Press Release – For Immediate Release
07 June 2021
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
+49 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) hopes for a fair judgement on the case of its President, Dolkun Isa, before the Ankara Administrative Court. Since 2008, Mr. Isa has been denied entry to Turkey on allegations of threats against national security.

After fleeing China, Mr. Isa first studied in Turkey from 1994-1996 for his Turkish language course and his master’s degree in political science. In 1996, he was granted political asylum in Germany. Mr. Isa used to travel to Turkey – which he saw as his second home – for his summer holidays with his family. However, on August 22, 2008, he was denied entry at Antalya airport and sent back to Germany, after 23 hours of detention. The same situation occurred again on October 11, 2016. Since then, Mr. Isa has appealed his case, which was rejected by the General Directorate of Migration Management of Turkey.

‘’I see Turkey as my second home, and yet I am still being denied entry, although I have committed no crime’’, WUC President, Dolkun Isa said in response. ‘’This is another example of China’s long arm beyond its borders, and how far it is willing to go to punish dissent. I hope that the Turkish Administration can see that my case is a political one, and realises that I present no threat. I wish to be able to enter Turkey to visit my friends, professors and for holidays with my family. I hope that the Turkish court will make the right decision, and correct this administrative error that has prevented me entry since 2008.’’

Mr. Isa was issued a Red Notice by INTERPOL on the insistence of the Chinese government in 1997, only getting word himself of the notice two years later in 1999 by German police. Although a serious charge, German authorities came to the conclusion that China’s allegations were unfounded and was granted German citizenship in 2006. Despite this, the notice has remained a particular obstacle for Mr. Isa, inhibiting international travel and hindering activism.

Due to the notice, Mr. Isa initially encountered problems entering the US back in 2006, as well as Turkey, and he has been unable to travel to Taiwan in recent years for his work. In addition, he was briefly detained in South Korea in 2009. Again in April 2016, he had his visa rescinded for his expected visit to India to attend the 11th Interethnic Interfaith Leadership Conference in Dharamsala.

In 2018, Mr. Isa was scheduled to speak at a conference at the Italian Senate building in Rome, Italy, but was briefly detained by Italian police and taken to a station for an identity check. Though he was released shortly thereafter, Mr. Isa was told that his information was run through the INTERPOL database and that the action was requested by Chinese authorities. 

It is only through the persistent work of Fair Trials that Mr. Isa’s INTERPOL Red Notice was deleted in 2018.

Mr. Isa is a highly respected, award-winning international human rights activist, who has dedicated his life to promoting the rights of the Uyghur people, democracy and freedom. For this, he has and continues to face direct retaliation from the Chinese government, including losing his family members. He has also been falsely accused of criminality by the Chinese government and forced to live under intense scrutiny on account of spurious claims. These methods highlight the entrenched politicisation of international institutions that are often seen as legitimate, impartial arbiters of justice

Mr. Isa’s case clearly illustrates that China’s narrative concerning dissent has been used for decades to frame the opposition as violent and unlawful. The Chinese government has consistently relied on the narrative of terrorism to justify its aggressive policies in East Turkistan. Recent Counter-Terror and Anti-Extremism legislation, heavily criticised by the international community for being excessively broad and vague, has allowed China to label peaceful dissenters as terrorists.

It is in this context which the WUC implores the international community and Turkey in this particular case to diligently scrutinize China’s purported narrative in regards to human rights, dissent, activism and even terrorism, and to duly put these pronouncements and accusations under scrutiny, instead of accepting them as facts.