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A Turkish court has refused to allow Uygur Abudukadir Yapuquan, originally from the Xinjiang region of China, to be extradited to China to face terrorism charges.

Risk of China-Turkey tension as Beijing protests against refusal to extradite Xinjiang accused

  • Chinese authorities accuse Abudukadir Yapuquan of planning and carrying out terrorist acts
  • A court in Turkey cited a lack of credible evidence and freed the Uygur activist, raising the ire of China
Turkey

China has expressed its strong objection to Turkey’s refusal to extradite Abudukadir Yapuquan, a prominent Uygur activist who Beijing says is suspected of terrorism in Xinjiang.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China called on Turkey to face Abudukadir’s “essence as a terrorist” and reverse its “erroneous decision” to avoid having a serious negative influence on China-Turkey relations.

“ETIM [East Turkestan Islamic Movement] is a terrorist organisation listed by the UN Security Council and is recognised as such by Turkey,” said Zhao, adding that Abudukadir was one of the initiators of ETIM and was accused of plotting terrorist activities on Chinese territory many times. Zhao said the evidence was conclusive.

China has protested against a Turkish court’s decision not to extradite a Uygur activist China accuses of terrorism-related charges. Photo: EPA-EFE

China was strongly dissatisfied with, and firmly opposed, a Turkish court decision not to extradite Abudukadir, Zhao said.

According to Radio Free Asia, a court in Turkey rejected a request by Beijing to extradite Abudukadir to China to face “terrorism” charges, citing a lack of credible evidence, his lawyer said, adding that Abudukadir had been banned from travelling abroad in a previous trial, and that he was free now the decision had been reversed.

Abudukadir was accused by Chinese authorities of helping establish ETIM and being engaged in planning and carrying out terrorist acts.

China seeks Turkish support for its policies on Xinjiang

He has been imprisoned in China twice. He escaped from China in 1998 and ended up in Turkey, home to an estimated 50,000 Uygurs. He was arrested by Turkish police in 2016 on charges of being a “terrorist” and had since been under detention or house arrest, according to media reports.

Cheng Yijun, a researcher with the Institute of Russia at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Turkey’s decision to not only turn down the extradition request but to set Abudukadir free would have a negative effect at the diplomatic level.

Beijing approved an extradition treaty between the two nations in December which is awaiting ratification by Ankara’s parliament. Uygurs living in Turkey are concerned they could be sent back to China under the extradition deal.
Leaving China can mean losing your family for Uygur Muslims
Cheng said Turkey had remained “flexible” on the Xinjiang issue, and tried to maintain consistency with the United States and other Western countries.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he had conveyed Ankara’s “sensitivity and thoughts on Uygur Turks” to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi when he visited Turkey in late March, amid protests organised by Uygur activists outside China’s embassy.
This month, Turkey summoned China’s ambassador after his office took to social media to denounce two top Turkish politicians over their criticism of Beijing’s crackdown on Uygurs in Xinjiang.

“Turkey is trying to maintain ideological consistency on the Xinjiang issue between the United States and Europe,” said Yin Gang, a research fellow with the Institute of West Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
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