Erkin Alptekin
Encyclopedia
Erkin Alptekin (born July 4, 1939 in Kashgar
, Republic of China
) is a Uyghur
activist and separatist
. From Germany
, he has helped found many separatist
and Uyghur nationalist organizations, the best known of which are the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
(UNPO) and the World Uyghur Congress
. Some of the organizations are described as terrorist organizations by the Chinese government
.
, who in 1933-1934 was the General Secretary of the First East Turkestan Republic
in western China
. After the People's Liberation Army invasion of Xinjiang (1949) in 1949 and succession by the new People's Republic of China
, Alptekin's family fled to Srinagar
in Jammu and Kashmir
. There he attended Catholic school
and then Convent College, completing his studies in the Institute of Journalism in Istanbul
. Alptekin is based in Germany.
/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in Munich
. He worked as a "Senior Policy Advisor" and directed the Uygur Division until 1979, when Uyghur language broadcasts were discontinued for a lack of an audience under RFE/RL jurisdiction. During his time at the Division, he complained about lack of media
coverage of the Uyghurs, lamenting "the international community only reacts when conflict breaks out." Concurrently in the 1970s and 1980s, the CIA
looked to connect to Uyghur separatists, and found Alptekin a suitable match because of his leadership in various Uyghur organizations and his tenure at RFE. He became an adviser to the CIA, and retired his RFE/RL post in 1995 as it moved to Prague
in the Czech Republic
.
Erkin Alptekin has founded various organizations for separatist movements, mostly related to the Uyghur nationalist cause. In 1985 he participated in the founding of the "Allied Committee of the Peoples of East Turkistan, Tibet and Inner Mongolia", which held its first conference in 1998 in New York. He founded the East Turkistan Union in Europe in Europe. In 1991, he also became one of the founders of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
(UNPO), which has its headquarters in The Hague
. During a conference held in Munich in April 2004 Alptekin was elected the President of the World Uyghur Congress
.
Erkin Alptekin has been lobbying, not only for Uyghur
nationalism but also for other separatist movements, peoples, and minorities
, including the indigenous peoples in Western countries
since 1971.
Erkin Alptekin is also on the advisory board of several international organizations situated in Asia
, Europe and in the United States
. For the last 35 years Alptekin has attended more than 6,000 international conferences worldwide on various topics; published numerous articles, research papers and brochures; and has been the focus of several Western press media.
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
, Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
) is a Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
activist and separatist
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
. From Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he has helped found many separatist
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
and Uyghur nationalist organizations, the best known of which are the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization , formed in 11 February 1991, in The Hague, is an international organization of political organisations and governments representing self-proclaimed "indigenous peoples, minorities, and unrecognised or occupied territories". The organization...
(UNPO) and the World Uyghur Congress
World Uyghur Congress
The World Uyghur Congress is an international organisation of exiled Uyghur groups said to "represent the collective interest of the Uyghur people" both inside and outside of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China...
. Some of the organizations are described as terrorist organizations by the Chinese government
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
.
Biography
Alptekin is the son of Isa AlptekinIsa Alptekin
Isa Yusuf Alptekin or ʿĪsa Yūsuf Alptekin ; 1901 – 17 December 1995) was a Uyghur political leader, exiled from China in 1949.He was born at 1901 in Yengisar County, Kashgar, Qing Dynasty...
, who in 1933-1934 was the General Secretary of the First East Turkestan Republic
First East Turkestan Republic
The First Eastern Turkestan Republic , or Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan , or, Republic of Uyghurstan, was a short-lived breakaway would-be Islamic republic founded in 1933...
in western China
Western China
Western China , refers to the western part of China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers six provinces: Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan; one municipality: Chongqing; and three autonomous regions: Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang.-Administrative...
. After the People's Liberation Army invasion of Xinjiang (1949) in 1949 and succession by the new People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, Alptekin's family fled to Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
. There he attended Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
and then Convent College, completing his studies in the Institute of Journalism in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Alptekin is based in Germany.
Career
In 1971, due to his father's connections, he landed a job at Radio Free EuropeRadio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. He worked as a "Senior Policy Advisor" and directed the Uygur Division until 1979, when Uyghur language broadcasts were discontinued for a lack of an audience under RFE/RL jurisdiction. During his time at the Division, he complained about lack of media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
coverage of the Uyghurs, lamenting "the international community only reacts when conflict breaks out." Concurrently in the 1970s and 1980s, the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
looked to connect to Uyghur separatists, and found Alptekin a suitable match because of his leadership in various Uyghur organizations and his tenure at RFE. He became an adviser to the CIA, and retired his RFE/RL post in 1995 as it moved to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
Erkin Alptekin has founded various organizations for separatist movements, mostly related to the Uyghur nationalist cause. In 1985 he participated in the founding of the "Allied Committee of the Peoples of East Turkistan, Tibet and Inner Mongolia", which held its first conference in 1998 in New York. He founded the East Turkistan Union in Europe in Europe. In 1991, he also became one of the founders of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization , formed in 11 February 1991, in The Hague, is an international organization of political organisations and governments representing self-proclaimed "indigenous peoples, minorities, and unrecognised or occupied territories". The organization...
(UNPO), which has its headquarters in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. During a conference held in Munich in April 2004 Alptekin was elected the President of the World Uyghur Congress
World Uyghur Congress
The World Uyghur Congress is an international organisation of exiled Uyghur groups said to "represent the collective interest of the Uyghur people" both inside and outside of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China...
.
Erkin Alptekin has been lobbying, not only for Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
nationalism but also for other separatist movements, peoples, and minorities
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
, including the indigenous peoples in Western countries
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
since 1971.
Erkin Alptekin is also on the advisory board of several international organizations situated in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Europe and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. For the last 35 years Alptekin has attended more than 6,000 international conferences worldwide on various topics; published numerous articles, research papers and brochures; and has been the focus of several Western press media.