East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) slams China’s Ethnic Unity Law, seeks global sanctions

Washington: The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) has strongly rejected China's newly adopted "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress", calling it a tool of "imperialism and colonial domination" and urging the international community to take action against Beijing.

The legislation was passed on March 12 by China's top legislative body, the National People's Congress. While Chinese authorities describe the law as a step toward strengthening ethnic unity, the ETGE claims it creates a legal framework to enforce Han Chinese identity, language, and culture on non-Han communities, allegedly violating international norms against racial discrimination.

In a statement, the exile group described the law as "draconian", accusing Beijing of codifying policies that amount to systematic genocide and colonial rule under the guise of unity. According to the ETGE, the law mandates the wider use of Mandarin in education, media, and public life, while restricting Uyghur, Tibetan, and Mongolian languages. It also alleges that the legislation supports forced assimilation, demographic restructuring, organised population transfers, state-led settlement programmes, and coerced inter-ethnic marriages.

The group further argued that the measures meet the criteria for genocide under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It expressed concern that vaguely defined provisions criminalise actions deemed to "damage ethnic unity", potentially targeting peaceful cultural expression, religious practices, and preservation of ethnic identity.

The ETGE also claimed the law extends China's reach beyond its borders by asserting jurisdiction over acts abroad that allegedly undermine ethnic unity, which it says could intimidate diaspora communities, activists, and journalists.

Calling the law a "blueprint for erasing non-Chinese peoples", ETGE leaders urged targeted sanctions against Chinese officials and demanded international accountability, self-determination, and decolonisation in line with UN principles. (IANS)

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