Munich
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC), an international Uyghur rights organization, on Tuesday, raised concerns over China's attempts to repress the Uyghur community, the WUC said in a statement.
Citing reports from the source, the WUC statement highlighted that on February 20, the authorities in Turkiye arrested six individuals suspected of spying and gathering information related to prominent figures of the Uyghur community and associated organizations in Turkiye. According to World Uyghur Congress President, Dolkun Isa, The recent arrests were made in Turkiye exemplify China's diverse methods of carrying out transnational repression against Uyghurs in the diaspora. From my own experience, I can say that China's long arm reaches far beyond its borders and it can easily do so, as the CCP has not been held accountable for its actions.
The Chinese government's expanding reach beyond its borders poses a growing danger to Uyghurs worldwide and threatens their fundamental rights. Furthermore, this violates domestic and international law, as well as state sovereignty, the statement said.
The WUC in its statement further noted that CCP targets Uyghur human rights defenders, journalists, political activists and regular members of the diaspora, through the use of physical attacks, such as assault, kidnappings, unlawful deportations and digital attacks such as espionage, cyber-attacks and online and telephonic harassment or blackmailing, to try to force Uyghurs into silence.
The WUC press statement stated that around 50,000 people from the Uyghur community live in Turkiye and are vulnerable to Chinese state coercion. Quoting a report of Safeguard Defenders WUC, it said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had established a transnational network in Turkiye for spying on Uyghurs involved in the state police and Neighborhood Working Groups.