Voices Behind the Pen

Voice of Uyghurs

Our Team

Meet the researchers, journalists and contributors behind Voice of Uyghurs. Our team brings together research, reporting and academic perspectives to examine issues affecting Uyghur communities and human rights.

Danish Qureshi

Danish Qureshi

Researcher & Contributing Writer

London-based researcher and writer specialising in China, Xinjiang, international human-rights policy, transnational repression and the Uyghur diaspora.

China & Xinjiang Human Rights Transnational Repression
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Danish Qureshi is a London-based researcher and contributing writer specialising in China, Xinjiang, international human-rights policy, transnational repression, and the Uyghur diaspora. His work examines how Chinese domestic policies, legislation, security practices, and international engagement affect ethnic and religious minority communities.

His research interests include Chinese ethnic and minority policy, Xinjiang governance, religious and cultural restrictions, transnational repression, international human-rights mechanisms, diplomacy, and the role of multilateral institutions in responding to human-rights concerns.

At Voice of Uyghurs, Danish contributes research and analysis based on government documents, Chinese laws and policy materials, reports from international organisations, human-rights documentation, academic research, and open-source information. His work seeks to place developments concerning Uyghur communities within the broader context of Chinese domestic governance and international human-rights policy.

He also follows the activities of institutions such as the United Nations and other international human-rights bodies, examining how governments, international organisations, and civil-society groups respond to allegations of repression and restrictions on fundamental rights.

His research approach emphasises document-based analysis, verification of open-source material, policy interpretation, and careful comparison of official narratives with independently documented evidence.

Damla Aydın

Damla Aydın

Investigative Journalist & Human Rights Researcher

Turkish investigative journalist and researcher based in London, focusing on Uyghur rights, China studies, digital repression and minority rights.

Investigative Journalism Digital Repression Minority Rights
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Damla Aydın is a Turkish investigative journalist and human rights researcher based in London, United Kingdom. Her work focuses on Uyghur rights, China studies, digital repression, minority rights, and the broader impact of state policies on vulnerable communities.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies from the Faculty of Communication at Istanbul University, where she studied from 2010 to 2014. Her academic training focused on investigative reporting, political communication, media ethics, and international affairs, providing a strong foundation for her subsequent work in journalism and human rights research.

Her professional interests center on documenting and analysing issues related to human rights violations, restrictions on freedom of expression, digital surveillance, information control, and the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities.

She has a particular interest in developments affecting Uyghur communities and in examining how digital technologies and state policies influence civil liberties, identity, and access to information.

Through her research and journalism, Damla seeks to combine evidence-based reporting, open-source research, and human rights analysis to make complex political and social issues more accessible to wider audiences.

Aylin Tursun

Aylin Tursun

Doctoral Researcher & Contributor

Doctoral researcher in Religious Studies whose work examines religion, identity, cultural preservation and Uyghur religious and cultural life.

Religious Studies Uyghur Identity Cultural Preservation
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Aylin Tursun is a doctoral researcher in Religious Studies and a PhD researcher with the Democracy Lab at the University of Virginia. Her academic work focuses on the intersections of religion, identity, cultural preservation, and Muslim communities, with particular attention to Uyghur religious and cultural life.

Her research interests include Uyghur religious practices, state regulation of religion, religious freedom, diaspora identity, cultural preservation, and social and cultural change.

Through her research, she examines how political and social environments shape religious expression, community identity, and the preservation of cultural traditions.

She also contributes research-based analysis on religious freedom, Uyghur identity, cultural heritage, and related social issues to Voice of Uyghurs, helping connect academic perspectives with contemporary issues affecting Uyghur communities.