing repressive policies exercised by the Chinese government in East Turkestan.

The initial uprising came as a result of the continued influx of Chinese residents into East Turkestan as well as its knock-on effects, including an escalation in discriminatory policies and cultural restrictions on the Uyghur people. A group of around 200 men marched to the local government office in Akto County on April 5^th to demand for greater representation and to put a stop to the significant dilution of their population in favour of Chinese migrants.

By the end of April 6^th, over 18,000 Chinese troops had been reportedly dispatched to the region to suppress the demonstrations. The population of Baren at the time was a mere 19,000. By just April 10^th, the demonstrations had been forcibly dispersed at the cost of countless Uyghurs in the process. Chinese sources put the death toll at 107, though as is typically the case, this number has been up for much dispute with Uyghur sources putting the number at upwards of 3000 over the five days.

Chinese sources quickly framed the conflict as a “well planned, well organized, and premeditated act of ethnic separatists hidden in the region”, though no such characterization could be corroborated by independent sources in the 30 years following the incident.

These early demonstrations in the early 90s would prove the catalyst for harsh Chinese “strike hard” campaigns throughout the decade, as a means of force to root out dissent. Despite these campaigns proving unsuccessful in both quelling dissent and easing tensions between Uyghurs and Chinese, they would subsequently become a staple in the Chinese arsenal until today. The most recent “strike hard” campaign was initiated back in May, 2014, with noticeable increases in casualties as a result of dissent.

Chinese migration to the region had created a severe imbalance in both representation in government (Uyghurs having virtually none) and the erosion of Uyghur culture and language. Mandarin was fast becoming the ubiquitous language in major cities with the government pressing for Mandarin-only schools and employment opportunities for those with no Mandarin language skills quickly depleting. Scholars have argued that Uyghur political representation is integral to the consideration of Uyghur interests, and that restrictive legislation is actually counterproductive to Chinese interests in the region.

The Baren Uprising must be recognized as the watershed moment that it represents in relation to the relationship between Uyghurs and the Chinese government. Initial demonstrations attempted to highlight some of the most persistent problems that Uyghurs faced at the time – problems that persist to this day. Violence during the 1990s in East Turkestan was at an all-time high culminating with the massacre in Ghulja, which left over 100 dead and over 200 subsequently facing the death penalty.

Many of the issues that initially triggered the uprising persist even today – many of which have grown substantially worse, including religious freedom and freedom of expression, assembly and association, to name but a few. Consistent campaigns of violence, fear and intimidation have unfortunately been hallmarks over the last decade with regards to overwhelmingly peaceful Uyghurs.

The WUC therefore urges the international community to recognize the current conflict in East Turkestan within the context of decades of cultural repression and increasingly disastrous ethnic policies that have only served to exacerbate tensions. True progress is well within reach, but it will first take positive steps on the part of Chinese leaders to ensure that the Uyghur people are able to exercise their most basic and fundamental rights.