Ad
Yashar Yalkun, the president of the Belgian Uighur Association, outside the EU Council in Brussels (Photo: Yashar Yalkun)

Feature

China accused of intimidating Uighur refugees in Europe

Yashar Yalkun, the president of the Belgian Uighur Association, outside the EU Council in Brussels (Photo: Yashar Yalkun)

China denies it, but Uighur exiles who fled to EU states say they are still being terrorised by threatening phone-calls, SMS-es, and other forms of what some security services have dubbed "refugee-espionage".

One such call, from a masked number, came on a day in July 2019 when Yashar Yalkun, a Uighur activist and Belgian asylum holder, was playing with his infant son at home in Antwerp, a Belgian city.

It was his mother and sister in China, whom he had not heard from in three...

To read this story, log in or subscribe

Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.

Already a member? Login

Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

Ad
Ad