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Fighting for Uyghur rights in China

A first-hand account of taking on the Chinese Communist Party in the 1980s

In the 1980s, the minority Uyghur community in China staged some of the first protests against the all-powerful Communist Party. The Uyghurs were demanding that the Chinese government keep its promises to protect their culture and grant them political autonomy in Xinjiang region. In 1989, many Uyghur students enthusiastically supported the pro-democracy demonstrations centred on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. One of them was Aziz Isa Elkun, who talks to Josephine McDermott.

PHOTO: A Uyghur yurt on the Xinjiang steppe (Getty Images)

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9 minutes

Last on

Sat 7 May 202223:50GMT
BBC World Service Australasia

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    BBC World Service
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    BBC World Service except Australasia
  • Sat 7 May 202223:50GMT
    BBC World Service Australasia

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