What changed

B100192/2025

B100191/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on democracy and Humanhuman Rightsrights in Thailand, notably the cases of the lese-majesty law and the deportation of Uyghur refugees

(2025/2594(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 150(5) andits 136(4)previous ofresolutions itson RulesChina ofand Procedure,Thailand;

a) whereas since 2020 over 1.960 pro-democracy activists, human rights defenders, and journalists, including more than 280 children, were indicted or condemned for their opinionsunder the lèse-majesté law and other repressive laws used to curb freedom of expression, such asthe Sedition Law, the Public Assembly Act and the Computer Crimes Act;

having regard to Rule 150(5) of its RoP,

b) whereas several human rights defenders, including Arnon Nampa, Anchan Preelert and Mongkhon Thirakot, have been sentenced to up to 50 years in prison for expressing their views or sharing posts on social media about the monarchy;

whereas on 27 February 2025, the Thai authorities reportedly deported 48 Uyghur refugees to China,

c) whereas the Constitutional Court dissolved the largest party (Move Forward Partyand 44 of its MPs are under investigation for proposing amendments to the lèse-majesté law, facing potential lifetime bans from politics;

whereas China’s treatment of ethnic minorities has been widely condemned by the international community and Uyghur refugees are fleeing persecution, mass arbitrary detention, forced labour, and systematic repression in Xinjiang;

d) whereas several MPs, including Piyarat Chongthep, Rakchanok Srinok, Chonthicha Jangrew face ongoing prosecutions under the lèse-majesté law for their political activities and statements;

whereas the forced return of asylum seekers to a country where they face persecution violates the principle of non-refoulement under international human rights and refugee law;

e) whereas in February 2025 Thai authorities forcibly returned 40 Uyghur asylum seekers to China, raising concerns about their safety due to reports of arbitrary detention and mistreatment; whereas they had spent 11 years in Thai immigration detention,centreswhere at least five Uyghur detainees, including minors, reportedly died due to very poor conditions and inadequate medical care; whereas other Uyghur refugees are still imprisoned, including Bilal Mohammed and Yusufu Mieraili, who faced due process violations in their trials since 2015;

whereas under Thailands criminal code, criticism of the monarchy in punishable with 3 to 15 years in prison;

f) whereas Thailand’s deportation of Uyghur refugees, arbitrary detention and lack of fair trial rights violate its international obligations under the non-refoulement principle and the Convention against Torture and the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act;

whereas Canada and US offered to take the 48 people;

g) whereas these violations represent an obstacle to the ongoing EU -Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, whose outcome is conditioned on economic and political criteria, including the respect for democracy and human rights;

Strongly condemns the deportation of Uyghur refugees and calls on the Thai authorities to immediately halt any further forced returns of Uyghur asylum seekers and refugees;

1. Calls on Thailand to consolidate its progress towards democracy and political stability, uphold fundamental freedoms and human rights;

Calls on the Thailand authorities to provide information on the whereabouts and legal status of the eight remaining Uyghur refugees who have not yet been deported;

2. Urges the Thai Government to amend or repeal the lèse-majesté law, to uphold fundamental freedoms, to grant amnesty and release all those detained under the lèse-majesté law, and dismiss politically motivated charges against parliamentarians, activists and journalists;

Urges the EU to explore diplomatic measures to ensure it complies with international refugee protection obligations;

3. Calls on Thailand to uphold human rights and adhere to its international obligations, particularly on refugee protection, against torture and enforced disappearance;

Expresses deep concern for the safety and well-being of the deported Uyghur refugees and calls on China to guarantee their fundamental rights, ensure transparency regarding their whereabouts, and allow independent observers access to verify their conditions;

4. Condemns the deportation of Uyghur refugees to China and calls on the Thai Government to provide information on the situation of the Uyghur refugees still detained, to halt the deportation of refugees and asylum seekers to countries where they risk torture or other serious violations, to grant unfettered access to the UNCHR and to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol;

Urges the Thai government to fully adhere to the principle of non-refoulement and to establish a transparent, fair, and humane asylum system in cooperation with international agencies;

5. Calls on the Commission to condition the FTA negotiations on reforming repressive laws, particularly the lèse-majesté law, releasing all political prisoners, halting the deportation of Uyghur refugees, and ratifying all core ILO conventions;

Calls on EU Member States to offer international protection to Uyghur refugees and to increase global coordination to protect Uyghur refugees at risk of deportation;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to all relevant parties.

Demands that the UNHCR be granted full and unrestricted access to Uyghur asylum seekers in Thailand to assess their protection needs; urges Thailand to collaborate with UNHCR and third countries offering to provide asylum to the remaining Uyghur refugees, once their sentence is completed

Encourages the EU to review its relations with Thailand in light of these human rights violations and to condition closer cooperation on improvements in the protection of refugees and asylum seekers;

Reiterates its call for the PRC to end its systematic repression of Uyghurs and to allow an independent international investigation into human rights abuses in Xinjiang;

Calls for an official statement from the EU denouncing Thailand’s complicity in China’s transnational repression of Uyghurs; Urges the EU and the Member States to adopt sanctions against high-ranking officials and entities involved in human rights violations in China;

Calls on Thailand to revoke the lese majesty laws and to sign and ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Governments and Parliaments of Thailand and to China, the EC, the EEAS, the UNSG, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.