April 5, 2026, Amsterdam
On the afternoon of April 5, 2026, dozens of Uyghurs, Tibetans, Southern Mongolians, and activists from Cantonia, Guangxi, Hong Kong, and other regions gathered at Dam Square in the heart of Amsterdam to hold a commemoration rally marking the 36th anniversary of the Barin Revolution. The event was organized by the Stichting Support Uyghurs (Uyghur Support Foundation), with the aim of commemorating the national uprising that broke out in Barin Township, East Turkestan, on April 5, 1990, and to call on the international community to pay attention to the human rights situation facing Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities suppressed by the Chinese government.
Historical Background: The Barin Uprising 36 Years Ago
In the early hours of April 5, 1990, in Barin Township, Akto County, Kashgar Prefecture, East Turkestan, a popular uprising shocked the international community. According to the organizers, approximately 200 local residents initially gathered peacefully to protest a series of harsh policies imposed by Chinese authorities, including forced family planning, religious repression, mass Han Chinese migration into their homeland, and an overwhelming tax burden. However, the peaceful protest was met almost immediately with violent suppression.
Led by Uyghur leader Zaydin Yusup, the uprising's participants confronted Chinese armed forces for 72 hours, during which clashes occurred and prisoners were exchanged. As more and more people joined the resistance, Chinese authorities dispatched troops, tanks, and warplanes to crush the uprising in Barin. The resistance lasted seven days and seven nights before being violently suppressed, with large numbers of civilians killed in the conflict. Amnesty International subsequently published a 92-page report documenting and condemning the crackdown, calling on the Chinese government to halt its human rights violations in East Turkestan.
The Rally: Anthem, Speeches, and Protest
The rally opened in a solemn atmosphere. Abdurehim Gheni, chairman of the Stichting Support Uyghurs, led all participants in standing to attention as the East Turkestan national anthem, "The March of Salvation," was played. Several speakers from diverse backgrounds then took the floor.
In his address, Abdurehim Gheni declared that the Barin Uprising was no ordinary revolt, but a solemn declaration by the Uyghur people against oppression. "This uprising cried out to the world: we are still alive, and we demand our freedom!" he said, adding that the spirit of Barin continues to burn today, and that the Uyghur struggle for independence will not cease until East Turkestan is free.
Cross-Ethnic Solidarity: Tibetans, Cantonians, Guangxi Activists, and Manchurians Speak Out
The rally was not solely a Uyghur commemoration — it brought together multiple ethnic groups seeking self-determination under Chinese rule.
Tsering Jampa, former Executive Director of the International Campaign for Tibet Europe and chairwoman of the Tibet Support Group Netherlands, attended and delivered a speech. She is the first Tibetan to have been awarded the Order of Orange-Nassau, a distinction conferred by the Dutch Royal House. In her remarks, she argued that the situations of Tibet, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Cantonia are fundamentally the same — all products of over 70 years of colonial occupation by the People's Republic of China. "The People's Republic of China exists largely because of its occupation of Tibet, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Cantonia," she said. "China is waging a silent war against the freedom of religion, language, culture, and expression of the people of these regions."
Tsering Jampa also drew attention to the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress in China, adopted by China on March 12 of this year, which she argued effectively requires all ethnic minorities within China to assimilate into Han Chinese identity — forbidding Uyghurs from speaking their own language, restricting the practice of Tibetan Buddhism, and mandating the study of Communist Party ideology. She warned her European audience: "Chinese transnational repression has already reached Dutch soil. Chinese agents are here, actively threatening and harassing Tibetans, Uyghurs, and others. Borders mean nothing to the People's Republic of China. Your freedom today is our freedom."
Abulqasim Abdulaziz, chairman of the East Turkestan Education Association in Europe, reaffirmed in his remarks: "A people has the right to preserve its identity, to live freely, and to determine the destiny of its own country. Our path is the path of truth. Our goal is an independent East Turkestan."
Wei Zhijian, an activist for Guangxi independence, spoke as a Han Chinese, arguing that the Chinese Communist Party uses the same blade of repression against democracy movements, ethnic minorities, and Han Chinese dissidents alike. "Today it builds concentration camps and carries out ethnic cleansing in East Turkestan — tomorrow it will turn the same chains against everyone who refuses to kneel," he said, calling on all peoples to unite against one-party CCP rule.
Feilong Liu, a member of the Cantonia Independence Party, spoke in Dutch, representing the Cantonia independence movement in solidarity. He referenced a recent incident in March in which residents of a village in Cantonia protested the secret construction of a crematorium near a school, only to be met with police violence. He argued that the CCP's methods in Cantonia mirror those used in East Turkestan.
Jiang Hong, a Manchurian pro-democracy activist from Harbin residing in the Netherlands, spoke from a historical perspective, emphasizing that the Barin Uprising is not merely a memory of the past but an enduring source of inspiration for all those living under repression: "Courage to speak out and act for justice and dignity never goes out of date."
Visual Displays: Two Striking Banners
Two prominent banners were displayed at the rally.
The first was a blue banner nearly ten meters in length. Its top section bore the words in red and white: "'NEVER AGAIN' IS HAPPENING AGAIN IN EAST TURKESTAN (AKA XINJIANG) OCCUPIED BY CHINA." Through a combination of text and imagery, the banner systematically documented allegations of mass surveillance, arbitrary detention, torture inside internment camps, systematic forced labor, and sexual violence. At the bottom, the banner read: "CHINA, STOP UYGHUR GENOCIDE!!"
The second was a specially illustrated map depicting the independent nations of the Far East, reportedly created collectively by overseas youth groups from various political backgrounds. The map was dedicated to Jacob Pang Jian, a political prisoner currently detained for political reasons. The map represents a public rejection of authoritarian borders and a tribute to the indomitable spirit of those who struggle for freedom, portraying a Far East free from centralized oppression in which each region achieves full autonomy and independence.
Following the speeches, the organizers placed the CCP's five-star red flag and a portrait of Xi Jinping on the ground. Participants trampled on them while chanting slogans such as "Free East Turkestan" and "Down with CCP tyranny." The rally concluded peacefully with a group photograph.
The Stichting Support Uyghurs issued a statement declaring that the rally was intended to sustain international attention on the situation of Uyghurs and other suppressed communities, and to urge the Dutch and European governments, as well as human rights organizations, to take concrete action in response to China's transnational repression.
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