The immigration of Uyghurs from their homeland of East Turkistan took place in several waves. These waves usually occurred when the living conditions for the Uyghurs worsened or, conversely, when it became easier for them to leave the country.
Some Uyghurs emigrated in the mid-1930s after the first East Turkestan Republic was dissolved in the 20th century after a short duration, mainly to Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
A few hundred Uyghurs who left East Turkestan in late 1949 after the Communist takeover in China first settled in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and then moved to Turkey, where they established Uyghur diaspora organizations with the support of the Turkish government.
In 1962, more than 60,000 inhabitants of the Ili region fled from East Turkistan to Kazakhstan, which at that time was part of the Soviet Union. Therefore, Kazakhstan is also home to the largest uyghur diaspora community.
In the late 1970s, the then President of the People's Republic of China initiated a reform process and an "open door policy" that allowed a larger number of Uyghurs than before to leave East Turkistan. Since the 1980s, several thousand of them have settled around the world, in some cases with the help of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In the early 1990s, Uyghurs began to emigrate, mainly to Europe, the USA and Canada. Even today, the Uyghur diaspora in Europe is a relatively small group, with a few thousand refugees. In addition, there are several thousand Uyghurs in Turkey, where they have found safe refuge since the 1960s.
In all countries to which Uyghurs have emigrated, Uyghur organizations for the protection of the human rights of the people of East Turkestan have emerged. The Uyghurs in exile never forgot their brothers in their homeland. Soon, all Uyghur organizations abroad decided to unite under a worldwide and international organization that would give more effectiveness, be a unified voice in the struggle against the communist regime in their homeland.
In April 2004, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) was founded in Munich. The World Uyghur Congress is a democratic organization whose representation is elected by delegates from all over the world in the General Assembly for three years. The World Uyghur Congress, as an umbrella organization, maintains close contact with most Uyghur organizations around the world that advocate for the observance of human rights, religious freedom, and democracy for the Uyghur people in East Turkistan through peaceful instruments.
Members of the World Uyghur Congress are:
- Australian East Turkestan Association(Australia)
- Australian Uyghur Association(Australia)
- Viktoria Uyghur Association(Australia)
- Austria Uyghur Association(Austria)
- Belgium Uyghur Association(Belgium)
- Canada East Turkestan Union(Canada)
- Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project(Canada)
- East Turkistan Association in Finland(Finland)
- France Uyghur Community(France)
- East Turkistan Union in Europe(Germany)
- Uyghur Women’s Committee in Germany(Germany)
- Uyghur Mother’s Union in Germany(Germany)
- Ilham Tohti Initiative(Germany)
- Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Right(Germany)
- Japan Uyghur Association(Japan)
- Uyghur Youth Union in Kazakhstan(Kazakhstan)
- Society Union of Uyghur National Association(Kazakhstan)
- Kazakhstan National Cultur Center(Kazakhstan)
- “Ittipak” Uigur Society of the Kyrgyz Republic(Kyrgyz Republic)
- Bishkek Human Rights Committee(Kyrgyz Republic)
- Uzbekistan Uyghur Culture Center(Uzbekistan)
- East Turkistan Education Union in Europe(Netherland)
- Uyghur-Dutch Human Rights Foundation(Netherland)
- Uyghur Transitional Justice Database(Norway)
- Norway Uyghur Committee(Norway)
- Sweden Uyghur Education Union(Sweden)
- Switzerland East Turkestan Association(Switzerland)
- World Uyghur Congress Foundation(Turkey)
- Eastern Turkistan Foundation(Turkey)
- Isa Yusup Alptekin Foundation(Turkey)
- East Turkistan Youth and Cultural Association(Turkey)
- Uyghur Research Institute(Turkey)
- Euro-Asia Foundation, Teklimakan Publishing House(Turkey)
- Uighur U.K. Association(Great Britain)
- Uyghur American Association(USA)
- Uyghur Human Right Project(USA)
- Campaign for Uyghurs(USA)
- International Uyghur Human Right and Democracy Foundation(USA)