Uighur Turks stage anti-China protest in Brussels

By Dursun Aydemir

BRUSSELS (AA) - Nearly 100 Uighur Turks on Friday gathered in front of the European Parliament in Brussels to protest against China and its East Turkistan policies.

The representatives of Turkish and Azerbaijani NGOs also attended the protest, which was organized by Uighur Human Rights Project.

The protesters chanted slogans against China while unfurling banners: "China stop genocide", "Save Uighurs".

The protest lasted around two hours under intense security measures of the police.

China’s Xinjiang region is home to around 10 million Uighurs. The Turkic Muslim group, which makes up around 45% of Xinjiang’s population, has long accused China’s authorities of cultural, religious and economic discrimination.

In its latest report released last September, Human Rights Watch blamed the Chinese government of a “systematic campaign of human rights violations” against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

* Writing by Diyar Guldogan