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Australian Uyghur leader feels 'hurt' that athletes are still participating in Beijing Winter Olympics

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 25 Jan 2022, 10:29 am Print

Australian Uyghur leader feels 'hurt' that athletes are still participating in Beijing Winter Olympics Beijing Winter Olympics

Caption/credit: File image by C.Suthorn via Wikimedia Creative Commons

Beijing/Melbourne: Uyghur community leader Adam Turan has said he felt 'hurt' that Australian athletes are still deciding to participate in Winter Olympics in China, a nation "where they are carrying out a genocide against our people".

Turan left China in 2011 and settled in Australia.

“It’s not the athletes – it’s the stage,” he told The Guardian.

“While our people suffer in camps and in prison we can’t enjoy the game even if we want to. It hurts. It’s in a country where they are carrying out a genocide against our people," he said.

Who are Uyghur Muslims?

Uyghur Muslims are a Turkic minority ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.

The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.