Istanbul: A group of nineteen Chinese Uighur Muslims filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office, Turkey, accusing Chinese officials of genocide, torture, rape and crimes against humanity, Reuters reported. The complaint names 112 people, including the Chinese Communist Party directors and officers in labour camps.
They mentioned 116 people in the complaint who are still under Chinese detention. One of the complainants said her sister was taken away in 2017, and nothing about her is known after that. Since both are Turkish citizens, she wants the Turkish government to rescue her sister.
Lawyer Gulden Sonmez said the complaint was necessary since international bodies have not yet acted against the Chinese atrocities of putting Uighur Muslims to forced labour and detention since 2016.
It is high time international courts should have started a trial on the issue, but it won't happen since China is a member of the United Nations Security Council. Turkish legislation recognise universal jurisdiction, and thus the crimes could be prosecuted in its courts, trying criminals, Sonmez said.
But some Uighurs criticised Turkey for its approach to China after both the nations agreed on an extradition treaty. Turkish Opposition alleged that the government is ignoring Uighur rights for other interests with China. But Turkish administration denied the opposition allegations. It also assured that Uighurs need not fear being sent back to China.
Though Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey demands China Uighur Muslims' peace and be treated as equal citizens, he added that Turkey respects China's national sovereignty.
According to UN and rights groups' estimates, more than a million people, including Uighur and other Muslim minorities, are imprisoned in China's Xinjiang camps during recent years. China has denied detention centres first but said later that they are vocational centres to counter extremism. Beijing continues denying any kind of abuse on inmates.