Ahmed Davutoglu: Protecting Uyghurs is not an option for us as Turks, it is a duty!

Ahmed Davutoglu, leader of Turkey's "Future Party," criticized the Turkish government over the issue of 40 Uyghurs deported from Thailand during his party's meeting in the Turkish parliament. MP Selçuk Özdağ from the party also emphasized that history would never forgive Turkey if it continued to remain silent about the suffering of Uyghurs.

At the weekly meeting of the "New Path" alliance, formed by the merger of the "Happiness," "Future," and "Call" parties in the Turkish parliament, Davutoglu first addressed the issue of 40 Uyghurs deported from Thailand to China while discussing Turkey's current domestic and foreign policy.

He said, "A group of Uyghurs who were brought to Turkey from Malaysia and Thailand during my time as Foreign Minister came to me in tears. These Uyghur brothers escaped across mountains to reach Thailand and Malaysia. We brought many of them to Turkey. We have defended every persecuted Muslim from Kashgar to Gaza, and we will continue to defend them."

Davutoglu emphasized that protecting the 8 Uyghurs still detained in Thailand is a duty for the Turkish government, saying: "Our Uyghur brothers are sad. During my time as Foreign Minister, we brought a large number of Uyghurs. Now 40 Uyghurs have been deported to China. There are 8 more Uyghurs still in Thailand. They must not be deported. Wherever we look, we see a tragic situation. Protecting Uyghurs is not an option for us as Turks; it is a duty."

Selçuk Özdağ, who is responsible for the "New Path" alliance in the Turkish parliament, also issued a statement on February 28 via platform X, confirming that Thailand's deportation of 40 Uyghurs to China constitutes a crime against humanity, emphasizing the need for the Turkish government to take action on this matter. He wrote: "After our Uyghur brothers fled Chinese oppression and reached Thailand, Thailand detained them for many years and then returned them to Chinese oppression. The Thai government's deportation in this manner, without respect for international law, shows that it has committed a crime against humanity."

In his statement, he called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and Turkish Ambassador to China Ismail Hakki Musa to protect the oppressed, saying: "Turkey has long been a refuge for the oppressed. And it must remain so today. If Turkey continues to remain silent about the suffering of Uyghurs, history will never forgive this."

Selçuk Özdağ emphasized in his statement the need for the Turkish government to act immediately to prevent the deportation of the remaining 8 Uyghurs in Thailand to China.

In his speech to the Turkish parliament, Ahmed Davutoglu said that this action by the Thai government violates international laws. He pointed out that the fate of 109 Uyghurs previously deported remains unknown and that the Uyghurs deported this time will face severe torture and even the risk of execution. He also spoke about the current difficult situation of Uyghurs and China's policy of repression against them.

The "Future Party" was established on December 12, 2019, by a group of politicians who broke away from the "Justice and Development Party" that ruled Turkey for 23 years. Since its founding, the party has repeatedly raised the difficult situation of Uyghurs and strongly criticized the Turkish government. It also organized a signature campaign under the slogan "Close the Camps" and submitted materials signed by 100,000 people to the Human Rights Committee in the Turkish parliament. Ahmed Davutoglu had visited East Turkestan twice during his tenure as Turkish Foreign Minister and Prime Minister.