How Labeling Uyghurs a “Minority” Enables China’s Denial of East Turkistani Self-Determination

How Labeling Uyghurs a “Minority” Enables China’s Denial of East Turkistani Self-Determination

Since 2017, governments, media outlets, and international institutions have increasingly acknowledged mass repression targeting Uyghurs. Crimes ranging from mass detention to forced sterilization have been documented, and several states and parliaments have recognized it as an ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity. Yet the dominant framing continues to describe Uyghurs as a “Chinese minority,” a term that appears descriptive but carries p…