East Turkestan Liberation Center Highlights Current Humanitarian Situation and Calls on International Community for Immediate Action to Protect Legitimate Rights in the Region

Amidst the escalating systematic oppression practiced by the Chinese occupation against Muslims in East Turkestan, the "East Turkestan Liberation Center" issued a comprehensive statement in February 2026, sounding the alarm regarding what it described as the "final stage of erasing Islamic identity" in the region. This move comes at a time when international reports have revealed the continued detention of hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and Turkic people in prisons and camps that lack the most basic humanitarian standards, amid a suspicious international silence and complicity from some regional powers [1.3](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQG0IpIEkCcyoVVCsIa8OIFgNOeLOF-nnEKxjgEV3xqG5eGf8KW2SLGEKdN3X4H85RHf_nxPusOhVhVM9AM1qfF_2UrmwsLtDIepk2WXzKK1xothA2k3bp4cveWlu2jbDtrUqoG8Uzxf_ml9gE-tqj_nHVIAZ9hamg==).

A Tragic Reality: The Center's Report on the Situation in Early 2026

The East Turkestan Liberation Center confirmed that 2025 and the beginning of 2026 witnessed a dangerous shift in Beijing's policies, moving from the stage of "mass detention" to the stage of "legalized slavery" through forced labor transfer programs. According to the Center's data, supported by UN expert reports issued in January 2026, China has transferred more than 3.34 million Muslims from East Turkestan for forced labor under the guise of "poverty alleviation." These programs are essentially aimed at fragmenting Muslim communities and forcing them to abandon their language and religion [1.5](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFPB2zz2ae9L0CL946ztua2NnJA9hHlNAmvz_1zghd3qs4ovA8JYkkkuVqf4aKJw3VumOE2t-77O8KOxtgKwZXuRfufj_xVbrQzZjctE6vBLKtcaKRHonHlETN4o66vV6dUKRP0BvjYFBb4FgEd5xxiY_vRgRY6YzSdyl_EorT7_gW0hNBpGa5drCcwWKp-itltyitiO8lcqi2uOkUF6cAYU1wWukQnbta6QS7wCkrfdm_ZJ_HZ8EY=) [1.8](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGaizgjr-zJ_rsRcPAOu6Z1W6qxCWfBN-t7Dce-IQog15163wjNm0dl_Zm4lH58OEgf3jNoFNXCCgZbiNBysRCM68FSb7Ar5blA9yta-Hg0vM5wpZA0a2jQquD4HgmCya8Q56crMpdgpf_b3FmKyMyapXm29v3xmjHsj-g=).

The Center points out that Chinese authorities continue to target religious rituals directly; more than 16,000 mosques have been destroyed or had their features altered, fasting and prayer have been banned, and the possession of the Quran has been criminalized. This is an attempt to impose what Beijing calls the "Sinicization of Islam," a term that means emptying the Islamic faith of its content and making it subordinate to the ideology of the Communist Party [1.7](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGhpEkbJN_LroKssas32AFkYBiURkCEiy-Vb9Ai6YZRyvJPKdkTL2joDmxNUEG10CQ353h5rtKvZjlbECvpkL27GPB1vsdvHZiRPeYEcuxYkCpztnaa4WJaileDlWvn7j6_9vq7OIwOBPjCE7VdtxTAgv7COkV1K0PnZgvf3_ALqBKpqZnH4ZJY7UjcMKAdzVMXLj6GKw0iZ8kcN-rWfwY3r78NMfeilVRgsOFcOn0J1zlPZ-JOWsqFZiSwqKFa6V97Og==).

