This piece is written by Abdurahim Gheni, an Uyghur activist who was born into an intellectual family in Uchturpan County in East Turkestan, known as in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, in the Aksu Prefecture. He graduated from Lanzhou University with a degree in chemistry and worked as a chemistry teacher at the Aksu Prefecture Normal School. He currently resides in the Netherlands and is a biochemical analyst by profession.
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The brutal attack launched against me by a group of Chinese nationals on February 14, 2026, during the Chinese New Year celebrations organized by the Chinese Embassy at the The Hague City Hall, was not a mere act of common violence. It was not only an assault on my person but a terrorist strike against Dutch democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.
On March 11, the Dutch National Police informed me that a formal criminal investigation had been launched under Article 300 of the Penal Code. Subsequently, Victim Support Netherlands (Slachtofferhulp Nederland) contacted me and invited me for an official consultation on April 7. This meeting represents a critical turning point and a significant victory in my long journey toward seeking justice.
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I highlighted another grave tragedy: On February 19, the Iranian dissident Siamak Tadebbi was shot and killed in broad daylight on the streets of Schoonhoven. The brutal assassination of an Iranian activist who had lived and campaigned in the Netherlands for years has placed a heavy psychological burden on me.
Iran is not as globally powerful as China, yet they dare to eliminate their dissidents on European soil. If that is the case, who can guarantee that China—the world’s most powerful dictatorship—will not target me, a person who has become a “thorn in their side”?
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I am a political activist who has consistently raised my voice against the Chinese government’s occupation and systematic genocide in East Turkistan, from Amsterdam to Geneva, and from Paris to the Dutch Parliament. My actions are a powerful weapon that shatters China’s false propaganda.
I do not only fight for the freedom of the Uyghurs; I strive to warn the world against the Chinese threat and the trap of their deceptions, so that others do not suffer the same fate. The genocide currently being endured by the Uyghurs is the price paid for the world’s misplaced trust in China’s lies. For this reason, the Chinese regime has made me a primary target, repeatedly attempting to silence me through death threats and violence.
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The Chinese regime must understand: your “Long Arm” cannot silence me. I am not alone. Standing behind me are Dutch democratic laws, the police system, and official institutions dedicated to protecting my rights. Every threat you make is being officially recorded by the judicial authorities.
I hope the Dutch government will set an example for other Western nations by severing the “Long Arm” of China within its territory. We will not be silent; on the contrary, we will demand justice even more loudly. To die in the cause of one’s nation’s freedom is the most honorable of ends. I will never cease my struggle on the path of truth and justice!
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