By Riffat Kausar
Snn News Finland
Istanbul, Turkey Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi intervened to stop the deportation of a Uyghur Turkish woman who had been facing removal to China, following a public outcry that spread rapidly on social media.
Who Is Involved
The woman, identified as Mıhrıgül Tayurak, is a Uyghur mother of two living in Istanbul. Her application to extend her residence permit was rejected, after which she was transferred to the Kumkapı Removal Center in Istanbul.
How the Case Came to Light
Writer Yusuf Kaplan brought Tayurak’s case to public attention through a social media post, drawing widespread concern from Turkish citizens and rights advocates over the risk of her being sent back to China, where Uyghurs face documented persecution.
Minister’s Intervention
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi responded directly to Kaplan’s post, first pledging to look into the matter.
Her deportation was subsequently suspended, he confirmed, with the case redirected toward an international protection review a shift that effectively secured her release from the detention facility.
Leadership Changes at the Migration Authority
Following the incident, Turkey’s Presidency of Migration Management (Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı) saw a reshuffle.
According to Turkish media reports, Deputy President Niyazi Ulugölge was removed from his post and replaced by Murat Karakaya. Davut Düzgün, General Manager of Administrative Services, was replaced by Ahmet Türköz.
The head of the Migration Management Presidency, Hüseyin Kök, was also replaced, with Muhammet Selami Yazıcı previously General Manager of Information Technologies at the Interior Ministry appointed in his place. Kök had reportedly been named Governor of Nevşehir earlier in May.
Why It Matters
Turkey hosts one of the world’s largest Uyghur diaspora communities, and cases involving the deportation or transfer of Uyghurs have drawn sustained scrutiny from human rights groups over the risk of eventual return to China.
Ankara has publicly maintained it does not deport Uyghurs directly to China, though rights organizations have documented cases of Uyghurs being removed to third countries with extradition ties to Beijing.
The case has renewed attention on the broader situation of Uyghur rights in Turkey, where residence and asylum decisions have come under increasing scrutiny.
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