[LINK] "Uighurs flee China for Turkey in search of peace"

[rfmcdonald]

Al Jazeera's Sumeyye Erkekin looks at the flight of Uighurs from their Chinese homeland to Turkey, leaving being a homeland marked by state repression.

Many of the hundreds of ethnic Uighurs who have fled China illegally to escape religious persecution and discrimination have made harrowing journeys to reach Turkey. But those who have finally settled in state housing in the city of Kayseri, in central Turkey, say despite the sufferings of their journey, they needed to escape injustice at home.

The Xinjiang region of western China, called East Turkestan by Uighur separatists, is home to about 10 million Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group. Uighurs say they are repressed in their homeland and are unable to practice their religion freely. A 2012 Amnesty International report highlights incidents of "detailed widespread enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment of Uighurs" and harsh retribution against those who seek information about missing relatives.

The Chinese authorities say Uighurs are separatists and "terrorists."

When they first arrive in Istanbul, many of those fleeing Xinjiang are forced to live in cramped conditions, with about six families, or an average of 15 people, per apartment or small house. Observing their miserable conditions, the East Turkestan Culture and Solidarity Charity, a Uighur charity, in cooperation with the governor and mayor of Kayseri decided to allocate to them 100 apartments that were once used as official residences for transportation department employees.

Many charities offer assistance of food and supplies to refugees who stay in these units, and volunteer doctors offer them health services and free medical examinations.

Refugee children, undeterred by the cold weather and muddy ground, play in the garden and try to ride a broken bike. For them and their parents, this a safe haven.