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UAA Hails
Establishment of the World Uyghur Congress
Washington, DC: The Uyghur
American Association (UAA) is heralding the formation
of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), which just
concluded its first conference in Munich, Germany.
WUC is the result of a merger between two Uyghur
advocacy groups, East Turkistan National Congress and
World Uyghur Youth Congress, as well as collaboration
with many other Uyghur organizations to form a united
voice for Uyghurs worldwide.
“This is first time that the Uyghur movement has come
together and established a united front,” Nury Turkel,
UAA Secretary General said. “Now we have a leader who
can bring together the Uyghur community.”
At the historic conference, Erkin Alptekin, a
recognized leader of the Uyghur freedom movement, was
elected as the first WUC President. Two UAA board
members, Alim Seytoff, and Nury Turkel, were elected
as WUC officers, underscoring UAA’s role in the world
Uyghur human rights movement. Seytoff was elected
Chairman of the Executive Committee; Turkel was
elected as WUC spokesperson.
Despite failed attempts by Beijing to strong-arm
German authorities into either prohibiting the
conference or denying its participants entry into
Germany, the conference is widely viewed as being a
success. Delegates from 13 different countries
developed a strategic, wide-ranging plan to peacefully
promote Uyhgur human rights in East Turkistan.
“WUC, as well as UAA, promotes nonviolent, peaceful
opposition to the human rights abuse in East Turkistan,”
Turkel said. “Both organizations, and its members, are
committed to an unconditional adherence of
internationally accepted human rights standards. We
advocate democratic pluralism, and reject
totalitarianism, religious intolerance, or terrorism
as an instrument of policy.”
Uyghur human rights advocates are disappointed, though
not surprised, that Beijing characterized the
conference as a “terrorist meeting.” According to
Turkel, “Beijing has no plan for dealing
constructively with Uyghurs. Their only response to
our concerns is to label us as terrorists, simply
because we are Muslim.”
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