Press Release – For Immediate Release
29 December 2022
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The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) is calling on the Turkiye’s Government to cease the arrest and deportation of Uyghurs as well as cease cooperating with China.
Earlier today, Turkish state media TRT World reported that the AKP-led government of Turkiye asserted that it is “defending” the rights of Uyghurs, while actively engaged in intelligence and security cooperation with China to undermine East Turkistani / Uyghur activism within Turkiye and the global East Turkistani diaspora.
In August 2017, Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu clearly stated: “We see China’s security as our own, and we do not allow any negative activity against China, either in our country or in our region. Likewise, we prevent all kinds of activities, including publications against China. I am also happy to see that our cooperation in security matters is getting stronger. This cooperation will continue to increase in the upcoming period,” during a joint Turkish-Chinese press conference in Beijing.
In addition, the ruling AKP suppressed a motion in the Turkish Grand National Assembly that would have designated China’s ongoing atrocities against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan as genocide in March 2021.
Unfortunately, precisely as Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu promised in August 2017, intelligence and security collaboration between Turkiye and China has only intensified. On 3 November 2022, a Chinese delegation led by China’s Deputy Minister for Public Security Du Hangwei met with Turkiye’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and the head of the Directorate of Migration Management’s Deportation Affairs Ramazan Secil.
This meeting was followed by the recent arrests of several Uyghurs in Istanbul and their subsequent detention in deportation detention camps, which sparked outrage on social media from the global East Turkistani / Uyghur diaspora, as well as the Turkish people and opposition parties.
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Mr. Mevlut Çavuşoğlu , denied earlier today that Turkiye deported Uyghurs to China, stating it’s a “lie.”
“We categorically reject his false statement, as Turkiye has deported Uyghurs to China on multiple occasions, often using third nations as intermediaries to conceal its damaging actions against Uyghurs and other East Turkistanis,” said East Turkistan Government in Exile President Ghulam Yaghma. “Most notable is the deportation of Zinnetgul Tursun and her children from Turkiye to China via Tajikistan in 2019,” he added.
“Hundreds of East Turkistanis and Uyghurs continue to be detained in deportation detention camps around Turkey, according to our understanding,” said East Turkistan Government in Exile Dr. Mamtimin Ala. “We call on Turkiye to free the Uyghur detainees and cease deporting or extraditing East Turkistanis/ Uyghurs to China or any other country,” he added.
“We again call on the Government of Turkiye to demonstrate its sincerity regarding its “defense” of Uyghur rights by formally recognizing China’s ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan, recognizing East Turkistan as an Occupied Country, and terminating all intelligence and security cooperation with China that targets East Turkistan and its people,” said East Turkistan Government in Exile Prime Minister Salih Hudayar.
