Thailand: Two Uyghurs at Risk of Return to China

Human Rights Watch reported that two Uyghur men held in Thailand since 2014 face imminent deportation to China after being transferred to an immigration detention center following a royal pardon. The organization urged Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to halt forced returns and permit resettlement, citing international nonrefoulement obligations.

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Detention Transfer and Deportation Risks

Human Rights Watch stated that two Uyghur men, whose names remain withheld, have been detained by Thai authorities since 2014, when one was 14 years old. After serving most of a seven-year sentence for an escape attempt from a detention center, authorities transferred them from Bangkok Central Prison to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center Suan Phlu on October 21, 2026.

According to Human Rights Watch, Thai Foreign Ministry officials informed a parliamentary committee that the Chinese embassy in Bangkok requested the men's return in August. Lawyers representing the detainees informed Thai authorities that the men do not consent to going to China, yet Thai immigration authorities have repeatedly blocked the UNHCR from accessing them.

Historical Context and International Reactions

Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, noted that previous Thai administrations transferred Uyghurs to Beijing, resulting in enforced disappearances. Thailand forcibly deported over 100 Uyghur men in July 2015 and another 40 men in February 2025, drawing strong condemnations from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

UN human rights experts stated on the anniversary of the 2025 deportations that families of the returnees have received no confirmation of their whereabouts or whether they are alive. Human Rights Watch called on Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to end these actions and allow the two men to travel to a safe third country.

International Obligations and Xinjiang Abuses

Human Rights Watch highlighted that Thailand is bound by the principle of nonrefoulement under customary international law and the UN Convention Against Torture, barring returns where individuals face genuine risks of torture or severe human rights violations. Thailand’s own Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act similarly prohibits such deportations.

The organization noted that China has intensified widespread and systematic abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang over the past decade, including arbitrary detention, mass surveillance, and forced labor. Uyghurs forcibly returned to China are viewed with intense suspicion and subjected to severe mistreatment, while independent monitoring of returnees remains absent.

Other reports on this event

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Amnesty International · 2026-11-04Thailand Urged to Halt Forcibly Returning Uyghur Men

Amnesty International reported that two Uyghur men transferred to an immigration detention center in Thailand face imminent deportation to China. Secretary General Agnès Callamard urged Thai authorities to immediately halt the plans, grant legal access, and warned that returning them would violate the principle of non-refoulement.

Incident Sequence and Background

According to Amnesty International, two Uyghur men were released from prison under a royal pardon on October 21, 2026, and transferred to an Immigration Detention Centre in Bangkok, where they face imminent forcible deportation to China.

The two men are among five remaining individuals from a group of over 300 Uyghurs apprehended without charge by Thai authorities on March 13, 2014, after fleeing persecution in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and spending more than a decade in detention.

Reported Context and Restrictions

Amnesty International stated that following previous deportations, Thai authorities visited Xinjiang at China's invitation, though monitoring NGOs reported that the visits failed to establish the safety and whereabouts of all deportees.

The organization reported that the two men have expressed fear of return and do not consent, but since their transfer to the detention center, Thai authorities have denied them access to lawyers, civil society groups, and the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand.

Rights Concerns and Legal Obligations

Amnesty International stated that returning the men would expose them to a real risk of torture, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearance, breaching international law on non-refoulement and Thailand's domestic anti-torture legislation.

The organization noted that it has previously documented crimes against humanity against Uyghurs in Xinjiang and asserted that diplomatic assurances from China cannot override Thailand's international obligations.

Amnesty International ↗