Several Taiwanese NGOs extend support to Uyghurs and demand their independence

Several Taiwanese NGOs recently extended support to Uyghurs’ struggle to build a sovereign nation and called others to take a stand against China’s oppression of the minority group, according to media outlets.

“As human rights workers in Taiwan, the least we can do is speak out for the Uyghurs on the anniversary of the establishment of the East Turkestan Republics”, secretary-general of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights told Focus Taiwan.

Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region have been struggling for decades to establish an independent East Turkestan.

They succeeded in setting up two short-lived East Turkistan Republics, on Nov. 12, 1933 and 1944, respectively, before they were brought under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1949.