A panel discussion was held at Istanbul University on the struggle of Uyghur academic Ilham Tohti, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for defending the constitutional rights of Uyghurs, and his significance in the East Turkistan cause.
An important panel titled “Ilham Tohti’s Life and His Role in the East Turkistan Cause” was held on January 25, 2025, in cooperation with Istanbul University Institute of Turcology Studies, Turkish World Research Foundation, Isa Yusuf Alptekin Foundation, Uyghur Academy, and the Ilham Tohti Initiative.
The panel discussed in detail the life of Ilham Tohti, a Uyghur scholar who was unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment by China for advocating constitutional rights for Uyghurs and raising public awareness. His peaceful struggle methods and his critical role in the Uyghur cause were also examined. Additionally, discussions covered Tohti’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination and the significance of such recognition in advancing the Uyghur cause.
With the initiatives of the Ilham Tohti Initiative, the dedicated efforts of Prof. Dr. Ömer Kul, and the joint hosting of the aforementioned organizations, over a hundred people who admire Ilham Tohti, support his methods of struggle, and are committed to the Uyghur cause attended the panel at the Istanbul University Institute of Turcology Studies.
Moderated by Prof. Dr. Ömer Kul, a faculty member at Istanbul University, the panel featured speakers including Alimcan İnayet, a faculty member at Ege University; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Raile Kaşgarlı and Prof. Dr. Mualla Uydu Yücel, faculty members at Istanbul University; and Enver Can, President of the Ilham Tohti Initiative.
At the beginning of the program, Abdulhamit Karahan, President of the Uyghur Academy Foundation; Cahit Dak, President of the Isa Yusuf Alptekin Foundation; and Saadet Pınar Yıldırım, General Director of the Turkish World Research Foundation, delivered opening speeches emphasizing Ilham Tohti’s struggle and its significance in the East Turkistan cause. Following the speeches, a documentary about Ilham Tohti was screened.
In the main panel session, the speakers explored Ilham Tohti’s life and his selfless and rational struggle for Uyghur rights from various perspectives. They called on the international community—especially the Chinese government—to release Ilham Tohti, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in violation of human rights and China’s own Constitution for defending the identity, constitutional rights, and autonomous region status of the East Turkistan Turks, who have a thousands-year-old state tradition. Furthermore, the panelists encouraged the international academic community to support Ilham Tohti’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
After the panel, Ilham Tohti Initiative President Enver Can expressed gratitude to Gülzade Tanrıdağlı, the wife of the late Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ferhat Kurban Tanrıdağlı, on his behalf. Thank-you plaques from the Ilham Tohti Initiative were presented to Prof. Dr. Mualla Uydu Yücel, Prof. Dr. Ömer Kul, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Raile Kaşgarlı, Prof. Dr. Alimcan İnayet, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tekin Tuncer, Abdulhamit Karahan, Dr. Şevket Nasır, Saadet Pınar Yıldırım, and Cahit Dak.