Thailand is under international pressure, notably from the new US administration, over the fate of dozens of Uyghur men who have been kept in jail for more than a decade, following claims that the Thai government intended to transfer them to China.
On Tuesday, United Nations experts asked Thailand to “immediately halt the possible transfer,” saying that the men would face “real risk of torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment if they are returned.”
Concerns about the 48 men jailed in Bangkok since 2014 have grown after a Uyghur activist provided a voice message from one of the inmates, who stated that the guys had been on hunger strike since January 10 in a desperate protest against repatriation.
Arslan Hidayat, an activist working with Justice for All’s Save Uyghur campaign, told CNN that the men were still on hunger strike as of Tuesday.
The 48 men were arrested by Thai authorities 11 years ago after crossing the border to Thailand in an attempt to escape persecution in China.
They were part of a larger group of about 350 people detained at the time, some of whom were minors, according to previous reports from UN experts, rights groups, and Uyghur campaigners.
Five Uyghur detainees, including a new-born and a 3-year-old, have died in detention, the reports said.
Human rights groups and campaigners say that in the years since, the men have been held in “in life-threatening conditions” without access to lawyers, family members or UN representatives. Human Rights Watch said the men were living in “squalid conditions with poor hygiene and inadequate medical care.”
Fears the 48 would be imminently transferred to Chinese custody arose on January 8 when Thai authorities reportedly gave the detainees “voluntary return” documents to sign, according to the Save Uyghur campaign. Detainees told the group their photos were taken and reported an increase in threats of deportation from officials in the immigration detention centre.
Thai officials have rejected plans to deport the Uyghurs, according to local media reports. CNN has contacted Thai police and the country’s defence minister for comment.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Wednesday that “the matter involves judicial cooperation between two sovereign states.”
According to ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, UN experts should respect member states’ judicial autonomy and desist from making reckless remarks, as stated in the UN charter.
