Press Release – For Immediate Release
12 December 2024
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
+49 89 5432 1999 or contact@uyghurcongress.org
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) marks the 39th anniversary of the 1985 Uyghur Student Movement, a pivotal moment in the history of Uyghur resistance. On this day, thousands of Uyghur students marched through the streets of Urumchi to protest against the discriminatory policies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including racial discrimination, repressive family planning measures, and the atmospheric nuclear testing in the Lop Nor basin of East Turkistan.
The movement was initiated and organized by the Tengritagh Generation, a legal student organization at Xinjiang University. Their persistent and courageous protests compelled Chinese authorities to meet with approximately 20 student representatives to discuss their demands. These demands included democratic elections in East Turkistan, allowing Uyghurs to elect their own representatives; an end to the influx of Chinese settlers into East Turkistan; the cessation of oppressive birth control policies; and the development and preservation of Uyghur national education. While the CCP later targeted the movement’s leaders, forming an “Inspection and Disposal Committee” to investigate, interrogate, and punish participants, the week-long protests inspired the emergence of other organizations and mass movements across universities in East Turkistan. The 1985 protests also served as a precursor to the June 15, 1988, democratic youth movement, led by Dolkun Isa, the former president of the World Uyghur Congress.
Between 1964 and 1996, the Chinese government conducted 45 nuclear tests in the Lop Nur area of East Turkistan, with 23 of these being atmospheric tests. Fallout from these tests reached as far as Europe, causing widespread and long-lasting damage to the environment and public health. Research by Professor Jun Takada estimates that approximately 1.48 million individuals in East Turkistan were exposed to nuclear fallout. A 2009 article in Scientific American highlights that exposure levels were sufficient to cause leukemia, solid cancers, and fetal damage, with radiation-related illnesses claiming an estimated 194,000 lives.
Nearly 40 years after the 1985 protests, the situation in East Turkistan has deteriorated further. The Chinese government’s genocidal campaign against Uyghurs has intensified, with millions detained in concentration camps, coercive birth prevention policies enforced, families forcibly separated, and mass surveillance imposed. Additionally, new reports reveal renewed activities at the Lop Nur nuclear testing site. According to The New York Times, satellite imagery shows freshly drilled boreholes—ideal for containing nuclear blasts—alongside hundreds of upgrades and expansions. The Malan base, a key support site for nuclear testing, has seen significant development, including over 30 new or renovated buildings since 2017. Hidden drill rigs in the area suggest plans for larger underground tests, posing a severe ecological and humanitarian threat.
The World Uyghur Congress urgently calls on the international community and governments to take a stand against China’s nuclear activities in Lop Nur. History has shown that nuclear fallout does not respect borders; the consequences extend far beyond East Turkistan, potentially affecting Europe and beyond. We also urge governments to address Uyghur forced labour as the world turns to just transition and green energy. The transfer of highly polluting industries to the region, driven by the mass production of goods for the fashion, automotive sectors, critical minerals and solar industry has further exacerbated ecological degradation. It is time for the global community to act decisively. Silence is complicity in the ongoing atrocities and environmental destruction in East Turkistan.
