The president of the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights (UZDM), Dolkun Isa, attended the 29th edition of the Forum 2000 Conference in Prague in early October 2025. This important international event, which took place from October 12 to 14, brought together leading figures from politics, civil society, and academia to discuss the strengthening of democratic values in an increasingly authoritarian world.
The conference opened with a cultural highlight: for the first time in the history of the forum, the opening ceremony featured traditional Uyghur music and dance. Dr. Gülzade Tanrıdağlı and her daughter Dolunay Tanrıdağlı contributed to a powerful show of solidarity with Uyghur culture and identity with their performance. This symbolic gesture was understood by the organizers as a clear message to the Chinese government.
During the conference, participants discussed topics such as strengthening democratic ties in a fragmented world, dealing with 21st-century authoritarianism, the role of democracy in the digital age, and supporting Ukraine in the context of geopolitical challenges.
Dolkun Isa and the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) team took the opportunity to draw attention to the ongoing human rights violations in the Uyghur region of Xinjiang and to encourage the international community to strengthen its commitment to Uyghur rights. Participation in the Forum 2000 conference provided a platform to position the concerns of the Uyghur diaspora in a global context and promote dialogue on human rights and democracy.