UN News Today 27 February 2025 |

UN agencies condemn forced returns of Uyghurs from Thailand to China

Thailand’s deportation of 40 Uyghurs to China has prompted strong condemnation from the UN refugee agency – UNHCR – and the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk.

The Uyghurs originally came from China and had been detained in Thailand for more than a decade.

Spokesperson Babar Baloch said that sending them back represented “a clear violation” of the principle of non-refoulement by the Thai Government under international law:

“We at UNHCR had received reports that a group of figures detained in Bangkok was facing imminent deportation. My colleagues at UNHCR repeatedly sought access to the group and assurances from the Thai authorities that these individuals would not be deported. Let’s not forget that these individuals had expressed fears if they were returned so this is really an unfortunate development.”

The UN rights chief also condemned Thai authorities’ decision, noting that that no asylum-seekers should be sent back “where there is a real risk of torture, ill-treatment, or other irreparable harm upon their return”.

In 2022, a UN human rights office report found that “serious human rights violations” had been committed against the Uyghur and “other predominantly Muslim communities”.

Sudan staring into the abyss, Human Rights Council hears

Our next two items cover a busy day in the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which heard alarming reports that more than 600,000 Sudanese people “are on the brink of starvation”.

Issuing the alert was human rights chief Türk, who said that famine is reported to have taken hold in five areas including Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur.

The UN World Food Programme has just been forced to suspend its lifesaving operations due to intense fighting there, Mr. Türk said, as he presented a report detailing serious violations and abuses committed in Sudan by all sides to the conflict.

The Human Rights Council then turned its focus to Eritrea, where the country’s authorities remain responsible for widespread alleged serious crimes, including in neighbouring Ethiopia.

Ilze Brands-Kehris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, said that the Eritrean Defence Forces have continued to carry out grave crimes in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and elsewhere with total impunity.

“Our Office has credible information that Eritrean Defence Forces remain in Tigray and are committing violations, including abductions, rape, property looting, and arbitrary arrests,” she told the Council, before calling for the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean soldiers.

Türk condemns ‘dehumanizing’ narratives, disinformation on Gaza

Staying with the Human Rights Council, the human rights chief also called for an end to the “abhorrent, dehumanizing narratives” that continue to hamper a positive outcome to the Middle East crisis.

Mr. Türk said that he was deeply troubled by the “dangerous manipulation of language” and disinformation that surrounds discussions about the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“We need to make sure that we resist all efforts to spread fear or incite hatred, including abhorrent, dehumanizing narratives, whether they’re insidious or explicit. My Office will continue to work for justice for every victim and survivor by establishing and documenting the facts and standing firmly for accountability and the rule of law without exception.”

Mr. Türk repeated his appeal for the ceasefire to hold between Israel and Hamas, following the latest release of Palestinian prisoners and the bodies of four Israeli hostages, which marks the end of the first phase of the fragile truce agreement.

Daniel Johnson, UN News

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