A verdict has been reached in the trial of Gorge Floyd’s killer, and justice has been done. The result has touched the hearts of millions of people around the world, not just in the United States. I think one of the people affected is Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, who tweeted last year “I can’t breathe” in sympathy with. George Floyd.
The Lithuanians are one of the world’s peoples who can both fully understand the pain of Uyghur People in China and feel it in their hearts. They witnessed both the Nazi and Soviet massacres and gained independence only by fighting great empires for nearly 100 years, giving them much in common with the Uyghurs, who have been fighting against Manchu and Chinese imperialism for 200 years and facing genocide more recently. In these darkest days in Uyghur history, I call with the highest hopes on Lithuania’s Parliament to extend humanitarian recognition to the Uyghurs.
China’s state media aired a horrifying documentary, “The War in the Shadows: Challenges of Fighting Terrorism in Xinjiang,“ which disclosed that dozens of “separatists,” most of them elites from Uyghur society, have been heavily punished and that two of them have been sentenced to death after being convicted of terrorism.
On March 22, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union leveled sanctions against four Chinese officials for their roles in the Uyghur tragedy. On behalf of the oppressed Uyghur people of East Turkestan( “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”), who have had little hope for the future but
now eagerly await a speedy, decisive resolution, I thank all the individuals and institutions involved in making the sanction decision.
The Biden government announced that it will raise the issue of Uyghur repression in its upcoming talks with China in Alaska, and while this may seem like positive news, I am still worried, because at this stage, it is important not only that the issue is raised, but also how it is articulated.
The Biden government announced that it will raise the issue of Uyghur repression in its upcoming talks with China in Alaska, and while this may seem like positive news, I am still worried, because at this stage, it is important not only that the issue is raised, but also how it is articulated.
(An open letter to US President Joe Biden)
“We will stand up for human rights and dignity, even if it means we sacrifice economic opportunities!”
