Two Uyghur Men Face Possible Deportation from Thailand Amid Fears of Torture and Disappearance in China

Two Uyghur Men Face Possible Deportation from Thailand Amid Fears of Torture and Disappearance in China
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Two Uyghur men detained in Thailand are at risk of deportation to China, where human rights groups warn they could face torture, forced disappearance and other serious human rights abuses. One of the men has reportedly said he would be “like a slave” if returned, expressing a strong desire to be sent to any country other than China.

The men were recently transferred to an immigration detention centre after serving seven-year prison sentences linked to an attempted escape from detention in 2020. They were among more than 200 Uyghur men, women and children detained by Thai authorities in 2014 after fleeing China. While women and children were released to Turkey, several groups of men have been deported to China, including 40 men in February 2025. The United Nations has since said that the whereabouts of those deported remain unknown.

Human Rights Watch and other rights organisations have urged Thailand to allow the two men to travel to a safe third country rather than return them to China. The United Nations has previously described the repression of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region as potentially amounting to crimes against humanity. Beijing, however, maintains that its policies in the region are aimed at counter-terrorism and poverty alleviation.

Thailand’s National Security Council chief said the two men and three other Uyghurs still in prison were subject to arrest warrants in China.