Washington, Dec. 14 -- Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) commemorated the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Urumchi Student Movement, one of the most significant student protests in recent Uyghur history and a crucial moment in the Uyghur struggle against oppression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The movement marked the first such protest against communism in the Eastern bloc, according to a CFU press release.

On December 12, 1985, approximately 20,000 Uyghur students from seven universities and institutes took to the streets of Urumchi to protest discriminatory practices. These included disparities in education and job opportunities, enforced sterilisations, catastrophic atmospheric nuclear testing at Lop Nor, and the transfer of criminals f...