Türkiye has long been a safe and caring haven for Uighurs. The repression carried out by Chinese authorities against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang has even been described as such “genocide” in 2009 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Prime Minister. And this was long before the Uyghur court, an independent body responsible for investigating crimes and human rights violations, found China guilty of these crimes, “no doubt”, in December 2021.
This climate has deteriorated significantly over the past two to three years. “The preferential treatment enjoyed by Uighurs in Turkey – allowing them to obtain long-term resident status and citizenship – has experienced several setbacks and they are increasingly threatened, under increasing pressure and surveillance. explain to Release researcher Yalkun Uluyol, who joined the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW)
