Demonstration in Support of Uyghurs in Istanbul

Demonstration in Support of Uyghurs in Istanbul

On February 23, a march and gathering were held to announce a statement under the slogan "Be a Voice for the People of East Turkistan" in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul. The demonstration was organized at the invitation of the Muştu Youth Association.

The demonstrators, consisting of Turks and Uyghurs, raised East Turkistan and Turkish flags, carried anti-China banners, and chanted various slogans. The protesters first gathered near the Journalists' Market, where they condemned the genocide being committed by China against the Uyghurs in East Turkistan. People then began marching while chanting different slogans, expressing their support for the Uyghurs against China.

During the announcement of the protest statement against China, journalist Adem Özköse, the President of the East Turkistan Scholars Union Professor Dr. Alimcan Buğda, researcher and writer Abdullah Oğuz, activist Medine Nazimi, and others spoke.

In their statements, they explained that China is implementing a genocide policy aimed at eliminating the Uyghurs because they are Muslims and Turks. They noted that Uyghurs living in exile for many years have lost contact with their parents, relatives, and children in East Turkistan, and that China has imprisoned Uyghurs in detention camps established in East Turkistan regardless of age or gender. They also pointed to the lack of voices opposing China from the Turkish government and other Islamic countries and, in conclusion, called on the Turkish government to take responsibility toward the Uyghur people.