ISTANBUL (AP) — Hundreds of Uyghurs staged protests in Ankara and Istanbul, denouncing Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Turkey. The protesters were also on Thursday demanding Turkey take a stronger stance against human rights abuses in China’s far-western Xinjiang region. Hundreds of people gathered in Istanbul holding posters of missing relatives. Dozens of other protesters assembled near the Chinese Embassy in Ankara. Uyghurs, a Turkic group native to China’s Xinjiang region, have sought refuge in Turkey for decades because of their shared cultural ties with the country. Once a champion of the Uyghur cause, Turkey has become less vocal about their plight in recent years as it has developed economic ties with China.
