Dolkun Isa is the president of the World Uyghur Congress, whose main aim is to promote the right of the Uyghur people to use peaceful , nonviolent, and democratic means to determine the political future of East Turkestan. Because of his work, China labelled Dolkun a terrorist.
The first Dolkun knew of any possible INTERPOL alert was shown he was shown a fax from INTERPOL by German police in 1999. Representations were made to INTERPOL on his behalf in 2010, and later twice by Fair Trials in 2017.
Dolkun fled China in the mid-1990s, as a result of pressure he felt because of his active involvement in Uyghur causes. In 1988 he had been involved as a leader of the Uyghur democratic students demonstration, and as a result he was placed under house arrest and was kicked out of university. Dolkun applied for refugee status in Germany, which was granted in 1996. He later took German citizenship.
Dolkun faced serious charges from China, charges that many considered to be politically motivated. In July 2017, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson was reported as saying that “Dolkun Isa is a terrorist wanted under the red notice of Interpol and by the Chinese police. To bring him to justice is what should be done.”
