Istanbul police detained Akide İsmail, a 33-year-old Uyghur woman holding a valid Turkish residence permit, at her home in the Sefaköy neighborhood on September 29 and transferred her to a removal center, according to reports from the Uyghur media outlets Uygur Haber and Haber Nida citing her family.
Family members say plainclothes police gave no reason for the detention. The specific removal center where İsmail is being held has not been publicly identified. The Stockholm Center for Freedom, synthesizing the Turkish reporting, likewise reports that the facility, the legal grounds for the detention, and the existence of any deportation order remain unclear.
İsmail was born in Aksu, in Xinjiang, and works as a Quran teacher in Sefaköy, according to the reporting. Family accounts describe her as the primary provider for her two children and two younger brothers, and say one of her children has a kidney condition.
Her family has expressed fear that she could be deported to China. Türkiye is home to an estimated 50,000 Uyghurs, the largest Uyghur diaspora in the world, and human rights groups have warned that returning Uyghurs to China would violate the principle of non-refoulement. A Turkey-China extradition treaty signed in 2017 is still awaiting ratification by the Turkish parliament, feeding fears it could be used against Uyghurs in Türkiye.
What the public record does not establish matters as much as what it does. As of October 11, no deportation order concerning İsmail has been publicly reported, and no public statement from Turkish police, migration authorities, or a court regarding her case has been located. Nothing in the public record establishes that the detention was directed by Beijing. The family’s fear of deportation is distinct from confirmed official action, and reporting should keep that distinction.
Turkish authorities should disclose the legal grounds for the detention, identify the facility, and state whether any deportation order exists; ensure İsmail’s access to counsel and contact with her family; and guarantee against any refoulement.
What is verified
- Istanbul police took Akide İsmail, 33, from her Sefaköy home on September 29 and transferred her to a removal center, per Uygur Haber, Haber Nida, and family accounts.
- İsmail holds a valid Turkish residence permit.
- Family members say police gave no reason for the detention.
- The specific removal center has not been publicly identified.
What is not established
- Whether Turkish authorities have issued a deportation order, or on what legal grounds she is held.
- Any official statement from Turkish police, migration authorities, or a court about her case.
- Any link between the detention and direction by Beijing.
Sources
- Stockholm Center for Freedom
- Haber Nida (30 Sep 2026)
- Uygur Haber (29 Sep 2026)
- Uyghur Times (3 Oct 2026)