Indian Uyghur Society Commemorates 35th Anniversary of the Baren Revolution and Massacre

5 April 2025
Press Release – For Immediate Release
Indian Uyghur Society (IUS)
IndiaUyghur.org
indianuyghursociety@gmail.com

Indian Uyghur Society Commemorates 35th Anniversary of the Baren Revolution and Massacre

SRINAGAR — The Indian Uyghur Society (IUS) solemnly marks 5 April 2025 as the 35th anniversary of the Baren Revolution of 1990, when Uyghur villagers in Baren Township near Kashgar rose up against Chinese occupation forces in defense of their families, dignity, and survival. What began as peaceful resistance against forced abortions imposed on 250 Uyghur women escalated into armed self-defense when Chinese authorities responded with overwhelming brutality, deploying People's Liberation Army forces, heavy weaponry, and airstrikes to crush the uprising and massacre hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent civilians including women and children.

The Baren Revolution represents a watershed moment in the history of East Turkistan's struggle for freedom and justice. After decades of colonization, cultural suppression, and population control policies, the people of Baren chose to stand against their oppressors rather than submit to forced assimilation and genocide. Their courage foreshadowed the systematic campaign of mass internment, forced labor, sterilization, and cultural annihilation that China escalated in subsequent decades and continues today.

"On this solemn anniversary, we honor the martyrs of Baren who gave their lives defending their people against foreign occupation," said Wasim Abdullah, President of the Indian Uyghur Society. "Their sacrifice reminds the world that the Uyghur genocide did not begin with the camps of 2014 but is rooted in decades of colonization, violence, and denial of our most basic human rights."

The Indian Uyghur Society calls on the Government of India, the international community, and human rights organizations to recognize East Turkistan as an occupied country, hold China accountable for its ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity, and support the East Turkistani people's right to self-determination and the restoration of their national independence.