Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Reading the joint press release of these organizations at the TOBB Twin Towers, TESK President Palandöken stated that over 20 million Uyghurs living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are being oppressed and subjected to violence for their religious beliefs.

Reminding that the events which started on the first day of Ramadan are still ongoing, Palandöken reported that according to China’s official data dozens of people have lost their lives while human rights organizations have stated that thousands of Uyghur Turks have lost their lives.

The press release is as follows:

“We, the various NGOs of Turkey; TESK, Turkey Employer Syndicates Confederation (TİSK), Hak-İş, Memur-Sen, Turkey Kamu-Sen, Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB), Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD), Turkey Exporters Council (TİM), Türk-İş and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), are watching the recent violent events taking place in Eastern Turkistan with growing sadness.

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in which 20 million Uyghurs are living, is being oppressed and subjected to violence for their religious beliefs.

The events which started on the first day of Ramadan are still ongoing with the pressure increasing every day.

According to China’s official data dozens of people have lost their lives while human rights organizations have stated that thousands of Uyghur Turks have lost their lives.

Better communications can’t be established with the region. We are receiving reports that two villages connected to the city of Yarkent are being subjected to extreme violence.

We put great importance on Turkey – China relations. However, the injustices and human rights violations taking place cannot be met with silence.

The regulations which put the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region pressure on religious and conscientious freedoms are torturous.

The most basic human rights such as fulfilling the tenets of one’s faith are being denied. Every line of communication has been severed.

Nobody, including aid organizations is able to enter the area. The region being cut off from the world and quarantined like it presently is, is indicative of the severity of the situation.

It is of the utmost importance that the world receives information from the region.

Aid organizations and international human rights groups must be admitted to the region as soon as possible.

To ensure that the public unrest does not become a security issue, the oppression preventing the most basic of human rights from being exercised must be eliminated.

We - employers, workers, public servants, artisans and farmers – have always been beside our brothers who have been oppressed in Palestine, Iraq, Syria and every part of the world.

We’ve supported them and will continue to do so.

We hope that every part of nation will also show the same sensitivity to this matter.

We hope that the developing Turkey – China relations reflect positively on our brothers in the Uyghur Autonomous Region.

In this regard we will support every move by our government to increase democratization in the region.”

Attending the press meeting were TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, MÜSİAD President Nail Olpak, TİM President Mehmet Büyükekşi, Hak-İş President Mahmut Arslan, Memur-Sen President Ahmet Gündoğdu, Turkey Kamu-Sen President İsmail Koncuk, Türk-İş President Ergün Atalay, TİSK Acting President Erol Kiresepi and TZOB Presidential Advisor Hasan Hüseyin Coşkun.