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Erkin AlptekinSecretary General of the World Uyghur Congress
Date of Birth: 04.07.1939
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Content:
- Early Life and Family History
- Career at Radio Free Europe
- Post-Radio Free Europe Activism
- Presidency of the World Uyghur Congress
Early Life and Family History
Erkin was born in 1939 and spent his childhood in Xinjiang, China. His father, Isa Yusuf Alptekin, was a renowned Uyghur dissident who passed away in 1995. As a teenager, Erkin's family was forced to flee Xinjiang due to political persecution. They sought refuge in Kashmir and later in Turkey.
Career at Radio Free Europe
From the early 1970s to the mid-1990s, Erkin held a prominent position at Radio Free Europe in Munich. He served as an assistant director of National Services and also directed the Uyghur Service until its closure in 1979. The closure was a concession made by the United States to appease Beijing in order to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Erkin had published a book a year prior to the shutdown of the Uyghur Service, expressing strong anti-communist views and criticizing China's policies in Xinjiang.
Post-Radio Free Europe Activism
Despite his departure from Radio Free Europe, Erkin remained actively involved in the Uyghur cause. In 1991, he founded and became the first chairman of the East Turkestan Union in Europe. That same year, he co-founded the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and became its Secretary-General in 1999.
Presidency of the World Uyghur Congress
A pivotal moment in Erkin's career occurred in 2004 when he was elected as the first President of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC). The WUC is an umbrella organization representing Uyghurs worldwide and advocating for their rights and autonomy. Erkin has since led the WUC in its efforts to raise international awareness about the plight of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
