When you stand against China,“ Uighur writer and poet Abdurehim Imin Parach says, "you are a threat wherever you are.”

China’s government considers many members of the Uighur ethnic minority to be “terrorists” and “separatists.” It has imprisoned them on a mass scale and has turned Xinjiang into one of the world’s most tightly controlled police states.

As a result, many Uighurs have fled to Turkey, which they have traditionally viewed as a refuge and an advocate for their rights. Now, many Uighurs in Istanbul tell NPR they fear China is pressuring Turkey to threaten them.

‘I Thought It Would Be Safe’: Uighurs In Turkey Now Fear China’s Long Arm

Image Credit: Nicole Tung for NPR