Uyghur activists around the world commemorate East Turkistan National Day on November 12
Each year on November 12, the global Uyghur community unites to commemorate East Turkistan National Day. The day marks two historic moments of independence by the Uyghur people: the Islamic Republic of East Turkistan founded in Kashgar on November 12, 1933, and the Republic of East Turkistan declared in Ghulja on November 12, 1944. These republics, though short-lived, remain powerful symbols of the Uyghur people’s enduring aspiration for freedom, justice, and self-determination.
The First Republic of East Turkistan (1933 to 1934) represented a bold assertion of Uyghur identity and autonomy amid regional turmoil and foreign domination. The Second Republic (1944 to 1949), centered in Ghulja, built upon that legacy by establishing a national army, administrative institutions, and issuing its own currency. These historic republics serve as anchors for Uyghur identity and reminders of what was once possible and what remains worth fighting for.
For Uyghurs across East Turkistan and the global diaspora, November 12 is not only a day of remembrance but also one of resilience and reaffirmation. It signifies the persistence of a people who, despite decades of repression, continue to hope and work toward freedom.
WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun stated that every year on November 12, Uyghurs around the world remember the freedom their people once had, and that despite seven decades of oppression, they have never lost hope and believe one day they will reclaim their freedom.
Since the Chinese Communist Party’s occupation of East Turkistan in 1949, the Uyghur people have faced systematic political, cultural, and religious persecution. Reports from the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Human Rights Watch, and Radio Free Asia describe widespread human rights abuses including mass arbitrary detentions in re-education camps, forced labor, family separations, destruction of cultural and religious heritage, and transnational repression targeting Uyghurs abroad.
Independent experts and several governments including the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands have recognized these acts as genocide or crimes against humanity.
The Uyghur struggle is not an isolated issue. It reflects a global challenge to human rights and democracy. If the international community allows authoritarian repression in East Turkistan to continue unchecked, it risks normalizing impunity for state-led atrocities elsewhere. Standing with the Uyghurs is not only an act of solidarity but also a defense of universal freedom and human dignity.
Across continents, Uyghur communities and advocacy groups held commemorations, cultural gatherings, and peaceful demonstrations to mark East Turkistan National Day. Events took place in Munich, Istanbul, Washington DC, and Toronto, bringing together human rights advocates, lawmakers, and civil society organizations.
Many organizations, including the World Uyghur Congress, Campaign for Uyghurs, and East Turkistan Government in Exile, joined the observances, emphasizing the shared call for justice and renewed global attention to the Uyghur cause.
The observance of East Turkistan National Day each year is not just a reflection of the past but a renewal of the Uyghur people’s determination to preserve their culture, language, and right to self-determination. As oppression deepens, the Uyghur people continue to resist through advocacy, cultural preservation, and international mobilization.
November 12 stands as a testament to the resilience of the Uyghur nation. The spirit of the 1933 and 1944 republics endures as a symbol of what freedom once meant and what it can mean again.
Today, as Uyghurs and allies around the world commemorate East Turkistan National Day, they remind the world that the fight for Uyghur freedom is a fight for universal human rights, and it continues with courage and conviction.