CIVICUS speaks to Rushan Abbas, activist, human rights defender and executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs, a US-based civil society organisation that advocates for the rights and freedoms of Uyghur people in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkistan, and around the world. Campaign for Uyghurs was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.

Forty-eight Uyghur men who’ve been detained in Thailand since 2014 recently held a 17-day hunger strike to protest against their possible deportation to China. Human rights advocates warn that deportation could subject the detainees to torture or enforced disappearance. International pressure is mounting, with the United Nations (UN) and the USA urging Thailand to uphold human rights and the legal principle of non-refoulement – the principle that a person can’t be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Concern about the detainees is growing ahead of a visit by Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to China this month.

Why are these Uyghur people in detention in Thailand?

In 2014, Thai authorities detained over 300 Uyghur refugees who’d fled the Chinese Communist Party’s escalating persecution in East Turkistan. That year, China launched the ‘Strike Hard Campaign’, a so-called counterterrorism effort that was used as a pretext for mass surveillance, religious repression and arbitrary arrests. Uyghurs were detained simply for practising their faith, owning a Quran or refusing alcohol, laying the groundwork for a full-scale genocide.

In 2015, Thailand forcibly deported 109 Uyghurs to China, where they disappeared. We fear that most of them are either dead or have been sentenced to harsh prison terms. Another 173, mostly women and children, were resettled in Turkey, while the remaining ones have been held in Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) for over a decade in inhumane conditions. Despite having committed no crimes, they suffer from overcrowding, poor sanitation, malnutrition and denial of medical care. Five detainees, including children, have died in custody.

Since 2017, China has detained up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic groups in vast networks of ‘re-education’ camps — centres of torture, forced sterilisation and indoctrination aimed at erasing Uyghur identity. The UN, the US State Department and the UK-based Uyghur Tribunal have recognised these as crimes against humanity and genocide.

What does the detainees’ hunger strike reveal about what they would expect to face in China?

The 48 Uyghur refugees currently held in the IDC face threats of deportation back to China, where they would likely disappear into China’s concentration camps or be subjected to torture, forced labour, organ harvesting or death. In desperation, they launched a hunger strike on 10 January, risking their lives to protest against their indefinite detention and the prospect of being sent back to the horror they escaped. The strike lasted 17 days and ended on 27 January.

I travelled to Bangkok in January to meet with a member of parliament, civil society leaders, diplomats, human rights defenders and journalists, seeking support to stop this atrocity. I witnessed the pain and fear of my people firsthand, though what I saw was only a fraction of their suffering.

In East Turkistan, the genocide continues. Families are separated, and many have no way of knowing if their loved ones are still alive. Children are torn from their parents and placed in state-run orphanages, where they are stripped of their identity and forced to denounce their culture and religion. Those who aren’t detained are sent across China for forced labour under conditions akin to slavery.

My sister, Dr Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical doctor, is among those who have disappeared. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison on false ‘terrorism’ charges. Her only ‘crime’ is being my sister — an activist who chose to speak out and exercise their First Amendment rights in the USA. Unfortunately, my family’s plight is just one among millions.

How does Thailand’s treatment of Uyghur refugees compare with international standards?

Thailand’s treatment of Uyghur refugees violates international refugee protection standards, particularly the principle of non-refoulement under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) guidelines. Despite well-documented evidence of the persecution Uyghurs face in China, Thailand forcibly deported over a hundred in 2015, leading to their disappearance or imprisonment upon arrival.

Those still in Thailand endure indefinite detention in overcrowded, inhumane conditions, without access to asylum processing, legal aid or medical care. Uyghurs have no safe legal pathway to remain in Thailand or be resettled in another country.

China uses its economic power and political influence to pressure governments into ignoring human rights obligations in exchange for trade deals, investment and political support. Instead of bowing to China’s influence, Thailand must uphold its international legal commitments as a sovereign state. Deporting Uyghurs to China violates its obligations under the CAT and its own Anti-Torture Act, both of which prohibit returning people to countries where they risk persecution or torture.

What should international human rights organisations do to protect the Uyghur detainees?

International human rights organisations must act urgently to prevent the deportation of Uyghur detainees and ensure their safety. First, they must pressure the Thai government to halt any deportation plans and push for the immediate release of these refugees. They have already endured severe persecution, and their only hope lies in international intervention to secure their freedom and facilitate safe resettlement.

The UNHCR must also step up and fulfil its mandate to protect refugees by actively engaging with Thai authorities to find viable resettlement options, not just in Thailand but globally. Uyghurs who have fled persecution deserve a chance to rebuild their lives in safety, and it is the responsibility of international agencies to ensure they are not abandoned.

Global powers must also apply diplomatic pressure on Thailand to uphold its international obligations, offer resettlement opportunities, leverage trade agreements and make clear that compliance with China’s demands will not go unchallenged. The European Union must reconsider its discussion with Thailand on a free trade agreement unless Thailand releases these Uyghur refugees into a safe country.

The world cannot remain silent on China’s campaign of genocide and transnational repression, and shouldn’t allow it to manipulate international laws for its authoritarian agenda. Holding it accountable is about more than justice for Uyghurs, and it’s not only Thailand’s responsibility; it’s about defending human rights everywhere and preventing further atrocities, and it’s a test for the international community as a whole.