For several days, reports have surfaced in both social and official media about the potential deportation of Uyghurs from Thailand to China. Speaking as a former prisoner who endured six years in Chinese jails and as an Uyghur leader who has closely monitored the plight of Uyghurs, I must say that this is an extremely distressing development.
Radio Free Asia recently reported that some Uyghurs deported from Cambodia in 2010 are still imprisoned, with two having died in custody and another suffering severe illness while being subjected to forced labor. The report also revealed that even a pregnant woman, Shahida Kurban, faced brutal treatment, causing her to miscarry at four months.
A regime that shows no mercy to a pregnant woman will undoubtedly unleash even worse atrocities upon the 48 Uyghurs potentially deported from Thailand. Their fate will almost certainly be death. Thailand’s actions amount to handing innocent lives over to a wolf’s den, reflecting a lack of humanity and moral integrity.
The alarming aspect is not only the grim fate awaiting these 48 individuals but also the implications for their families, friends, and communities. Additionally, it undermines the decade-long efforts of countries, organizations, and individuals who have worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the Uyghur genocide and call for its end.
If the international community fails to protect even these refugees, it will not only fail the Uyghurs languishing in internment camps but also demonstrate an inability to save those seeking asylum. This failure will embolden China and other authoritarian regimes that support it, further solidifying their grip on power and perpetuating injustice.
Over the past decade, China has forcibly repatriated thousands of Uyghurs—refugees, students, and businesspeople—from countries such as Egypt, Malaysia, the UAE, Indonesia, and Central Asian republics. None of these individuals have been heard from again. Reports consistently reveal that they were imprisoned, sentenced to lengthy terms, and many succumbed to torture or forced labor.
Under such circumstances, remaining silent about the potential deportation of 48 Uyghurs from Thailand would signify a loss of humanity, a surrender to tyranny, and complicity in the oppressor’s atrocities.
I, therefore, call upon all governments, human rights activists, public figures, and influential individuals to pressure Thailand through their respective governments to revoke this potential decision and to remind China of its boundaries. I urge the United Nations and governments around the world to establish a safe pathway for these 48 Uyghurs to be relocated to a third country where they can live in freedom and security.
Rebiya Kadeer
Leader of the Uyghur National Movement