Turkish Uyghurs protest against Chinese occupation on its 73rd National Day

ISTANBUL: A massive protest by Turkish Uyghurs was staged in Istanbul on Saturday to protest grotesque human rights violations by China on the occasion of its 73rd National Day.

Uyghur NGOs and the Uyghur community in Istanbul, on October 1, marked China's National Day as the beginning of an era of occupation, persecution, starvation and inhuman crimes against the peoples of East Turkestan, reported India Blooms. Uyghur NGOs protested near the Chinese Consulate in the Sariyer district of Istanbul against the Chinese policies of assimilation and genocide.

Uyghur protestors numbering around 1000-1200 included all sections of the Uyghur community including women, children and the elderly, reported India Blooms. Uyghur leaders spearheading the protest included Hidayetullah Oghuzhan - President of East Turkestan Education and Solidarity Association (ETESA), Abduselam Teklimakan - President of East Turkestan New Generation Movement (ETNGM), Nur Muhammad Majid - visiting representative/ lawyer from East Turkestan Australia Association, Rushan Abbas - noted Uyghur activist and Founder & Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, members of Uyghur Academy and several others.

The protest started with the recitation of the verses of holy Quran and the national song of East Turkestan. Protestors raised slogans against Chinese policies and Chinese President Xi Jinping including 'China Stop Genocide', 'Release our relatives', 'Where are our relatives' and 'Stop Starvation'.

Protestors displayed photographs of their family members missing in Chinese internment camps whom they have not been able to contact for many years, reported India Blooms. A motorbike rally of around fifty Uyghur activists carrying flags of Turkey and East Turkestan passed near the protest site. A signature campaign on a large banner appealing for the support of the United Nations was also showcased.

Thousands of Uyghurs uprooted from their homeland live in Turkey where they continue to protest against the Chinese persecution of their brethren. Lately, their protests have acquired a renewed momentum after reports surfaced of Uyghur Muslims in different places in East Turkestan being forced into a 'starvation genocide' in their own homes under the pretext of Covid -19 quarantine. Doors of their houses had been welded together depriving them of essential supplies and leaving them to die.

The protests are being supported by a wide cross-section of Uyghur NGOs. Local representatives from mainstream political parties have also participated occasionally in a show of solidarity. ANI

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