European Parliament condemns deportation of Uyghurs from Thailand to China

In a statement, European Parliament said in a statement: "Parliament condemns the deportation of Uyghur refugees to China, and urges Thailand to halt any further forced returns to countries where peoples’ lives are at risk."

"MEPs call on the Commission to leverage free trade agreement negotiations to press Thailand to reform the country’s lese-majesty law, release political prisoners, halt the deportation of Uyghur refugees, and to ratify all core International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions," the statement said.

"MEPs appeal to the Thai government to grant the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) unrestricted access to all detained Uyghur asylum seekers and provide transparent information on their status," the European Parliament's issued statement said.

The European Parliament said Thailand needs to strengthen its institutions in line with human rights standards and to grant amnesty to all parliamentarians and activists persecuted or imprisoned under repressive laws, including through convictions for lese-majesty.

"Extradition treaties with China should be suspended, MEPs say, insisting that China must respect the fundamental rights of deported Uyghurs, ensure transparency about their whereabouts, grant the UNHCR access, and release detainees," the statement said.

MEPs adopted the resolution by 482 votes in favour, 57 against and 68 abstentions. For further details, the full version will be available here. (13.03.2025)

The United States last month said it was alarmed' by Thailand government's decision to deport 40 Uyghurs to China.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X: "Thailand forcibly returned a group of Uyghurs to China."

"As a longstanding ally of Thailand, we are alarmed by this action, which runs afoul of its international obligations," he said.

He condemned the action taken by the Thailand government.

"The U.S. condemns this action. We urge the Thai government to ensure and verify that the Uyghurs are treated with dignity and that their rights are protected," he said.

WUC Calls Thailand's Move Unlawful

The World Uyghur Congress described the step taken by Thailand's government as 'unlawful'.

"The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) strongly condemns the forced deportation of 40 Uyghur refugees from Thailand to China. This unlawful act has put these individuals in grave danger, as they now face a high risk of persecution, torture, and other severe human rights abuses at the hands of Chinese authorities," the body which backs the right of Uyghurs said.

UN Condemns

The UN human rights office (OHCHR), together with refugee agency, UNHCR, also strongly condemned Thailand’s deportation of 40 Uyghurs to China, calling it a serious violation of international law and the fundamental principle of non-refoulement.

Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the forced return of the Uyghurs, who had been detained in Thailand for over 11 years, was deeply troubling.

“This violates the principle of non-refoulement for which there is a complete prohibition in cases where there is a real risk of torture, ill-treatment, or other irreparable harm upon their return,” he said.

Contained in Article 3 of the Convention against Torture, the principle prohibits returning individuals to a country where they face a risk of persecution, torture or ill-treatment. It is also referred to in Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, reads the UN website.

The right to seek asylum and of non-refoulement are also enshrined in Article 13 of Thailand’s Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, and Article 16 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

Detained Since 2014

The deported men were part of a larger group of Uyghurs who were detained in Thailand in March 2014, after leaving China, bound for Türkiye.

For over a decade, they were held in immigration detention centres under poor conditions, reads the UN website.

According to OHCHR, five members of the group have died in custody, while eight others remain detained in Thailand.