11/10/2024
Statement on the Withdrawal of 13 East Turkestanian Political Organizations from the Collaborative Forum of the Self-Proclaimed East Turkistan Government in Exile
In April 2024, twenty East Turkistanian political organizations in the diaspora, along with the self–proclaimed East Turkistan Government in Exile, recognized the urgency of collaborating to demonstrate to the international community that independence is the only viable option for their occupied country. To achieve this, they decided to form a coalition and established a leadership forum to enhance their collaborative efforts.
Initially, the coalition was a success, with the approval of foundational principles and regulations by the organizations and the self-proclaimed government in exile. However, the initiative did not continue as expected. As a result of significant violation to the coalition principles by the self-proclaimed East Turkistan Government in Exile, thirteen organizations withdrew their representatives from the forum. These groups collectively decided to issue a joint statement to the people of East Turkistan, clarifying that the separation was due to breaches of the forum’s foundational principles rather than significant ideological differences.
The following disagreements led to the dissolution of the coalition:
1) The rejection of a proposed cooperation strategy by the "Government in Exile" in East , despite it being favored by the majority of organizations in the forum. This particular strategy pertains to legitimizing the "Government in Exile" of East through democratic elections by the diaspora population of East Turkistan. This stance arose from the belief held by certain individuals within the “Government in Exile” that it is already a legitimate governing body. Consequently, they did not consider the steps toward further “legitimization,” which refers to being recognized and accepted by the East Turkistanian people in the diaspora on the broader platform where they are currently operating, thereby gaining international recognition at a decisive moment. They believed that the Exile Government was becoming legitimate through its campaign activities.
2) According to political organizations, one of the first steps toward achieving the legitimacy of the Exiled Government in the international world is for these organizations to initially work alongside the Exiled Government on an equal and cooperative basis. They believe that, in the future, they should enter the exiled government as part of a parliamentary structure during elections. However, the representatives of the "Government-in-Exile" did not find this approach is appropriate, insisting that these organizations should automatically be part of the "Government-in-Exile" without the preliminary steps proposed by the forum and must be operated under the supervision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the “Government in Exile” and implement the decisions made by them. However, the organizations argued that it would be impossible for them to be governed by the “ Exiled Government” without joining into government through democratic elections.
3) The self-proclaimed Exiled Government of East Turkistan declined to respond to the rational inquiries posed by the representatives of political organizations during the forum and publicly accused them of being ‘untrustworthy people’ or spies.
4) Based on the forum rules and regulations, forum members agreed to establish a leadership team for the forum and organize a meeting on November 12, 2024, at the commemoration of East Turkistan Independence Day and celebration of the 20th anniversary of the “Exiled Government” to develop strategic plans and programs. However, the “Government in Exile” delayed this process and wasted 6 to 7 months without proper preparation. Without informing organizations in the forum, they issued a statement, calling the organizational leaders as guests when there was only one month left for the meeting instead of inviting them as representative coalition members. As a result, the organizational leaders were deeply disappointed in this decision.
Due to disagreements in the collaboration strategy mentioned above, the collaborative platform between the East Turkistanian political organizations that advocate for the independence of East Turkistan and the existing self-proclaimed East Turkistan Government in Exile was discontinued. However, we must keep in mind the national aspirations of the East Turkistanian people, overcoming obstacles and taking new steps towards possibilities has become necessary. The above statement was issued to ensure our people receive accurate information regarding the current internal situation.
Signed by:
Center for East Turkistan National Interest (Canada)
East Turkistanian Federation of Canada (Canada)
East Turkistan Youth Congress (USA)
German East Turkistan Youth Association (Germany)
New Generation for Free East Turkistan (USA)
Swedish Uyghur Association (Sweden)
Support Uyghurs Foundation (Netherlands)
Uyghur Cultural Union (Garmany)
Uyghur Information Center (Norway)
Uyghur Revival Association (Netherlands)
Uyghuristan Liberation Organization (Germany)
Free Uyghur Association (Netherlands)
East Turkistan Uyghur Union (Netherlands)