The plight of Uyghurs in Turkey has escalated into a full-blown crisis, with nearly 50,000 exiles from Xinjiang living under the constant threat of deportation to China. Those lacking Turkish citizenship or passports are particularly vulnerable, haunted by visions of jails, torture, and Beijing’s wrath upon return.
A damning report from online magazine Bitter Winter paints a grim picture: Turkey, long a beacon for those escaping Chinese crackdowns, is now rife with random detentions and terror charges against Uyghurs. Citing Human Rights Watch’s detailed analysis by Yałkun Uluyol, it exposes Ankara’s two-faced policy—rhetorical support clashing with actions that imperil non-citizens, including women and children.
Prominent activist Abdurehim Ayup disclosed the mass arrest of 31 Uyghurs by Istanbul counter-terror units just before New Year’s, caught in an ISIS dragnet despite years of lawful residence and employment. Freed amid human rights backlash on December 24-25 without formal accusations, the episode rattled the diaspora.
Even more shocking was the detention of a nursing mother and her newborn during the same operation. Muyesser Ali and baby Enis Abdullah endured the Izmir deportation facility, separated from her other young children, before international pressure led to their release a week later. No charges were ever filed.
Beijing’s influence persists via consulates, coercing Uyghurs to inform on peers by leveraging family ties in China. These refugees, who have woven themselves into Turkish society—learning the language, educating children, purchasing property—now face existential uncertainty as Turkey cozies up to China economically.