The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning Thailand’s deportation of Uyghurs to China. The resolution calls on Thailand to halt the return of Uyghurs to China and urges EU member states to suspend extradition agreements with China.
On March 13, 2025, during a parliamentary session at the European Union headquarters in Strasbourg, France, the European Parliament voted on a resolution titled “European Parliament Resolution on Democracy and Human Rights in Thailand, Particularly the Lèse-Majesté Law and the Deportation of Uyghur Refugees.”
Despite serious human rights concerns, the resolution denouncing Thailand’s deportation of Uyghurs to China and demanding an immediate halt to further deportations was passed with 482 votes in favor, 57 against, and 68 abstentions.
THAILAND VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW
The resolution included statements regarding both the Uyghurs already deported to China and those still detained in Thailand:
“On 27 February 2025, the Thai authorities violated international law by deporting at least 40 Uyghur refugees to China, where they risk arbitrary detention, torture and serious human rights violations; whereas other safe countries had offered to resettle the Uyghur refugees; Prior to their deportation, these individuals were detained in Thai immigration centres for over a decade, where at least five Uyghurs, including minors, reportedly died due to inhumane conditions.”
“THAILAND MUST IMMEDIATELY STOP FORCED REPATRIATION”
The resolution Condemns the deportation of Uyghur refugees to China; calls on the Thai authorities to immediately halt any further forced returns of refugees, asylum seekers and political dissidents to countries where their lives are at risk; Urges the Thai Government to grant the UNHCR unrestricted access to all detained Uyghur asylum seekers and provide transparent information on their status.
“CHINA MUST RELEASE DETAINED UYGHURS”
The resolution calls on China to respect the fundamental rights of the deported Uyghurs, ensure transparency about their whereabouts, grant the UNHCR access to them and release those detained.
“SUSPEND EXTRADITION AGREEMENTS WITH CHINA“
The resolution also calls on the European Commission to leverage Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to press Thailand to halt the deportation of Uyghur refugees and ratify all core International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions; calls on the Member States to suspend extradition treaties with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“GROWING SUPPORT FOR THE UYGHUR CAUSE IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT”
Speaking about the resolution with Zumretay Arkin, Vice President of the World Uyghur Congress, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Ilhan Kyuchyuk stated:
“Support for the Uyghur cause is growing here in the European Parliament, and we have witnessed new colleagues gladly supporting the Uyghur people because they understand the difficulties you and your relatives back home are facing. This should be our call again and again in this Parliament—to strengthen our solutions and ensure that these resolutions are well understood by other European institutions and widely heard by European citizens. The cause of the Uyghurs is a cause of dignity for people living together. They are not terrorists; they are ordinary people.”
— Uygur News (@Uygur_News) March 14, 2025
Kyuchyuk also emphasized the significance of this resolution, stating: “Of course, we will have to use many other instruments, and this is one of them. But symbolically speaking, resolutions usually create the strongest political impact in this European Parliament. So, do not see it as just another resolution.“
“THANK YOU TO MEPs, ESPECIALLY ILHAN KYUCHYUK”
Enver Can, appreciating the EP’s recent resolution and congratulating Zumretay Arkin, the Vice President of WUC, for extensively covering the resolution process and reaching out to many MPs, drew special attention to MEP Mr. Ilhan Kyuchyuk, who hosted the first international conference at the European Parliament on Prof. Ilham Tohti nine years ago.
Thus, as a co-founder and former WUC Special Representative to the EU, recalling his memory, he says:
“At the beginning of 2016, I began writing to some members of the EP, including Mr. Kyuchyuk and Barbara Lochbihler. Among them, Mr. Kyuchyuk responded and agreed to receive me and my colleague, Prof. Marie Holzman, in February. At the reception, I introduced Ilham Tohti and asked him to host a conference about the unjustly imprisoned Uyghur scholar. Indeed, he hosted an international conference at the EP on May 27, 2016, jointly with Barbara Lochbihler. At the conference, Ms. Lochbihler asked me what I wanted. I answered, saying, ‘Please nominate Ilham Tohti for the Sakharov Prize of the Parliament.’ Thus, he was nominated that same year and became the 2019 laureate.“
Mr. Kyuchyuk is one of the MEPs who were sanctioned by China for their unwavering support of human rights, including those of the Uyghurs. Mr. Can thanks Mr. Kyuchyuk on behalf of the Tohti family and the Uyghur nation for his decades-long wholehearted support.”
Be First to Comment