November 05, 2025

Students from Sivas Cumhuriyet University carried out a meaningful awareness activity to draw attention to the human rights violations that have been ongoing for years in East Turkestan.

Students from Sivas Cumhuriyet University (SCÜ) conducted a significant awareness protest to draw attention to the years-long human rights violations in East Turkestan and the oppression against Uyghur, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Turkmen, and Kazakh Turks.

The students hung the flag of East Turkestan alongside the Turkish flag on the eight-century-old historic Twin Minaret Madrasa, one of the city's iconic structures. This marked the first time a flag-hanging event of this kind was carried out at the historic Sivas Twin Minaret.

A "We Are Not Staying Silent" Message from the Turan Youth

The students, members of the Sivas Cumhuriyet University's Turkic World Related Communities who organized the event, stated that they carried out this action to not remain silent in the face of oppression and injustice.
University student Canubek Ömürkan, who hung the flag on the historic minaret, expressed his feelings with the following words:

Canubek Ömürkan: "It was a great source of pride for me and my friends because we are achieving a first in Sivas. Oppression is being carried out by certain powers, especially in Palestine and East Turkestan. As the conscious youth of the Turkic world, we could not remain silent against the ongoing oppression and tragic events. We want to make every effort we can."

Ömürkan emphasized that they particularly wanted to create awareness about the persecution faced by their brothers and sisters in East Turkestan.

The Reason for Choosing This Historic Structure

Explaining the reasons for choosing the Twin Minaret Madrasa for the awareness event, student Canubek Ömürkan highlighted its historical texture and its high visibility in city traffic:

"The Twin Minaret Madrasa is a historic place, and we thought it was appropriate to hang the flag here because many people pass by. We hung the blue and white East Turkestan flag, one of the important symbols of the Turkic world, and the Turkish flag, which we love as our own lives. Our purpose here is to create global awareness against all the oppression that is taking place."

The Sivas Cumhuriyet University's Turkic World Related Communities once again expressed the importance of the action, stating, "We are experiencing the pride and honor of hanging the flag in that high place."