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The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress ratified the

extradition agreement signed in 2017 with Turkey on December 26, 2020. The

news made thousands of Uyghurs living in Turkey begin to fear for the possibility

that they might be extradited back to China at Beijing’s request. Meanwhile, the

international community is also closely monitoring whether Turkey’s parliament will

ratify the agreement or not.

Mirzehmet ilyasoglu, a Uyghur man living in Turkey, said the Chinese government

has long viewed the Uyghurs as targets for crackdown. Any Uyghur who has



studied, travelled to or lived in Turkey will be viewed as a separatist by Beijing, according to ilyasoglu. “The main targets of the extradition agreement are the

Uyghurs, and every one of us is worried,” llyyasoglu said.

As for Jevlan Shirmemmet, a Uyghur man who has lived in Turkey for almost ten

years, he thinks if the Turkish parliament ratified the agreement and begin to

extradite Chinese citizens back to China, it will be a big warning sign for Uyghurs in

Turkey.

“China isn’t a country that respects human rights and they shouldn’t even be

talking about human rights, since survival is even a problem for some ethnic

minorities in the country,” said Shirmemmet. “Take the Uyghurs as examples, at

least over one million of us have been detained in the mass-internment camps

across Xinjiang. I trust the Turkish law, but I don’t trust the Chinese law. China is

an authoritarian country, not a country of rule of law.”

However, both of them also mentioned that while Turkey can’t openly speak up for

the Uyghurs internationally due to some economic factors, they think the Turkish

people and Turkish government are very supportive of the Uyghurs.

“Many Uyghurs living in Turkey have been given residential permits and some of

them even got Turkish passports,” said Shirmemmet. “In this respect, I think

Turkey has offered the Uyghurs quite some support.”

ilyasoglu said that since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan still described

Turkey’s decision to hand some Azerbaijanis to Russia as a historical insult, he

thinks a leader like him probably wouldn’t extradite Uyghurs back to China.

“If the Turkish parliament ratified the extradition agreement, all opposition parties

will seriously condemn the government,” he said. “As a result, I think Uyghurs are

still confident that Turkey may not ratify this agreement with China.”

What is Turkey’s position on the issue?

Since China ratified the agreement at the end of last year, the topic has gained a

lot of attention in Turkey. Yurter Ozcan, the U.S. Representative for Turkey’s

main opposition party CHP, said that as Turkey’s economy is in a very

desperate situation, Turkish government needs to seek financial support

from other countries.



However, some experts point out that since the failed coup in 2016, Turkish

President Erdogan began a large-scale crackdown against his political opponents

in the country, causing Turkey’s political situation to deteriorate.

According to Kemal Kirisci, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, while the

western world would be willing to offer financial support to Turkey, they also expect

Turkey to improve its rule of law and democracy. “Since Erdogan is unwilling to do

so, that makes China one of the few countries left that could still extend economic

resources to Turkey,” Kirisci said.

Kirisci said Turkey’s possible economic reliance on China could become a

leverage for Beijing to pressure Ankara into ratifying the extradition agreement.

As all sides continue to predict Turkey’s possible moves regarding the extradition

agreement with China, a diplomatic source said Turkey’s extradition agreement

with China is in line with international law, and it is “very misleading” to consider

that the treaty is targeting Uyghurs in Turkey.

“The agreement which is under the ratification process is within the Grand National

Assembly of Turkey’s (GNAT) discretion for approval as in the case of all other

agreements,” the diplomatic source said.

The Turkish official also said that Turkey has a national policy that requires the

government to preserve the wellbeing, language, religion and identity of their

related communities in other countries. The Turkish government is also expected

to ensure that these related communities live in peace and prosperity through

cooperation with the related countries.

“Our approach concerning the Uyghurs is also a part of this national policy,” the

official said. “We share our concerns related to Uyghur Turks with PRC authorities

at every level. Within this framework, we express our position through national

statements at the international platforms dealing with the issue, like the United

Nations.”

China’s goal to counter “terrorism” with the extradition agreement

Since 2017, the Chinese government has detained at least over one million

Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities into internment camps across Xinjiang,



and thousands of Uyghurs began to flee abroad. More than 50,000 Uyghurs are

currently living in Turkey.

