Joining hundreds of women in Istanbul to protest China's treatment of Uyghurs, Nursiman Abdurasit tearfully thinks of her jailed mother in Xinjiang and fears that Uyghurs like her in Turkey may one day be sent back under an extradition deal.

Beijing approved an extradition treaty between the two nations in December and with the deal awaiting ratification by Ankara's parliament, activists among some 40,000 Uyghurs living in Turkey have stepped up efforts to highlight their plight.

Abdurasit came to Turkey to study in 2015 and lost contact with her family four years ago. Last summer she discovered her parents and two brothers had been given long jail sentences on suspicion of unspecified "terrorism-related activities."