Uyghurs Rally Around Language in Face of Pressures From China
Members of the worldwide community of Uyghurs rallied on Thursday in defense of their language, warning that their Turkic tongue and cultural identity are under threat from heavy-handed Chinese policies to assimilate the central Asian ethnic group. “Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) invites all concerned individuals, human rights groups and governments to speak out against Chinese government policies aimed at undermining the linguistic rights of the Uyghur people,” the Washington-based group said in a statement.
The UHRP and other exile organizations launched International Uyghur Language Day in 2015 “to celebrate the vibrancy and richness of the Uyghur language” and celebrate contributions to humanity by Uyghur scientists, philosophers and poets, UHRP Director Omer Kanat said in a statement.
