World Uyghur Congress warns repression crossing China’s borders

GENEVA, Switzerland (MNTV) — The World Uyghur Congress has warned that repression linked to China’s policies toward the Uyghur minority is increasingly extending beyond China’s borders, pointing to recent legal cases in Central Asia and tightly controlled diaspora engagement involving Uyghurs living abroad.

In a recent statement, the group said developments in Kazakhstan and Turkiye reflect a broader pattern of transnational pressure, where activists and diaspora communities face legal, political, and narrative constraints tied to criticism of Beijing’s policies in East Turkistan, which China refers to as Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

One of the cases highlighted involves Bekzat Maksutkhan, head of the Nagyz Atajurt Volunteers organization, who is facing criminal charges along with 18 others in Kazakhstan for allegedly “inciting ethnic hatred against the Chinese people.” The case follows public protests over the imprisonment of Alimnur Turghanbay, a Kazakh national held by Chinese authorities.

The World Uyghur Congress cited analysis by Xinjiang researcher Rune Steenberg, who has questioned the legal basis of the charges. Writing in Bitter Winter, Steenberg argued that criticism of Chinese state policy should not be conflated with ethnic hatred, warning that reliance on unverified claims could undermine judicial independence in Kazakhstan.

The group also raised concerns about recent Chinese state-linked media coverage of a delegation of Uyghurs living in Turkiye who travelled to Urumchi in early January. The trip was publicly framed as a routine family visit delayed only by work commitments — a narrative the organization said ignores the long-standing restrictions many Uyghurs abroad face when attempting to return home.

According to the World Uyghur Congress, the visit was facilitated by the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul in coordination with the Xinjiang United Front Work Department. Participants were allegedly encouraged to share favorable impressions upon their return, raising concerns about narrative management rather than free movement.

A report authored by Uyghur rights researcher Alim Seytoff described the trip as closely supervised and presented as part of broader efforts to counter international documentation of mass surveillance, arbitrary detention, and family separation in Xinjiang.

The organization said such developments demonstrate how diaspora communities are increasingly being drawn into geopolitical pressure campaigns, where activism and personal mobility are shaped by state interests beyond national borders.