Ankara oddly quiet on China's alleged torture of Uighurs
The Turkish public used to speak out loudly and often against suppressive Chinese policies against Uighur Turks, but now the media, the public and the government are keeping mum.
Over the past few weeks there have been widespread reports of systemic Chinese oppression of as many as 1 million Uighur Turks living in China’s Xinjiang region, and allegations that members of this mostly Muslim ethnic minority are forcefully confined to concentration camps for “re-education and de-radicalization.”
Academics, journalists and opinion-makers in many countries frequently bring up the issue on social media, but strangely, the Turkish government, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ultranationalist ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) appear to be ignoring the problem. The Turkish media also appear deaf and mute.
Turkey had always been sensitive to oppressive policies against some 22 million Uighur Turks living in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkestan. In the past, harsh Chinese policies used to spark protests on Turkey's streets, and black flowers were delivered to Chinese diplomatic missions in Turkey. However, nothing of this nature happens nowadays. There are no protests.
One wonders the reason for the silence at a time when nationalist sentiments in Turkey are gaining momentum.
