Diaspora & Uyghur Watch, 2 November 2026
Diaspora & Uyghur Watch, 2 November 2026
1. Five Uyghur men still held in Thailand could be sent back to China, and they say they do not want to go. Two of them were pardoned from prison in June and moved to immigration detention in October, and rights groups warn a security council meeting could decide their fate, as it did for 40 others last year. Former MP Kannavee Suebsang published letters from the men saying they fear persecution if returned. Source: Khaosod English.
2. Montreal votes on 7 December, and a Uyghur woman is on the ballot. Zumretay Arkin, born in Urumchi and raised in Montreal after moving to Canada at age ten, is running for the Bloc Quebecois in Laurier-Sainte-Marie. She would be the first Uyghur woman to seek a seat in Canada's federal parliament. Source: Canadian Press.
3. In Berlin today, Turkish parliament foreign affairs chief Fuat Oktay sat down with Turkish community groups and talked about the issues that touch their daily lives: visas, trade, and a customs deal with the EU. His message was simple, Europe should re-engage with Türkiye instead of drifting apart. Source: Daily Sabah.
4. In Istanbul, 200 Azerbaijani children from low-income families got free medical check-ups. Many of them have no health insurance, so the day meant a proper doctor's visit their families otherwise could not afford. Source: Trend.az.