A fire broke out in a 21-storey building in the city of Urumqi in East Turkestan, and 44 people, including children, who could not leave the building where they were staying due to the lockdown of the exit doors of the apartment with iron wire due to China's quarantine policy, lost their lives.
For this reason, IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, International Refugee Rights Association (UMHD) and International Union of East Turkestan Non-Governmental Organizations held a joint press conference.
UMHD President Atty. Abdullah Resul Demir made the press statement.
At the press conference held at IHH Headquarters, IHH Atty. Chairman Bülent Yıldırım, East Turkistan Education and Solidarity Association President Hidayet Oğuzhan, IHH Board of Trustees Member Atty. Uğur Yıldırım and Muhammed and Şerafat Ali brothers, whose mothers and 4 siblings died in the fire, also made a statement.
“WE RECEIVED THE NEWS OF THEIR DEATH WHILE WE CAN'T EVEN HEAR THEIR VOICES”
Muhammed Memeteli, 22, studying computer engineering in Turkey, "I haven't been able to reach my family for 6 years. I have never been able to contact them and hear their voices. After we came to Turkey with my sister, they immediately put my father and brother in jail. While I wanted to talk to my family and hear their voices, we got the death news from social media. My mother and 4 brothers died in this fire. My brothers; They were 13, 11, 9 and 5 years old. I want to reach my father Muhammat Ali Memetniyaz and my brother İlyas Rehim, who are currently in prison there. I want them released. Also, I want to reach my brothers Enes Memeteli and Muhammetniyaz Memeteli, whom I have not heard from," he said.
“FIRE STATION WAS VERY CLOSE TO OUR APARTMENT”
Stating that the apartment area they are in is empty and the fire can be easily extinguished, Muhammed said, "I'm waiting for an explanation from the Chinese government about this fire. Because when the fire broke out, where was the fire brigade for 3-4 hours, why did they not put it out right away when they were in a position to put out the fire very quickly, why did they stay there? The fire station was also very close to our apartment. The hospital was also very close."
"I COULDN'T EVEN SEE MY BROTHER'S FACE"
His sister Şeraf Memeteli could not hold back her tears.
"I hadn't even seen the face of my youngest brother who had yet passed away. They went down from the apartment in the fire, the door of the stairs was closed. I got the news of his death but I never believed it. Now I'm dead and I don't feel anything. Shout out to everyone here. If you are human, if you have a small conscience, you could have your family there too. I am calling out to the whole world, to Muslims and to human rights, there is persecution in East Turkestan. No one should be silent about it," she said.
“THE CORONA ISSUE INCREASES THE NUMBER OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS”
Bulent Yildirim, President of IHH, "In fact, it was obvious that this would happen. Because China has been carrying out these practices for a long time and has been committing violations of rights in East Turkestan geography. This issue has come to the fore a lot, but the Islamic world has remained silent about it. Unfortunately, the Westerners more actively defended the rights of the people of East Turkestan. The Islamic world is a market for China. It carries out its one-generation, one-generation project, which we call the Silk Road, in the Islamic geography and makes serious investments in all countries. For the sake of these investments, the Islamic world is currently silent on these practices of China, considering its policy of balance with the United States. But as a result, as you can see, children aged nine and five die. Women are dying. In fact, what China is doing is to increase the number of concentration camps using this corona issue as an excuse. He reduced the concentration camps to apartments because he now considered the economic cost. In other words, he turned all the apartments in which East Turkistanis live into camps by soldering their doors. And there he left them hungry and thirsty for three months, four months. And now it's slowly disappearing," he said.