• Activists from the “Open Rafah” group have called for a protest outside the Thai Consulate on Yildirim Oguz Goker Street in Istanbul’s Besiktas at 19:00 (local time) on February 28.
• The demonstration aims to condemn the Thai government’s recent decision to return 48 Uyghur Turks to China, a decade after they entered Thailand.

Activists in Turkey periodically organize protests advocating for the rights of the Uyghur Muslim minority, who are allegedly targeted by China’s “state-sponsored genocide” in the East Turkestan region [reference to Xinjiang Autonomous Region]. The latest demonstration condemns the deportation, amid activists’ concerns that the detainees will face ill-treatment and imprisonment upon their return to China. FORECAST: Based on precedent, the slated protest is expected to draw a turnout in the mid-to-high dozens and is likely to proceed peacefully without incidents of unrest. Regardless, a heightened security presence near the Thai Consulate can be anticipated as a precautionary measure. Localized disruptions to vehicular and pedestrian traffic are likely in the vicinity of the consulate from the evening hours of February 28.

Those operating or residing in Istanbul during the evening hours on February 28 are advised to maintain heightened vigilance and allot for disruptions due to the slated protest outside the Thai Consulate.