About 10 Kyrgyz and ethnic Kyrgyz from China held a press conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on November 23.

The press conference was organized by the Kazakhstan organization Young Volunteers of Ata-Zhurt for ethnic Kyrgyz and Kazakhs from China who cannot find their relatives who remain in China.

They tell their stories to Western journalists. The participants of the press conference appeal to the world community, the authorities of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and ask to assist in the release of the detained relatives.

An activist of the Kazakh organization Serikzhan Bilash said that over 50 thousand Kyrgyz were detained in China, and the number of detained Kazakhs reached 700 thousand. According to him, information about the number of detained Kyrgyz people came to the organization two months ago.

Bilash noted that world media write only about the fact that Muslims and religious people are being detained in China. Therefore, measures are being taken in order to attract world attention to the fact that people of different nationalities are being detained and persecuted there. Western journalists were invited precisely for this.

Ethnic Kyrgyz who came from China, but living in Kyrgyzstan, turned to Azattyk. They are unable to contact their relatives, some relatives have been detained and nothing is known about them. They expect help from the Kazakhstan organization Young Volunteers Ata-Zhurt.

Kyrgyzstan has not yet resorted to diplomatic methods to protect the rights of ethnic Kyrgyz. Kazakhstan previously sent a note to China. In the neighboring country, as a result of the work of civil society, some Kazakhs were released from prison, they were able to come to Kazakhstan.

About Xinjiang has been reported as a “political re-education camps” since 2016. However, citisens call these as prisons, the Chinese authorities call them training centers.

"The Qazaq Times"