Human rights violated in Thailand over Uyghur deportations: European Parliament

The European Parliament has condemned Thailand’s deportation of Uyghur detainees to China in late February and urged Thailand to halt any further forced returns to countries where people's lives are at risk.

Members of the European Parliament meeting on Thursday also appealed to the Thai government to grant the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) unrestricted access to all detained Uyghur asylum seekers and to provide transparent information on their status.

They urged Thailand 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 those convicted of lese-majesty.

Extradition treaties with China should be suspended, according to the European Parliament’s press release, which insisted that China must respect the fundamental rights of deported Uyghurs, ensure transparency regarding their whereabouts, grant the UNHCR access, and release detainees.

It also called on Thailand to ratify all core International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.

The members also called on the European Commission to leverage free trade agreement negotiations to press Thailand to reform its lese-majesty law and release political prisoners.

MEPs adopted the resolution by 482 votes in favor, 57 against, and 68 abstentions.