Shohret Hoshur

"Burning outside the fire is worse than burning inside [the fire]."

"“The Interpol chief, Meng Hongwei, wanted to take me back to China,” said [World Uyghur Congress] President Dolkun Isa, “[and] since he wasn’t able to do so, he went to the cell [that] was prepared for me [a] long time ago. This is because of the fact that, in China, jail is a place that should not [have a] vacant cell [at] any time.” President Dolkun Isa also said, “From time to time, I wonder: Should I apologize to Meng Hongwei for causing him to go to jail?”"

"We believe that under Prime Minister Takaichi’s guidance, the historic friendship between Japan and the Uyghur people can advance to new levels of cooperation, moral solidarity, and concrete action. Japan can play a decisive role in mobilizing democratic nations to confront the ongoing Uyghur genocide and to defend the universal values of freedom and justice. May our friendship grow stronger in this new chapter of Japan’s history. Warm greetings and heartfelt congratulations to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her colleagues."

"A language survives through natural social use, not through staged symbols."

"Genocide can be hidden for a while with friendly visits, but one day it will be revealed."

"Imagine that a valuable property of yours was being traded between two people right before your eyes—without your permission—and one of those people was a thief who had stolen your possession. At the same time, the other was a prominent person from your neighborhood who knows well that you are the rightful owner. How would you feel? Naturally, you would despise the thief’s shamelessness and [feel] deeply disappointed in the indifference of the prominent man. …Our call may not sound appealing to overly “realist” politicians, but it is the most reasonable call for those who believe in the power of truth, trust the right course of history, and have strategic foresight. Those who turn a deaf ear today will one day regret it when [the People's Republic of] China has taken complete control over the world. Finally, I remind all politicians around the globe that in international trade and politics, it is wise, strategic, moral, and lawful to speak with the valid owner of the goods, not with the thief."

"Can someone who has ignored a genocide at home truly feel empathy for suffering elsewhere?"

"Some fear that without [Radio Free Asia], the world will forget the Uyghurs’ suffering. I do not share that fear."