On the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence, the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) hosted a webinar bringing together representatives from East Turkestan, Assyria, West Papua and Tibet, to discuss non-violent resistance as a strategic path toward self-determination and human rights.
The webinar, titled “Non-Violent Struggles for Peoples’ Rights: Lessons from History and Today,” featured compelling testimonies from communities that have chosen peaceful resistance over armed conflict despite facing decades of systemic repression, political exclusion, and efforts to erase their identities.
East Turkestan: Courage beyond suppression
Zumretay Arkin, Member of the UNPO Presidency and Vice President at the World Uyghur Congress chaired the session, in her opening speech emphasized a crucial point often misunderstood about non-violent resistance: “Nonviolent actions are acts of extraordinary courage capable of creating lasting impact, contrary to the misconception that they are passive.” She spoke directly to the experience of the Uyghur people, who face what many international observers have termed a campaign of cultural genocide, including mass detention camps, forced labor, systematic erasure of religious and cultural identity, and surveillance.
Despite these extreme circumstances, Ms. Arkin highlighted that non-violence remains central to their campaigns. The Uyghur movement operates under conditions where even peaceful advocacy can result in the detention of family members back home, yet the community continues to pursue justice through documentation, international advocacy, and testimony rather than violent resistance.
This commitment of the Uyghur people to non-violent methods serves multiple strategic purposes: it maintains the moral high ground internationally, preserves the legitimacy of their cause before global institutions, and ensures that the truth of their situation reaches the international community. For the Uyghur people, non-violence reflects a profound commitment to justice, human dignity, and the pursuit of fundamental rights. Yet despite this principled approach, they continue to be labeled as terrorists by the PRC, a contrast that highlights how peaceful communities can be misrepresented when challenging oppression.
Assyria: Non-Violent Strategies for Survival and Recognition
The Assyrian people, represented by Dr. Eden Nabi Frye, a cultural historian of the Middle East and Central Asia, offered insights into how an ancient community maintains its commitment to non-violence while fighting for recognition and survival. As the last ethnic group preserving Aramaic, an ancient Semitic language, many Assyrians live in diaspora due to the Sayfo, or Assyrian Genocide, carried out by the Ottoman Empire and allied forces during World War I
Dr. Nabi Frye explained how the Assyrian approach to non-violence has been fundamentally strategic, focusing on building institutional frameworks that enable peaceful resistance. By establishing community organizations, advocacy networks, and educational initiatives, Assyrians have created structures that allow them to advocate for their rights, maintain their distinct identity, and resist assimilation without resorting to armed conflict. These institutions function as spaces where Assyrian voices can be heard and their interests represented, even within political systems that may not fully recognize their rights. By creating spaces where their language can be taught, their culture practiced, and their voices heard through elected representatives, Assyrians have developed a model of peaceful resistance that persists across generations.
West Papua: Exile Advocacy and Digital Resistance
The West Papuan efforts for self-determination, presented by Herman Wainggai, founder of the West Papua Human Rights Center, highlights how non-violent resistance adapts when a people face both territorial occupation and international isolation. West Papua remains under Indonesian rule despite decades of calls for recognition and autonomy, and West Papuans continue to face brutal repression, restrictions on freedom of expression, and systematic marginalization.
Mr. Wainggai outlined how the West Papuan non-violent movement operates on three strategic pillars: education, diplomacy, and solidarity building. Education ensures that younger generations understand their history, rights, and the principles of peaceful resistance. Diplomacy focuses on engaging international bodies, regional organizations, and governments to raise awareness and seek political support for self-determination. Solidarity building connects the West Papuan struggle with other indigenous peoples’ movements and human rights advocates globally.
“We understand that lasting change cannot come through violence,” Wainggai emphasized. “Our platforms for peaceful resistance, raising global awareness, building international solidarity, and documenting human rights violations, are our most powerful tools. Every testimony shared, every document published, every connection made with supporters worldwide strengthens our cause.”
While some groups within the community have resorted to violence and engaged in armed conflict in response to extreme repression, military crackdowns, and restrictions on freedom of expression, which make it extremely difficult for communities to pursue their rights, other groups continue to stand for their rights through non-violent means, including the use of digital tools.
Severe restrictions within West Papua itself, including communications blackouts, restricted access for journalists and human rights observers, and the criminalization of peaceful advocacy, has made technology essential for West Papuan activists. Digital platforms enable them to circumvent information blockades, share real-time documentation of human rights violations, and present their narrative directly to global audiences rather than allowing it to be filtered through Indonesian government channels.
Mr. Wainggai acknowledged that maintaining non-violence is challenging under violent suppression, but emphasized that, despite these hardships, West Papuans continue their peaceful pursuit of justice and human rights.
Tibet: Building Democracy Without a State
The Tibetan movement for self-determination, presented by Dorjee Tseten, a member of the 17th Tibetan Parliament in exile, stands as one of the most enduring examples of non-violent resistance in modern history. Tseten began by recounting Tibet’s history as an independent nation before Chinese occupation in 1950 and the ongoing atrocities faced by Tibetans both in their homeland and in exile, including political imprisonment, religious persecution, and systematic efforts to undermine Tibetan identity.
Under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetans have maintained an unwavering commitment to non-violence for over seven decades, even in the face of overwhelming repression. Mr. Tseten emphasized that the Tibetan leadership sees non-violence not simply as a moral principle but as a means to preserve the legitimacy and international support for their cause.
The Tibetan approach centers on strengthening culture, language, and religion as primary tools of resistance, not merely to preserve tradition, but as active assertions of their right to self-determination. “These are the foundations of our identity and our claim to exist as a distinct nation,” Tseten explained. “By keeping them alive, we resist erasure and maintain our claim to freedom.”
Perhaps most remarkably, the Tibetan community has demonstrated that non-violent resistance can create tangible institutions of self-governance even in exile. Through decades of patient work, Tibetans have built educational systems, cultural institutions, and mechanisms for democratic participation that function across continents. This achievement shows that self-determination is not merely about territorial control but about a people’s capacity to organize themselves, make collective decisions, and preserve their distinct identity across generations, all through peaceful means.
Mr. Tseten also discussed how technology has transformed their advocacy, allowing the Tibetan movement to document human rights violations, coordinate global campaigns, maintain connections between exile communities and those in Tibet, and present their case directly to international audiences. This digital capacity has proven essential for maintaining momentum in their non-violent struggle across generations.
Together, the perspectives shared by representatives from East Turkestan, Assyria, West Papua, and Tibet reveal that non-violent resistance is not a single tactic, but a deeply rooted and evolving strategy for survival, dignity, and collective empowerment. Across different contexts of repression and displacement, these communities demonstrate that peaceful action, through education, diplomacy, institution building, cultural preservation, and digital advocacy, can sustain identity and advance justice even under immense pressure.
