TRANSNATIONAL ADVOCACY NETWORKS AND UYGHUR RIGHTS IN THE REGIONAL CONTEXT OF TÜRKİYE

Uyghurs are making extensive efforts to inform the international community in order to draw attention to the systematic human rights violations in East Turkestan. However, the Chinese government’s oppressive control mechanisms, intense censorship policies, and diplomatic pressures applied at the global level greatly limit these efforts. In order to overcome these obstacles, Uyghur activists adopt a decentralized, flexible, and security-focused organizational model; thus, they try to avoid direct intervention by China. Transnational advocacy networks (TANs) constitute both the theoretical and practical basis of this process. Turkey, in particular, provides a strategic platform for Uyghurs to make their voices heard by international organizations and the public, with its position as a bridge between the East and the West. This article aims to analyze the structure of Uyghur rights advocacy, the persistent obstacles it faces, and the strategic adaptation mechanisms it has developed against oppressive environmental conditions, based on the TANs framework. In this context, the study aims to make an original contribution to both international relations theory and human rights advocacy.