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Statement: WUC Saddened by the Death of Seif Sharif Hamad

Statement: WUC Saddened by the Death of Seif Sharif Hamad

Statement 
22 February 2021
Contact: World Uyghur Congress
 www.uyghurcongress.org
+49 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) expresses its condolences to family and friends following the passing of Seif Sharif Hamad, known as Maalim Seif, at the age of 77. Mr. Hamad was the vice-president of Tanzania’s semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar and a close friend of founder and first President of the WUC, Erkin Alptekin, and current WUC President, Dolkun Isa. 

From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Seif Sharif Hamad served as the Chairman of the General Assembly of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO). In this role, he was an important voice for many oppressed peoples seeking representation at the national and international level, including the Uyghur people. In Zanzibar, throughout his political career, he manifested himself as a fierce defender of the rights of all citizens.

The WUC sincerely thanks Mr. Hamad for his freedom and human rights advocacy and his contributions to the Uyghur and other unrepresentative Nations during his time at the UNPO. It is in our memory of figures like Mr. Hamad that ensures cooperation between those seeking a more just world.