What can a nation or people do if the tide of history leaves them officially no longer in existence? Often the only avenue for them to be heard is to resort to violence. At a conference in London in 1990 a group of people from such “nations” decided to set up an organization based on the idea of the United Nations but expressly to serve unrepresented nations and peoples. Hence the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization or UNPO was born. One of the founders was Erkin Alptekin from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region or XUAR, officially part of China but formerly called East Turkestan.

Erkin was 10 years old when he left the XUAR with his family. I asked him why they left:

“My father spent his entire life working for the cause of Eastern Turkestan through non-violent means. By nature he was a non-violent person. He was also influenced by Mahatma Gandhi whom he met several times in the 1930s and early 1940s. He was struggling to achieve: democracy, respect for human rights, rule of law and self-determination for the people of Eastern Turkestan. He was also a staunch anti-communist. He saw how the Bolsheviks deceived the Turkic peoples in the Soviet Union. He thought that he would not be able to continue his peaceful struggle under a totalitarian system. That is why he left his homeland to carry out his peaceful struggle abroad”.

Erkin has continued his father’s struggle. Between 1971 and 1995 he worked for Radio Liberty, the American radio station, becoming senior policy advisor to the director. Erkin remains grateful to America for providing “a voice to the voiceless peoples in the USSR and China”.

I asked Erkin, now General Secretary of UNPO why he worked for UNPO rather than just his own people in Eastern Turkestan. He explained to me that after fleeing their homeland and moving to Srinagar in Kashmir he had heard a story at a religious college there:

“One day one of our teachers told us a story: Jesus Christ was walking down the street. An old lady ran out and asked Jesus to give life to her dead son. Jesus asked the lady whether she talked to her neighbours. She said no. Jesus suggested that she talked to her neighbours. A couple of days later Jesus returned.. The old lady tells Jesus: "Oh Jesus when my son was dead I thought I carried all the problems of the world. But after talking to my neighbours I found out that they had more problems than I had".

“I have been lobbying for the Eastern Turkestan cause for the last 35 years. I thought that the peoples of Eastern Turkestan had the whole problems of the world. But after talking to representatives of various nations, peoples, minority and indigenous peoples around the world I came to know that they had more problems than my people. Thus, I have developed a human feeling to help, assist and support other peoples who are in need also. This is the reason that I joined UNPO”.

Today UNPO consists of nearly 50 member nations and observer nations and peoples who together represent over 100 million persons. Located in the Hague, UNPO offers an international forum for occupied nations, indigenous peoples, minorities, and even oppressed majorities who currently struggle to regain their lost countries, preserve their cultural identities, protect their basic human and economic rights, and safeguard the natural environment. UNPO does not represent those peoples; it assists and empowers them to represent themselves more effectively. By demonstrating the effectiveness of non-violent strategies and actions, UNPO members hope to reduce the use of violence throughout the world. As well as professional services and facilities UNPO provides education and training in the fields of diplomacy, international and human rights law, democratic processes and institution building, conflict management and resolution and environmental protection. UNPO also assists indigenous and other peoples to represent themselves at the United Nations.

Erkin Alptekin is also the leader of the Eastern Turkestani Union in Europe. This organization is campaigning for the Right to Self-Determination for the people in the XUAR. He described some of the problems the Uighur community has in presenting a united face to the world:

“Our problem is that the Uighurs live in too many different countries, with different regimes, systems and different national interests. All these countries do not see eye to eye on many issues. They all want to further their national interests. Some of these countries say they need China to sell their goods to. Some say that the Western countries do not support them. The USSR does not exist anymore, and thus they look to China as a protector. Some do not want to antagonize China for various reasons. Some of these countries can be easily pressured by China”.

“As a result, Uighurs living in these countries are obliged to respect the national interests of the countries; they do not have any other alternative. Under these circumstances it is very difficult to unite the great majority of Uighurs under one umbrella organization. Also, we do not have a unifying leader such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Despite all these difficulties, all Uighurs, at home and abroad are united under one goal: That is the Right to Self-Determination through peaceful means”.

In some cases peoples have won their right to self determination and introduced governments which have gone on to become involved in new ethnic conflicts perpetrated by a new elite. I wondered if this could be a danger to non-Uighur minorities in the XUAR should it gain independence:

“The ‘miniority’ people that you mention are an inseparable part of Eastern Turkestan. The Kazakhs, the Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tatars, Salars are Turkic peoples. Indo-European Tajiks are a inseparable part of Eastern Turkestan. Mongols and Turkics peoples have been together from the times of Chingiz Khan. The Uighur king, Barchuk married Chingiz Khan’s daughter and he was treated by Chingiz Khan as his ‘fifth son’. The Xibe are the grand children of the Manchus. They are assimilated into Turkic society”.

“I do not think that the Chinese in Eastern Turkestan would want to stay there if Eastern Turkestan became an independent country because most of them have been sent there by force. As long as they treat Eastern Turkestan as their homeland and respect the law and the constitution of the country they would be welcome to stay. They will have equal rights according to the constitution. This is the reason that the great majority of Uighurs call their homeland by its traditional name "Eastern Turkestan". It is a georgraphical terminoloy. A name which unites all the peoples of that country. This is why China is against the name ‘Eastern Turkestan’”.

I told Erkin that the Amnesty International volunteers in the UK campaigning for the human rights of political prisoners in the XUAR often get depressed as our letters to China are unanswered and we see little improvement in the situation. Did he have a message for us I asked:

“First of all I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the Amnesty International volunteers working for the human rights of political prisoners in Eastern Turkestan. Through their hard work the international community came to know of the inhuman treatment of political prisoners in Eastern Turkestan. Through Amnesty International publications about Eastern Turkestan, the political prisoners are aware of the fact that they are not alone and there is an international organization abroad which cares for them. It gave them hope to survive. It relieved them from their agony”.

“There is no reason to be depressed. By not responding to your letters China wants to see you depressed and for you to give up your struggle. I am sure that the Amnesty International volunteers do not want to do that favour for the Chinese government. As a human being you are fulfilling your duty to help, assist and support another human being who is suffering. I kindly request the volunteers to continue their tireless efforts to expose China's inhuman treatment of political prisoners in Eastern Turkestan, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and China”.

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