Uyghur Muslims called for boycotting the Winter Olympics in Beijing over Chinese persecution of the minority in a protest in Istanbul on Sunday.

Hundreds of Uyghur Muslims carrying the blue-and-white flags of the independence movement of East Turkestan gathered outside the city's Turkish Olympic Committee building.

Konya provincial head of Satuk Buğrahan Foundation for Science and Civilization, Abdulahad Udun, who read English version of the press release that was put out by the International Union of East Turkestan NGOs, called on the international community to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in the Chinese capital of Beijing over the ongoing genocide against Uyghur Muslims.

“The genocide of East Turkestan, which was occupied by China on October 1, 1949, is the most brutal tragedy of humanity.  Since then, the East Turkistani people have been the target of Chinese state terrorism, Genocide, discrimination, persecution, assimilation and force labor that has been going on for 72 years,” Tahir Gökbayrak said, adding: “The terrorist state of China still maintains Nazi torture camps, despite strong opposition and global condemnation of the existence of these camps in the twenty-first century. The Chinese regime aims to dry up ethnic identity by imprisoning East Turkistanies in these camps, forcing them to abandon their religion and culture, and practicing ethnic cleansing by implementing by forced sterilization of women.  On other hand, they destroyed and demolished nearly sixteen thousand mosques, turned some mosques into sheds and discos, burned the Holy Quran and religious books, imprisoned thousands of artists, academics, writers, and famous people. We strongly condemn these outrageous and fascist practices of China.”

Gökbayrak went on to say: “China's organization of the 2022 Winter Olympics, despite its aggressive and fascist policy against the East Turkistan people and other ethnicities under Chinese occupation, is contrary to the Olympic slogan, which symbolizes peace and human brotherhood. Many countries boycotted the Beijing Olympics this year diplomatically, because of China's violation of human rights and ongoing genocide.”

“We, as the International Union East Turkistan Organizations, call on all countries to take more right decisions and steps to stop these Chinese crimes committed against the East Turkestan people, and we call on the Arab and Islamic countries to correct their negative stance on the issue of East Turkestan People and stand with the oppressed against the oppressor, and we call on the sports committees, federations, and communities in various countries, especially the Olympic Community in Turkey, to boycott this year's Olympics, and we call on all athletes to take an effective and honorable stance against the fascist Chinese genocide against the East Turkestan people.” (ILKHA)

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