Breach of Trust: The Center's Criticism of the OIC Position

One of the most controversial points in the Center's statement is the sharp attack on the position of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Center denounced the visit made by the Secretary-General of the Organization, Hissein Brahim Taha, to Beijing in late January 2026, describing it as a "betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and the suffering of the detainees." The Center explained that the Organization's statements praising cooperation with China provide Beijing with a legitimate cover to continue its crimes of genocide against the Uyghurs [1.11](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGmSS59ZYzl83nQCu0dLl7atlbcPviB182lkZebOdDyJWrkq3z1P12vROH0sBFBV4gIbguKYqGo4xrVN1UjvgM872-3RaNl5xVhHJ-nD4NXYixber4y1uLuaUpSYc9WJ_hwsmCZUw-tBQHrEKsHPqwKK81JDGkcLhfDflexVFoksXDqTmTO48xlzDOvX8jcz_ift8pNc93j3r6bQcU=) [1.13](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFAGtpNAhr_InwiOwPZaQCV6E8Rj210jzYNhX7z22fkzVA84dCg9rCZrBcEiPr7IYAfZYMCWXaxYDP7kl_xxiPxMJXlRjnqyRuTNxfmepWU0iTz7LeFhlSoC12G6D65TlRSsX4lfXg2itKK1AnVY_DKuxbAfHmYU1O6d_a2AbzHd44PYoGKgqbUAwg7TxDxNmztSn65VPSH_0ZG4XFQYQFiMPvM69GRbFaMiiTSLQ==).

The Center believes that the Islamic Ummah, as one body, cannot stand idly by while their brothers in East Turkestan are forced into labor and their children are torn from their arms to be placed in government care homes aimed at brainwashing them away from Islamic values [1.15](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQE9Bq7dBCt6cxqqZVNiBpiMhOBWKzfGr8_KQUn9G7UZ9o22LnZmn9P4CTo62mBxTV8SkzC79sHvYqVLqy4I05-SOT5lp1HXXWFemdx8csA9PcKuGH7zfZJdtcTiu1VWe4EgXwM91gq6hVcxsssCYUI_uSbegOSmdoPymzGPgNSDmO7VgjqUH5w3McX9zmg_LKcppo6OsQkjNSwDgWbTN-6lGwJSrXzB2cXk5_u63ql09UKiPqRidPeKT10ef8uE3NQuMYIrEa-wNCB6C2ZwWt7t_ByxMyd0itcC_w==). This political failure weakens the prestige of the Ummah and makes its sanctities and the rights of its peoples vulnerable to exploitation by superpowers.

Transnational Repression: Pursuing Activists Abroad

The Center's report was not limited to the interior but also highlighted the escalating phenomenon of "transnational repression." In February 2026, human rights organizations documented Chinese attempts to pressure Uyghur activists in Paris and other European cities by threatening their families back home or attempting to recruit them to spy on their communities [1.8](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGaizgjr-zJ_rsRcPAOu6Z1W6qxCWfBN-t7Dce-IQog15163wjNm0dl_Zm4lH58OEgf3jNoFNXCCgZbiNBysRCM68FSb7Ar5blA9yta-Hg0vM5wpZA0a2jQquD4HgmCya8Q56crMpdgpf_b3FmKyMyapXm29v3xmjHsj-g=). This Chinese security expansion represents a flagrant violation of state sovereignty and threatens the security of Muslim migrants who fled with their religion from the brutality of the occupation.

The Center also warned against the use of Chinese surveillance technology, such as "Hikvision" and "Dahua" cameras, which reports have proven are involved in the comprehensive surveillance system in East Turkestan. These technologies are still being exported and used in many countries around the world, making it easier for Beijing to pursue its opponents everywhere [1.8](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGaizgjr-zJ_rsRcPAOu6Z1W6qxCWfBN-t7Dce-IQog15163wjNm0dl_Zm4lH58OEgf3jNoFNXCCgZbiNBysRCM68FSb7Ar5blA9yta-Hg0vM5wpZA0a2jQquD4HgmCya8Q56crMpdgpf_b3FmKyMyapXm29v3xmjHsj-g=).

