Opinion:Uyghurs’ Response to China’s Holodomor

Uyghurs in the diaspora did not remain silent. Protests erupted in the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and Turkey, denouncing what many now call China’s “Holodomor” in Ghulja—a deliberate starvation brought about by state policy.

By Yaruq

After 45 days of enforced quarantine in Ghulja since the beginning of August under China’s so-called zero-COVID policy, Uyghurs have finally broken their silence. In doing so, the inhumane nature of China’s policies toward Uyghurs in East Turkestan (also known as Xinjiang) has once again been laid bare.

The video footage emerging from Ghulja is heart-rending. Images of people collapsing from hunger, falling seriously ill without medical care, and children crying from starvation have shocked viewers and mobilized Uyghurs around the world. These are not scenes of a public health measure; they are scenes of a man-made humanitarian disaster.

Under Chinese occupation, Uyghurs in East Turkestan and in the diaspora have risen together, echoing a single plea: “Ghulja, be strong.” Videos circulating on social media show Uyghurs from other cities in East Turkestan preparing tons of food and attempting to deliver it to Ghulja.

For decades, the Chinese state has worked systematically to isolate Uyghurs from one another—geographically, socially, and emotionally. Yet in this moment of crisis, China has once again witnessed the deep bonds of care and solidarity that connect Uyghurs across cities and across borders.

Uyghurs in the diaspora did not remain silent. Protests erupted in the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and Turkey, denouncing what many now call China’s “Holodomor” in Ghulja—a deliberate starvation brought about by state policy.

These scenes are deeply unsettling for Beijing. First, they shatter the carefully constructed image China has tried to restore after years of international criticism over its treatment of Uyghurs. The world is once again seeing what lies behind official propaganda.

Second, and perhaps more threatening in the eyes of the Chinese authorities, is the unity on display. Uyghurs at home and abroad are speaking with one voice, sharing the same grief, the same anger, and the same sense of collective destiny. To a state that fears any form of organized identity outside its control, this solidarity is intolerable.

Yet history teaches a different lesson than the one Beijing seems to believe. Every act of cruelty, every policy of repression, every attempt to starve a people into submission only strengthens their sense of nationhood and moral resolve.

China may hope to silence Uyghurs through quarantine and hunger. Instead, it has reminded them—and the world—of who they are, and why they will not disappear.