Before Beijing officially announced the ratification of the extradition bill with Turkey,

China’s state-run tabloid Global Times published a report two days before the

announcement, suggesting that the goal for Beijing to ratify the extradition

agreement with Turkey is to “promote bilateral judicial cooperation and facilitate

cracking down on transnational crimes, including terrorism.”

A counter-terrorism expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International

Relations told Global Times that the extradition bill can not only “help safeguard

peace and stability in Chinese territories,” it can also “facilitate counter-terrorism

actions in the region extending from China’s northwestern border.”

Over the last few years, China has been using “counter-terrorism” and “de-

radicalization” as the reasons to defend its re-education camp policies in Xinjiang.

In march 2019, the State Department in China published a white paper that

explains the “origin of terrorism and extremism” in Xinjiang and how they planned

to crack down on the rise of the phenomenon.

Human rights organizations worry that if Turkey ratified the extradition agreement,

Beijing could use different ways to pressure Turkey into extraditing Uyghurs back

to China. Dolkun Isa, the President of the World Uyghur Congress, said the news

of China’s ratification of the extradition agreement has created great concerns

among the Uyghur community in Turkey.

“Due to the repression against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, a large number of them have

fled abroad and become stateless,” Isa said. “They live under precarious

conditions. The extradition agreement would aggravate their situation even further,

as it would place these Uyghurs at a greater risk of being forcibly returned to

China, where they could face severe maltreatment.”

Isa emphasized that while both China and Turkey claimed that their goal to ratify

the extradition agreement is to counter terrorism, but the way China defines

terrorism is very different from other countries. “Under the guise of

counterterrorism, China has criminalized and detained Uyghurs for everyday

lawful, non-violent behaviors, including traveling or having family abroad,” Isa said.



“If Turkey ratified the agreement, it is likely to become another instrument of

persecution for China, aiding the Chinese government in its coordinated efforts to

forcibly return Uyghurs living abroad.Turkey has an obligation under international

law and the principle of non-refoulement to prevent Uyghurs in Turkey from being

returned to China.”

The piece was first published in Mandarin on DW’s Chinese website.

https://williamvana-35700.medium.com/uyghurs-in-turkey-face-an-uncertain-future-

as-ankara-considers-the-fate-of-its-extradition-1793f05a840c

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CHPTURKiYE'NiN BiRLESTiRid COCO

ooChina’s National People’s Congress ratified a treaty with Turkey at the weekend

allowing for the forcible deportation of ethnic Uyghurs fleeing persecution by

authorities in Xinjiang, with opposition lawmakers in Turkey vowing to block

ratification in their own parliament.

Beijing has described the treaty signed in 2017 as a measure to defeat Islamic

terrorism in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR),

where more than a million Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minority groups

accused of religious extremism are believed to have been held in a vast network of

internment camps since April of that year.

Turkey, is home to more than 50,000 of the world’s nearly 12 million Uyghurs, who

historically have viewed a fellow Turkic nation as a refuge and advocate for their

religious and cultural rights.

Speaking in interviews with RFA’s Uyghur Service, Turkish lawmakers pledged to

block Turkey’s ratification of the agreement with China, citing fears that Uyghurs

sent back to China by force would face political persecution and human rights

abuses for peacefully stating their views.

Clauses defining criminal offenses in the treaty with China are ambiguous

and unclear, said Yurter Ozcan, a representative in the United States of the

Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party, saying his party “respects

freedom of expression.”



“Small-scale dissent—for example, criticisms of China’s state system—are

classified by China as crimes, and this agreement unfortunately could lead

to the repatriation of Uyghurs who oppose [China’s policies] and have

commented on the oppression faced by Uyghurs in East Turkestan,” Ozcan

said, referring to Xinjiang by the name preferred by many Uyghurs for their

historic homeland.

“This is a great injustice, and we will work hard in the Republican People’s

Party to block this agreement from being ratified by the National Assembly,”

he said.

'Not right to remain silent1

With China having ratified the extradition treaty, the agreement will now likely be

brought forward for approval by Turkey’s parliament, said Fahrettin Yokush—a

member of parliament for Turkey’s opposition lyi, or “Good,” Party.

“It is not right to remain silent on the issue of East Turkestan,” Yokush told RFA,

conceding there is now a risk that Turkey may approve the agreement, putting all

Uyghurs seeking refuge in Turkey in danger.

