Turkey condemns Uighur treatment

Turkish officials has urged Chinese authorities to respect the human rights of Muslims including freedom of religion in Xinjiang.

Background 

The Uyghurs are predominantly Muslims and have regarded themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations. They practice Islam in a largely atheist country and have inhabited the area since the time of Genghis Khan. Uighurs speak a Turkic language distinct from the country’s overwhelming Han majority. The Uyghur’s briefly declared independence in the early 20th century. However, the region was brought under the complete control of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Beijing has detained close to a million Uighurs. China has been accused of intensifying the crackdown on the Uighurs after a street protest in the 1990s as well as in the run-up for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The government calls these internment camps as “political re-education camps”. There exist credible reports of torture and death among prisoners in the camps. The Chinese government says it is it is fighting “terrorism” and “religious extremism.” However, Uighurs say they are resisting a campaign to crush religious and cultural freedom in China.

Analysis 

Turkey has condemned China’s treatment of its Muslim ethnic Uighur people as “a great embarrassment for humanity”, adding to rights groups’ recent criticism over mass detentions of the Turkic-speaking minority. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu voiced concern over the alleged mistreatment of Uighur and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region and called on Beijing to protect freedom of religion there.

The United Nations Human Rights Council opened its annual four-week session as Western countries are looking to Turkey and other members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to spotlight what China calls "re-education and training" facilities in Xinjiang. UN experts and activists say the camps hold one million Uighurs, who speak a Turkic language, and other Muslim minorities. China has denied accusations of mistreatment and deems criticism within the UN council to be interference in its sovereignty.

In his remarks, Cavusoglu did not specifically mention mass detention camps in the remote western region of China. He said the Geneva forum that reports of human rights violations against Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang was serious cause for concern.

A distinction should be made between "terrorists and innocent people", Cavusoglu said. He then inserted a line into his prepared remarks, adding: "And I have to underline that we support the One China policy." He was referring to China's stance that the country encompasses Taiwan and autonomous regions, including Xinjiang and Tibet.

"We encourage Chinese authorities and expect that universal human rights, including freedom of religion, are respected and full protection of the cultural identities of the Uighurs and other Muslims is ensured," Cavusoglu said. 

China is a member of the 47-member Human Rights Council. Beijing's counterterrorism and de-radicalisation efforts in Xinjiang should be applauded for creating a new method of tackling the problem, said a senior Chinese diplomat.

Xinjiang has been enveloped in a suffocating blanket of security for years, particularly since a deadly anti-government riot broke out in the regional capital, Urumqi, in 2009. The 10 million Uighurs make up a tiny proportion of China's almost 1.4 billion people and there has never been an uprising that could challenge the central government's overwhelming might.

Turkey condemned the “tragic” death Uighur poet and musician Abdurehim Heyit in custody of. “We’ve learned with great sorrow that dignified poet Abdurehim Heyit, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for his compositions, died in the second year of his imprisonment,” he said. “This tragic incident has further strengthened the Turkish public’s reaction to the serious human rights violations in Xinjiang region. China’s authorities then released a video purporting to show Heyit alive. 

Assessment 

Our assessment is that Turkey is the first Muslim majority country that has condemned the alleged mistreatment of the community in China. Co-religionists have maintained their silence due to their relationship with China. We feel that Turkey’s criticism of the Uighur policy indicates the extent to which they are willing to accommodate such an aberration.  The Han government and the Uyghurs are in strife over the Xinjiang region, claiming greater historic and cultural rights.