washington —
Here’s a summary of recent news about Uyghurs from around the world.
In Asia's World Cup qualifiers, a 21-year-old Uyghur soccer player became the first player from Xinjiang to score a goal for China’s men’s national team. made his debut for the team and scored a crucial goal in a 1-1 draw against Thailand, keeping China's hopes alive for the next round of World Cup qualifiers.
A prison guard shot two Uyghur brothers in early May after a scuffle in a vegetable field that was a part of the Qarabughra Prison in Xinjiang’s Kunes, last week. Details about their imprisonment remain unclear. One officer reportedly said incidents like this one “rarely” come up. The prison expanded in 2017 amid China's crackdown on Uyghurs for alleged "terrorism" and "religious extremism."
At a recent conference called Unlock 2024 in Prague, , founder of Digital Yurt, a Kazakhstan-based platform for Uyghurs that was launched in 2022. Its growing digital footprint has spilled over to the real world with in-person events and even a Montessori kindergarten in Almaty. Kazakhstan is home to the second-largest Uyghur population outside China. Amid ongoing repression in China, it offers a high-tech approach to preserving the Uyghur culture, engaging youth and keeping traditions alive.
Former language school colleagues of exiled Uyghur journalist Kasim Kashgar have been imprisoned in China, allegedly because of their connection with him. Kashgar, who reports for Voice of America, believes the arrests of Mirkamil Ahmed, Semet Ababekri, Abdukadir Rozi, Mehmut Abdukeyum and Akber Osman are retaliatory. The Chinese government accuses them of separatist activities and having been recruited by Kashgar to become members of the World Uyghur Congress, a Uyghur rights organization. Kashgar insists .
The grid in Xinjiang is now connected to the , according to the Power Construction Corporation of China. The plant is expected to generate 6.09 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year. Xinjiang has become a hub for renewable energy in China.
Republican lawmakers CATL and Gotion, citing alleged forced labor ties in their supply chains. This move, under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, targets companies connected to automakers such as Ford and Volkswagen amid ongoing concerns over human rights abuses in Xinjiang. China has denied the allegations of forced labor. Ford and Volkswagen have said either there is no evidence of a connection to Uyghur forced labor or that the allegations are “groundless and completely false,” Reuters reported.
China's strategic railway expansion Both regions are rich in natural resources and have historically resented Chinese rule.
Turkish Foreign Minister has raised concerns among experts and Uyghur advocates. Concluding his three-day trip on June 5, Fidan visited the cities of Urumqi and Kashgar, referring to them as "ancient Turkic and Islamic" sites. The visit, amid reports of severe repression against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, is seen as a diplomatic signal of Turkey's concern for the welfare of Uyghurs, despite China's efforts to downplay the issue. Fidan also emphasized boosting trade relations with China and balancing economic interests with diplomatic messages.
"This is my first match for the [senior] national team, and I hope that this goal can help the team. I also hope to score more goals in the future,” said , a 21-year-old Uyghur member of China’s national football team, after scoring in a 2026 World Cup qualifier match against Thailand on June 6.