“China is a country where our brothers and sisters who suffered various difficulties

to come to Turkey have been trampled on,” Yokush said. “And China has signed

this agreement with Turkey so that they can demand the return of our Uyghur

brothers and sisters who came here.”

“Let’s not lose hope,” he said.

lyi party leader Meral Aksener has dedicated herself to “the cause of Turkic

identity, the cause of Islam, and especially the cause of East Turkestan,” Yokush

said, adding that the party now has 36 members in the National Assembly, all of

them working together to reject the agreement with China.

“The Republic of Turkey should never approve this ‘Criminal Mutual Transfer

Agreement’ with China,” agreed Selcuk Ozdag, vice president of Turkey’s

opposition Future Party, calling the protection of Uyghurs seeking asylum in Turkey

“a duty.”



In remarks directly addressing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ozdag

appealed to the Turkish president to end consideration of the extradition

agreement with China “as soon as possible.”

“Neither your heart nor your conscience should allow this,” he said.

A stronger relationship

Analysts have noted that the relationship between Turkey and China is

increasingly growing stronger, however, with Turkey’s President Erdogan recently

pledging security cooperation with Beijing and saying that residents of the XUAR

live happy and prosperous lives under Beijing’s rule, according to reports in

Chinese state media.

The Turkish government had long refused to deport Uyghurs back to China, but

that changed in June last year—two months after the extradition treaty was

submitted to the parliament—when Turkey sent several Uyghurs home via

Tajikistan, including a woman named Zinnetgul Tursun along with her two toddler

daughters.

A month later, Tursun’s sister, who lives in exile in Saudia Arabia, learned from her

mother in the XUAR that Tursun had “disappeared” and that her family had no

information about what had happened to her, and was warned by her mother to

end all further communication.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Germany-based World Uyghur Congress called on

Turkey to “abide by international law and the principle of non-refoulement and

refrain from signing the extradition treaty with the government of China.”

“If adopted by Turkey, the extradition treaty is likely to become another instrument

of persecution for China, aiding the Chinese government in its coordinated efforts

to forcibly return Uyghurs living abroad,” the WUC said.

Reported by Nuriman Abdulreshid for RFA s Uyghur Service. Translated by

Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Richard Finney.

https://www.rfa.org/enqlish/news/uyahur/turkish-12292020173311 .html



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CHPTURKiYE'NiN BiRLESTiRid COCO

ooAnkara will face pressure from within and outside its Parliament if it ratifies

the extradition treaty with China.

China has recently ratified its extradition treaty with Turkey aimed at strengthened

judicial cooperation to facilitate a crackdown on transnational criminals including

terrorists. The treaty was signed during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s

visit to Beijing in 2017. However, the Turkish Parliament is yet to ratify it. If ratified

by Ankara, the extradition treaty will have a devastating effect on the 50.000 strong

Uyghur diaspora living in Turkey. Besides Turkey, China has already signed such

extradition treaties to promote judicial assistance with 81 countries including

Pakistan, Afghanistan and many Central Asian republics.

Uyghurs who live in China’s north-western frontier province of Xinjiang speak a

Turkish dialect and are considered ethnically Turkic. Because of its strong cultural,

linguistic and religious linkages, Turkey has remained a popular destination for

Uyghur emigrants in exile. After the 1950s. Ankara hosted many Uyghur leaders

form China, who set up associations to preserve their culture and promote the

cause of an independent Eastern Turkestan, but with little success.

Turkish politicians consider the Uyghurs as the forefathers of primordial Turkism.

Since 1990, the Uyghur diaspora in Turkey has become more vibrant and has

attracted widespread attention globally through demonstrations, conferences,

meetings and briefings. As China became a larger global economic player, Beijing

started exerting pressure on Ankara to curb anti-Chinese activities by the Uyghur

diaspora but with little effect. Ankara continued to tolerate, support and approve

Uyghur activities. Most Turkish leaders and politicians felt historically and culturally



attached to the Uyghur population of Xinjiang. Turkish politicians consider the

Uyghurs as the forefathers of primordial Turkism. Such was the cultural bond

between Uyghurs and Turks that until recent times the Eastern Turkestan flag and

Turkish national flag were hung alongside each other in different cities of Turkey.

