Uyghurs in Türkiye file criminal complaint against China for crimes against humanity

Uyghurs in Türkiye demanded the closure of "concentration camps" in China on Tuesday and filed a criminal complaint accusing Chinese officials of genocide and other crimes in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkestan.

Uyghur families, including volunteer Turkish lawyers, gathered at the Istanbul Court of Justice in Istanbul's district of Çaglayan and held banners that read: "Where are our families?" and "China, free my brother."

Photographs of Chinese officials, against whom criminal complaints were filed, were laid on the ground during the protest.

Volunteer lawyers Gülden Sönmez, Rümeysa Kabaoğlu and Muhammet Furkan Yün, insisted the camps be closed after submitting the petition to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Arguing that China has committed crimes, including "genocide, deliberate killing, torture, cruel treatment, and enforced disappearance against Uyghurs," a statement from a news conference said in addition to Uyghurs, crimes against Turkish citizens were brought to the judiciary within the framework of universal jurisdiction based on the Turkish Penal Code.

A total of 112 figures, consisting of Chinese political officials, "concentration camp" directors, police officers, domestic security personnel and administrators, were reported to the prosecutor's office, it added.

The names of 19 people from East Turkestan, including nine Turkish citizens, appear as complainants.

Medina Nazimi, who is Uyghur, said her sister Mevlide Hilal has been imprisoned in a Chinese camp for four years despite being a Turkish citizen.

"The Chinese state does not provide information. The Chinese government establishes a concentration camp and carries out various tortures. I cannot remain silent about this persecution that is taking place there. I want justice on behalf of all women and children. This genocide must be stopped. I trust Turkish justice," said Nazimi.

Another Uyghur, Nur Muhammet Uygur, said: "I have been in Turkey since 2016. I have not heard from my family. I got the news that my father is dead, his house is also sealed. I am an Uyghur Turk. For this reason, we demand justice from the justice minister, prosecutors and judges."

Mafiret Emin, a university student, said she has not heard from her family for five years.

"We came here believing in Turkish law. We came here because the Turkish government cannot remain silent. Please do not remain silent about this persecution," she said.

In Xinjiang, ethnic Uyghur Muslims have been subjected to years of abuse because of their identity and culture.

According to UN data, at least 1 million Uyghurs are kept against their will in places Beijing calls "vocational training centers" but which critics call places for indoctrination, abuse and torture.

As many as 1.6 million Uighurs have left China to live abroad, according to the World Uyghur Congress.

Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, accuse Beijing of oppressing 12 million Uighurs, most of whom are Muslims.