Uyghurs: China ratifies extradition treaty, what about Turkey?

In Turkey, the Uyghurs have found refuge and have strong support from the Turkish population, but the new treaty, ratified by China, could once again drag the community into fear and allow Turkey to extradite some Uyghurs, suspected of "terrorism".

Reuters / 路透社

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Will Turkey extradite Uyghurs?

While thousands of them had found refuge in the country, China has just ratified an expatriation treaty.

Written already in 2017, it would speed up the return to the country of certain Uyghurs suspected of "terrorism".

One way for China to put pressure on Turkey.

Because if the population feels close to the Uyghurs, the government depends on the other hand on Chinese investments.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul

,

Cerise Sudrey-Le Dû

They are around 50,000. All of them have dramatic stories to tell, of

the confinement camp

or of frenzied flight.

In Turkey, the Uyghurs have found refuge and have strong support from the Turkish population.

Because the Uyghurs are Muslims, and they also share a language with common roots with the Turkish language.

But the new treaty, ratified by China over the weekend, could once again drag the community into fear, as it would allow Turkey to extradite some Uyghurs suspected of "terrorism."

Turkey has not yet ratified the treaty: it must first go through Parliament.

But if Recep Tayiip Erdogan spoke ten years ago of genocide to evoke

the fate of the Uyghurs

, he has since put water in his wine.

Opposition parties accuse the government of having its hands and feet tied with Beijing because, faced with a lasting economic crisis, it needs Chinese investments in Turkey more than ever.

Some reports even accuse Ankara of having already started work and quietly repatriating Uyghurs to Beijing.

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To listen: Repression of the Uyghurs in China: what can the international community do? 

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  • Turkey

  • China

  • Human rights

  • Recep Tayyip Erdogan

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