On 28 July 1995, Erdogan, then the mayor of Istanbul, named a section of Blue mosque in the heart of city after isa Yusuf Alptekin. the leader of the Eastern

Turkestan independence movement. In 2015. Turkish diplomats helped many

Uyghurs in Southeast Asian countries to travel to Turkey and provided them with

travel documents.

China’s monumental rise and its hegemonic pursuits through the inauguration of

the much-hyped Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013 increased the geo-strategic

importance of its restive Xinjiang manifold. Three out of the six major BRI land

corridors run through Xinjiang and under the guise of heightened security, the

Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started repressive Sinicisation. hi-tech

surveillance, re-education camps and increased the socio-economic exploitation of

the indigenous Uyghur population. More than one million people were interned in

re-education camps. Uyghur women — the powerful symbols of cultural identity —

were forced to go for sterilisation, abortion and implantation of contraceptive

devices through state-sponsored campaigns. This cultural onslaught and ethnic

cleansing of Uyghurs in recent years has become the reeling point for Uyghur

exiles in Turkey to highlight human rights violations committed by the CCP.

Beijing was also successful in arm-twisting many of the Muslim countries to stay

silent at these forums.

Beijing exploited its economic prowess to subdue increased criticism against it for

human rights violations, forced labour, and cultural genocide of the Uyghurs at

global forums. Beijing was also successful in arm-twisting many of the Muslim

countries to stay silent at these forums. Under China’s economic obligations,

Muslim countries also defended and commended China’s efforts in “protecting and

promoting human rights through development.” Major Islamic countries including

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia and Iran have toed the official line of

Beijing at these global forums when it comes to the ill-treatment of Uyghurs by the

CCP. China, in the past, has used economic diplomacy and forced Muslim

countries like Tajikistan and Kazakhstan to sign Extradition treaties and deport

Uyghur exiles, who were sentenced to jail or executed.



Turkey, the second home of the Uyghurs, is facing tremendous economic pressure

because of the ill-conceived policies of President Erdogan after the July 2016 coup

attempt. Erdogan believed that the West, particularly the US, are not trustworthy

partners and that Washington was behind the instigated coup. Furthermore,

Ankara’s behaviour towards Greece, the weaponisation of Syrian refugees,

undermining the US’ Kurdish alleys, and the destruction of the last remains of

democracy at home has led to a serious economic downturn, paving the way for

increased Chinese influence. The relationship between NATO and Turkey soured

further after Erdogan purchased the S-400 missiles from Russia. Erdogan turned

to Beijing for a US$3.6 billion (£2.9bn) loan for investments in infrastructure and

credit swap lines to boost its foreign reserves. Both the countries have started train

services via Greater Central Asia and China is Ankara’s largest import partner.

Beijing is also trying hard to pressurise Turkey to stop Uyghur activists in the

country from protesting against the CCP by using its COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy.

If Turkey ratifies the treaty, this will be last nail in the coffin of Uyghur culture as

China will silence the biggest Uyghur diaspora outside Xinjiang.

The Uyghur exiles who fled from China to Turkey did not have citizenship

documents and Ankara publicly denounced the treatment of Uyghur minorities till

early 2019 as a “disgrace for humanity.” However, after early 2019, given its

increased economic dependence on Beijing, Ankara has also been accused of

secretly sending some Uyghurs back to China. Erdogan has even praised the CCP

on the Xinjiang issue. Ankara will face pressure from within and outside its

Parliament if it ratifies the extradition treaty with China. The opposition and

Turkish lawmakers have already decided to oppose the treaty as most of the

clauses are ambiguous, as was stated by Yurter Ozcan, a representative in

the US of the Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party. Erdogan himself

will also face criticism and protests if he ratifies the extradition treaty. Externally,

there will be immense pressure on Erdogan from NATO allies, especially when

Ankara wants a good relationship with the European Union and as it tries to

recalibrate its fraught relationship with the US after the recent sanctions. If Turkey

ratifies the treaty, this will be last nail in the coffin of Uyghur culture as China will

silence the biggest Uyghur diaspora outside Xinjiang. The treaty will become

another instrument in the hands of China for the prosecution of its enslaved

Uyghur minority.



https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/china-turkey-extradition-treaty-implications-

uyghurs/

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