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Draft:Shukur Samsak

  • Comment: You may want to revert back to the previous draft before continuing. I have restored the deleted history to make that easier, or I can fully restore the previous to the current version. UtherSRG (talk) 12:48, 7 August 2024 (UTC)

Shukur Samsak
شۈكۈر سامساق
Interior Minister of the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile[1][2]
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 November 2023
Chairman of the Swedish Uyghur Committee[3][4]
Incumbent
Assumed office
2013
Personal details
Born (1972-12-15) 15 December 1972 (age 51)
Xayar County, East Turkistan (so-called Xinjiang)
NationalitySwedish
Residence(s)Stockholm, Sweden[5]
Website

Shukur Samsak(Uyghur: شۈكۈر سامساق; born 15 December 1972) is a Swedish Uyghur[6] politician and independence activist, known for advocating for East Turkistan's freedom and independence in Sweden. He was elected to the Chairman of the Swedish Uyghur Committee[7] in 2013, and has since been urging the Swedish Government and the International community to recognize China's ongoing Genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic Peoples,[8][6][4] as well as the occupation of East Turkistan.[9][10]

On November 11, 2023, Samsak was elected as the Interior Minister of the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile.[11] following the election of new administration by the East Turkistan Parliament-in-Exile at the 9th East Turkistan General Assembly in Washington, DC.[1][12]

Early life

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Samsakwas born into a Uyghur revolutionary family in Shayar, Aksu, in 1972.[13] At the age of 17, he participated in the 1989 Ürümqi unrest, also known as the May 19 Ürümqi riots, where thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups gathered to demand freedom. The protests were met with a heavy-handed response from the Chinese military, resulting in over 150 arrests. Amidst the crackdown, Samsak fled the area.[13]

After the unrest, Samsak went into hiding for a week before returning home. He studied Uyghur Traditional Medicine from 1992 to 1996 and continued his activism both during and after his studies. He was actively involved in various independence organizations in East Turkistan and also engaged in business activities, including selling medicines and assisting many individuals.[citation needed]

Despite his significant efforts and long residence in East Turkistan, Samsak did not receive official identification or citizenship during his 28 years in the region.[14] Following the issuance of arrest warrants in 1996 by the Chinese government targeting young Uyghur activists, including Samsak, he became a marked individual. An official arrest warrant for Samsak was issued in August.[15]

To avoid persecution, Samsak hid for a year before successfully fleeing East Turkistan at the end of 2000. He undertook a dangerous journey through Tibet and the Himalayas, eventually arriving in Nepal, where he crossed the Tibet-Nepal border on foot. In Nepal, he lived for two and a half years, during which he applied for refugee status with the UNHCR and received a refugee certificate after six months. He actively assisted imprisoned Uyghurs and facilitated their relocation to Europe, while also studying English and Urdu at a UNHCR-sponsored school.[citation needed]

Facing challenges in Nepal, including the forced return of Uyghurs despite their UNHCR refugee certificates,[16][17] Samsak had no choice but to relocate to India. In India, despite repeated denials of his UNHCR refugee status application, he persisted and eventually obtained his refugee certificate after a year. During this period, he endured significant hardship with limited resources while studying IT and English at a UNHCR-sponsored institution.[citation needed]

With support from the UNHCR, Samsak[18][19] secured a travel document and arrived in Sweden on 5 November 2005. Upon arrival, he continued his activism, serving as Secretary of the Swedish Uyghur Committee[20][21] from 2007 to 2009, and as a signatory from 2009 to 2013. In 2013, he was elected Chairman of the Swedish Uyghur Committee,[22][23] a position he holds to this day. His ongoing work involves raising awareness about the ongoing Uyghur Genocide in East Turkistan and advocating for East Turkistan's freedom and independence.[24][25][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Leadership | East Turkistan Government in Exile". 4 March 2021.
  2. ^ "East Turkistan Govt-In-Exile holds parliamentary candidate elections across Europe". ThePrint. 8 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Chinese propaganda of East Turkistan's re-education distortion of reality: Uyghur Rights body". ANI News.
  4. ^ a b "Uyghur rights organisation urges int'l community to recognise ongoing genocide in East Turkistan". ANI News.
  5. ^ "Interior Minister". 28 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b ""Snälla Sverige! Erkänn folkmordet mot uigurer"". sites.jmk.su.se. 17 May 2023.
  7. ^ "x.com".
  8. ^ "Uyghur Leader Urges Scandinavian Nations To Recognize Chinas Genocide In East Turkistan". 1 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Shukur Samsak Urges Scandinavian Nations To Act Against Genocide In East Turkistan". 1 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Uyghur Leader Urges Scandinavian Nations To Recognize Chinas Genocide In East Turkistan". ThePrint. 1 September 2024.
  11. ^ "About the ETGE | East Turkistan Government in Exile". 4 March 2021.
  12. ^ "US: Ninth East Turkistan General Assembly highlights Chinese atrocities against Uyghurs, other Turkic people".
  13. ^ a b c "Dissidents urge Western action as China targets critics overseas".
  14. ^ "The Chinese government has long weaponized access to passports through corruption, confiscations, and discriminatory procedures. Control is now exerted through effectively denying Uyghurs the right to a passport" (PDF).
  15. ^ "Amnesty International Report 1999 - Hundreds, possibly thousands, of activists and suspected opponents of the government were detained during the year".
  16. ^ "Report-In late 2001 and early 2002, Nepalese authorities forcibly returned at least two Uyghurs, possibly three, to the Chinese authorities in East Turkestan" (PDF).
  17. ^ "Stakeholder Report - A number of Uyghur refugees have passed through Nepal but have since had to flee because of the human rights and living conditions they faced" (PDF).
  18. ^ "Shukur Samsak".
  19. ^ "Varför riktas så mycket ilska mot koranbränningar i Sverige när tusentals moskéer demolerats och minst en miljon muslimer satts i fångläger i Kina, utan att det lett till några större fördömanden?".
  20. ^ "The Swedish Uyghur Committee highlighted the grim legacy of the CCP on social media, condemning what they describe as the party's "ruthless invasion, occupation, and colonisation "of East Turkistan"".
  21. ^ "Uyghur Rights organizations slam China for ongoing human rights violations in East Turkistan".
  22. ^ "Stockholm [Sweden], June 27 (ANI): Tributes were solemnly paid today to the Uyghur workers who tragically lost their lives in the Shaoguan Massacre in Guangdong Province, China, on June 26, 2009".
  23. ^ "Selv uden for Kina forfølger de kinesiske myndigheder uighurerne".
  24. ^ "Disidentët kërkojnë veprim nga vendet perëndimore teksa Kina synon kritikët jashtë shtetit".
  25. ^ "Snälla Sverige! Erkänn folkmordet mot uigurer".
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[Al Jazeera: Interview with Shukur Samsak: Key Quotes and Insights](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/25/dissidents-urge-western-action-as-china-targets-critics-overseas)


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