Mr. Azat Qasim, a writer longing for Uyghurs’ independence for many years, died in Turkiye on September 13, 2023, due to illness, Uyghur Times Uyghur Edition reports.
As far as we know, Azat Qasim was born in the motherland, was prominent in literature, and lived in Central Asia for a while. He taught Uyghur organizations and well-known activists abroad about Uyghur history, political existence, independence, and armed struggle.
Uyghur activists abroad and those who met and exchanged ideas expressed the following opinions:
Uyghur activist in the Netherlands, Abdulrihim Gheni, said:
“We should learn from history, reflect on our past, and use it for our future. History reveals the truth to us when we can see our mistakes through this mirror of history. “If we ignore history as something unimportant, we will repeat the mistakes of history.”
Nuri Musabayov, from the United States, wrote on Facebook:
“Azat and I met in the United States in 2009 and again in Tokyo in 2012. Since then, we have been respecting each other and exchanging ideas.
Although we lived on opposite sides of the world, our hearts were close. We would discuss important issues without hesitation. The goal, intention, and purpose were the same.
My brother Azat foresaw that East Turkestan would not be independent without an armed conflict, so in his opinion, it was vital to establish a small East Turkestan army. He had tried his best to do so.
Even though he lived in Kyrgyzstan, he came to Turkey with the desire to build an East Turkestan army. He made many acquaintances with self-sacrificing, courageous, and those willing to take up arms in Turkiye and lived with them in Istanbul.
East Turkestan had formed an army and went to the Ladakh region of India to enter the motherland armed and prepared.
Brother Azat kept on moving between Kyrgyz Turkestan and India with the desire and plan to establish an army in East Turkestan. When preparing to send the 3rd layer to India, he suddenly fell ill and recently came to Istanbul for treatment.
Tahir Imin Uygarian said: “I had two phone calls with the deceased. He was a strong-willed and firm Uyghur nationalist. We shared many ideas about the future. Independence was the main topic of conversation. He wanted us to strengthen diplomatic activities to support our independence. Many of his ideas were implemented. We never met face-to-face.
