Hundreds Gather in Amsterdam to Mark 17th Anniversary of Urumqi Massacre, Demand End to Uyghur Genocide
More than one hundred people gathered on Amsterdam's Dam Square on July 5 for a peaceful demonstration commemorating the 17th anniversary of the Urumqi Massacre, calling on the international community to recognize and act against what speakers described as an ongoing genocide against the Uyghur people in East Turkistan.
The demonstration brought together Uyghur exiles living in the Netherlands alongside representatives of Tibetan, Cantonese, Kuangsi, and Southern Mongolian communities, as well as Dutch supporters and anti-Chinese Communist activists. Participants displayed dozens of the blue East Turkistan flag and banners in English and French calling for an end to what they termed the "genocide" and the closure of internment facilities in the region, while a defaced Chinese national flag was placed on the ground as part of the demonstration.
Commemorating the Victims of July 5, 2009
The event opened with remarks from Abdurehim Gheni, chairman of the Stichting Support Uyghurs (Support Uyghurs Foundation), who paid tribute to those who died in the 2009 unrest before the East Turkistan national anthem was played. In his address, delivered in Dutch, Gheni recalled that on July 5, 2009, Uyghur students in Urumqi took to the streets to demand basic human rights and were met with a violent crackdown that, he said, left the city's streets stained with the blood of young protesters and resulted in the disappearance of thousands of Uyghurs.
Gheni argued that the 2009 crackdown marked the beginning of a broader campaign against Uyghur identity, pointing to the establishment of what he called the largest internment camp system of the 21st century in the region, along with reports of forced sterilization of women and the separation of children from their families. He also drew attention to a newly enforced "Ethnic Unity and Progress Law," which took effect on July 1, 2026, describing it as the codification of an assimilation policy aimed at erasing the identities of non-Han peoples and warning that its reach extends beyond China's borders to pressure critics abroad. He closed by calling on the European Union and international human rights bodies not to let economic ties with China silence discussion of the issue, demanding justice, freedom, and independence for East Turkistan.
Solidarity Across Communities
Tsering Jampa, chair of the Tibet Support Group NL and former Executive Director of the International Campaign for Tibet Europe, spoke in solidarity with the Uyghur community, drawing parallels between the situation in East Turkistan and the People's Republic of China's decades-long rule in Tibet. She noted that research publicized roughly a decade ago first brought international attention to conditions in the region, and said the United Nations, governments, and parliaments worldwide have since acknowledged serious human rights concerns there. She linked the newly implemented "Ethnic Unity and Progress Law" to restrictions on language rights she said Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Southern Mongolians all face, and referenced the recent self-immolation of a Tibetan activist outside the United Nations in New York as a call for the international community to move from statements to concrete action. She urged onlookers on Dam Square not to take their own freedoms for granted and to stand with the peoples of East Turkistan, Tibet, Southern Mongolia, and Hong Kong.
Abulqasim Abdulaziz, chairman of the European East Turkistan Education Association, honored those killed, imprisoned, or disappeared since the 1949 occupation of East Turkistan, describing decades of forced labor, detention of intellectuals and religious leaders, and continuing restrictions on contact between exiles and family members at home. He said the community would continue to press for justice, truth, and an independent East Turkistan.
Representatives of other communities also addressed the crowd. Wei Tang, a Chinese student and human rights activist who traveled from Belgium, condemned what he described as the Chinese Communist Party's rule over East Turkistan and argued that lasting freedom for the region depends on political change in China itself. Feilong, representing the Cantonia Independence Party, expressed solidarity with Uyghurs as a fellow Cantonese activist, invoking the memory of a young Uyghur woman who resisted the 2009 crackdown. Wei Zhijian, an activist with the Kuangsi independence movement, framed the gathering as a alliance of peoples—including those from East Turkistan, Tibet, Southern Mongolia, Hong Kong, and Kuangsi—united against a common set of policies affecting minority regions, and called for their shared advancement toward self-determination.
Closing
The demonstration concluded with speeches, chants including calls to "Free East Turkistan" and "Stop the Genocide," and a group photograph. Organizers said the event drew the attention of passersby on Dam Square, including visiting Chinese tourists, many of whom stopped to observe, ask questions, or take photographs.
About the organizers: The demonstration was organized by Stichting Support Uyghurs in cooperation with Uyghur, Tibetan, and other diaspora and human rights organizations active in the Netherlands.
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