A Call for Immediate Action: The Center's Demands to the International Community

At the conclusion of its statement, the East Turkestan Liberation Center issued an urgent appeal containing several core points: 1. **International Recognition:** Demanding all countries and international organizations officially recognize that what is happening in East Turkestan is genocide and crimes against humanity [1.6](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHnB_9vWCdV3jUD5BABjde0xID-IvxsMY_CEcJpJjdxtsxFbEocWr1VEOqbFhurKidS8Nc777XVBGa4RjW-COXUH8iwCx-2t6koaDhtwPBmul1eDScp73U2zNLZvYPGj35v1vYgwOIhrBLiwayhBUfldjqQBHM4de116ZP40bUObmNkWijyzA==). 2. **Economic Boycott:** Calling on global companies and investors to sever ties with Chinese supply chains tainted by forced labor, especially in the textile and electronics sectors [1.5](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFPB2zz2ae9L0CL946ztua2NnJA9hHlNAmvz_1zghd3qs4ovA8JYkkkuVqf4aKJw3VumOE2t-77O8KOxtgKwZXuRfufj_xVbrQzZjctE6vBLKtcaKRHonHlETN4o66vV6dUKRP0BvjYFBb4FgEd5xxiY_vRgRY6YzSdyl_EorT7_gW0hNBpGa5drCcwWKp-itltyitiO8lcqi2uOkUF6cAYU1wWukQnbta6QS7wCkrfdm_ZJ_HZ8EY=). 3. **Legal Protection:** Demanding Islamic countries provide safe asylum and legal protection for fleeing Turkestanis and refuse to extradite them to China under any pretext [1.12](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHsGWuII75kMfnH7eNklRO9R8DOFb6UaF0dAh2r7VOK1do5-EDQawQ_Na4BaIDuAvaPCo5f4elMbEJdpLKo3oXzyKEFEUSwtNDvd-3ekQrk4dtPN2qZG6UXereIZ_B9ETB0lKNhj6W_PgbSekZBWH_Ixi3fbvNZHGmYkzyQvDKNZ7yqf_DX1S7zo7v00-3A4B_My7Db5AeUBWw8F0xMuZoVwTMl2Yv4cto_1N-sxmTgAfYZw9qxcQsZcnqlXerPveNtGg==). 4. **Independent Access:** Pressuring Beijing to allow international observers and UN experts unconditional and independent access to the region, away from the fabricated tourist tours organized by the authorities [1.10](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFWcd3PCbT3hpD0UoUxC0JMhLfPGaKx0MXcvrKzyCY6lO-povmZB7mHfEqqPW7SaizR9bUrreCbfTJXARDeMdlxmzbKbrblI8oXzCqiGYsK_st1MBjlOeR__Olrjc46GSkc5wNzIHXk97qoj5xHtZ5a1Axhlmuj5WZU1u2kapVpONmAC5Y0PbDozE3FZNq-Lnl5AlwdZK6J8y6SY-wvOogHI635pT9DKDJV7XW66hg-HpN4J8t74bxIsg==).

Conclusion: The Cause of Turkestan is the Cause of the Ummah

What the East Turkestan Liberation Center presents is not merely a human rights report, but a cry for help directed at the conscience of the Islamic world. The continuation of the Chinese occupation's settlement and repressive policies not only threatens the existence of the Uyghur people but also represents a stab in the heart of Islamic values that call for supporting the oppressed. The legitimate rights of the people of East Turkestan to self-determination and the protection of their religion and culture are non-negotiable rights, and immediate action is the only way to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe that history may never erase [1.9](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHfE1iDI8-ZOD42xQqkxwyGfaGT1m_EUNS7gRxCbliAC62NGBs7cxqZqHuZMG8Ky2JW9qx9N68NcgOGuxCCbNMwPKzoAjjdiew9CV_YZ60IJYsnEoM2bg==) [1.17](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHNfZY3cIBTfDJy2qo2TO0CvhUtXUZgeU27ARr4__NHx_sw5gpmWMBFE6ND-ICE6NqS1ilFuTxARWIkGY1-SAkn_zNOeTk02ygPV4DI8NKmsSREZ0Xwy6c98Xw3MzwvR_WmPazepXLv_MYKMdaMZStIJ11Atec-zJwuen5tQseA1fD5etvZbcVX3U3uHphuYRITsricGANQEOTFOlgLjP5xgcwTQEJK9t0SXtk8oDRNzNiQoU4kQELYatEL-YBk_jh7kPoLXfDIc4Yq5g0fJT4PweYYGKkH2LgiKAmknjO7kRZWofuuOtEixSEzviCVzgHDSIgoHMSJVv5UJ8_XYIfVnS79QQmXPzxnV2XB3ygwJywA9nE=).