On the 11th anniversary of the Yarkand massacre, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) commemorated one of the deadliest crackdowns in East Turkistan since the 2009 Urumchi unrest, urging the international community to take action against ongoing atrocities.
On and after July 28, 2014, Chinese security forces launched a brutal operation against Uyghur civilians in Yarkand County following a peaceful protest in Elishku Township. The unrest began after a Uyghur family of five was killed by police during a house raid, sparking mass protests against police violence and religious repression during Ramadan.
While the Chinese government reported 96 deaths—including 59 Uyghurs—and labeled the incident a “premeditated terrorist attack,” Uyghur sources estimate that up to 3,000 people may have been killed or forcibly disappeared. In the aftermath, Chinese authorities imposed a complete communications blackout, cutting internet and phone services, and blocking any independent reporting or investigation.
“Every year, we remember the victims of Chinese state violence, but the Yarkand massacre remains the single deadliest event in recent memory,” said WUC President Turgunjan Alawudun. “For 11 years, families have been denied answers, justice, and dignity. The international community cannot continue to look away from atrocity crimes and the ongoing Uyghur genocide.”
The WUC emphasized that the Yarkand massacre was not an isolated incident, but a precursor to the systematic campaign of repression that followed. The Chinese government has increasingly used counter-terrorism rhetoric, particularly since the implementation of its 2016 Counter-Terrorism Law, to justify mass surveillance, arbitrary detention, and the erosion of Uyghur culture and identity.
In today’s East Turkistan, religious practices are heavily restricted, media freedom is virtually nonexistent, and daily life is marked by fear and state control. Many of those who disappeared during and after the massacre remain unaccounted for, with families left in uncertainty and anguish.
The WUC called on the Chinese government to disclose the names and whereabouts of those killed or missing in the Yarkand massacre and demanded independent, international investigations into the incident and broader rights violations in the region.
“We once again urge the international community—governments, NGOs, and multilateral institutions—to take concrete, coordinated action to end the Uyghur genocide and ensure that such atrocities are never repeated,” the statement concluded.
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