ANKARA – A shadow of dread hangs over the roughly 50,000 Uyghurs who have sought refuge in Turkey, fleeing alleged persecution in China’s Xinjiang region. Many without permanent residency or passports fear imminent forced return to Beijing’s grip, where torture, imprisonment, and state repression await.
Once viewed as a safe haven from decades of Chinese oppression, Turkey is turning into a precarious refuge. Recent reports highlight arbitrary arrests, deportation threats, and baseless terrorism accusations targeting this vulnerable community. Human Rights Watch’s exposé, ‘Protected No More: Uyghurs in Turkey,’ lays bare Ankara’s duplicitous stance, warning that non-citizen Uyghurs have no safety net.
Exiled Uyghur scholar Abdurehim Ayup revealed that anti-terror police in Istanbul detained 31 Uyghurs in late December during a sweep against ISIS suspects. Most had lived and worked in Turkey for over a decade. Released without charges after advocacy pressure, the incident underscores the terror gripping the community.
In a particularly harrowing case, a Uyghur mother, Muyesser Ali, and her one-month-old infant were hauled into custody alongside her other children, who were sent home due to health issues. Ali and her son Enis Abdullah were shipped to Izmir’s deportation center, bracing for a forced flight back to China. Public outcry and legal battles secured their release after a week—no explanation offered.
China’s long arm reaches deep into Turkey, with embassies pressuring Uyghurs to spy on their own through threats to relatives back home. Despite building new lives—enrolling kids in schools, buying homes, mastering Turkish, and starting careers—the specter of repatriation looms large. As bilateral ties with Beijing strengthen, these exiles wonder if their fragile sanctuary will hold.