Turkish authorities have barred a Uyghur man possessing a long-term residence permit from re-entering the country after a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, citing a previously undisclosed security ban, the Uygur Haber news website reported.

The man, identified as Erkin Hamut, 58, was denied entry at İstanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport on January 15 after officials informed him that a security/entry ban code had been placed on his record. Authorities told Hamut that he would be deported back to Saudi Arabia.

Hamut said he had received no prior notification of any travel restrictions when he departed Turkey and was unaware of the ban until he was stopped upon his return. He has lived in the country with his family for many years and has no criminal record.

Uyghur community organizations and activists have urged Turkish authorities to lift the ban and permit Hamut to re-enter the country.

Türkiye’de uzun dönem oturum izni bulunan Uygur Türkü Erkin Hamut (Çin pasaportundaki adıyla Aierken Amuti), 10 gün önce İstanbul’dan iş ve umre ziyareti amacıyla Suudi Arabistan’a gitti.

15 Ocak’ta Türkiye’ye dönmek üzere… pic.twitter.com/VC7tS2EPlO

— Doğu Türkistan (@Uyghur_Report) January 19, 2026

Since late 2016 Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region have been subjected to mass arbitrary detention, torture and other abuses that rights groups and United Nations experts have described as crimes against humanity. Turkey has long served as a refuge for Uyghurs due to shared linguistic and cultural ties.

In addition to sharing a religion with the majority of Turkey’s population, Uyghurs — a Turkic ethnic group — also speak a similar language. An estimated 50,000 Uyghurs are currently living in Turkey, making it the largest Uyghur diaspora in the world. But a Turkey-China extradition treaty signed in 2017 that is still awaiting ratification by the Turkish Parliament has led to fears that it could be used to target Uyghurs in Turkey.