UHRP Urges Thailand to Halt Deportation of Two Uyghur Men Facing Imminent Return to China

For immediate release
October 30, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. EDT
Contact: Omer Kanat, +1 (202) 790-1795 

The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) urgently calls upon the Thai government to halt any plans to deport the two Uyghur men currently held in immigration detention who reportedly face imminent return to China, where the men face grave risk of torture, enforced disappearance, and other severe human rights violations. UHRP also urges governments worldwide to press the Thai government to prevent further deportations and calls on third countries to offer resettlement to all five Uyghurs who remain in detention in Thailand. 

The reports come less than two years after Thailand forcibly returned 40 Uyghur men to China in February 2025, despite widespread international condemnation and warnings that they faced severe human rights violations. The fate and whereabouts of those 40 men remain unknown, with no independently verified proof of life. Thailand previously deported another 109 Uyghurs to China in 2015.

“Thailand must not repeat its devastating mistakes of the past by sending these men back into the hands of the Chinese government,” said UHRP Executive Director Omer Kanat. “We have already seen what happens when Uyghurs are forcibly returned to China. The Thai government must uphold its international human rights obligations.” 

The five men are among approximately 300 Uyghurs who fled persecution in East Turkistan and were detained by Thai authorities in 2014. They have since endured more than a decade of arbitrary detention in inhumane and degrading conditions, with inadequate access to medical care. Five Uyghurs, including young children, have died in Thai custody.

Any further deportations would once again violate the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they face a serious risk of torture, persecution, or other grave human rights violations. Thailand has an obligation under international law to uphold this fundamental principle, further reinforced by its status as a State Party to both the Convention against Torture (CAT) and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED).

UHRP calls on the Thai government to immediately halt any deportations, release the five remaining Uyghur detainees, and facilitate their safe resettlement in third countries. UHRP further urges other governments to use all available diplomatic channels to prevent further deportations and offer concrete pathways to resettlement.

Read more:

Uyghur Deportations from Thailand Part of a Decade of Betrayal, by Peter Irwin, July 8, 2025

UHRP Welcomes State Department’s Visa Restrictions on Thai Officials, Calls for Immediate Resettlement of Remaining Uyghurs, March 17, 2025

UHRP Calls on Thailand to Immediately Halt Deportation of 48 Uyghurs, Uphold International Law, February 26, 2026

UHRP Welcomes UN Letter on Arbitrary Detention Cases in Thailand, Urges Immediate Resettlement, April 24, 2024

WUC and UHRP Grieved by Death of Uyghur Refugee in Detention Center in Thailand, April 24, 2024

52 Uyghur Groups Call for an End to Prolonged Detention of Uyghurs in Thailand, July 8, 2022

Uyghur American Association urges UNHCR and the United States to work closely with Thai government on resettlement of Uyghur refugees, November 19, 2014