UNPO welcomes the European Parliament’s adoption of a resolution addressing democracy and human rights in Thailand, particularly concerning the forced deportation of Uyghur refugees and the use of repressive laws, including lese-majesty provisions, to silence political dissent.
The European Parliament’s resolution strongly condemns the Thai authorities’ flagrant violation of international law with the forced deportation of at least 40 Uyghur refugees to China on 27 February 2025, despite clear risks of arbitrary detention, torture, and severe human rights violations. The resolution calls on Thailand to immediately halt any further deportations, grant UNHCR full access to detained Uyghurs, and implement a transparent and humane asylum system.
Additionally, the resolution addresses the alarming state of democratic freedoms in Thailand, particularly the widespread use of lese-majesty laws to suppress dissent. Since 2020, over 1,960 pro-democracy activists, journalists, and human rights defenders, including over 280 minors, have been prosecuted under repressive laws such as the lese-majesty law (Article 112), the Sedition Act, the Public Assembly Act, and the Computer Crimes Act. The European Parliament resolution condemns the disproportionate prison sentences given to peaceful critics, some of whom face up to 50 years in prison. The resolution also raises concerns over the political suppression of opposition parties, pointing out the dissolution of Thailand’s largest party and the indictment of 44 MPs for proposing amendments to the lese-majesty law.
The resolution calls for stronger EU action, including leveraging ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to press for human rights reforms, the suspension of extradition treaties with China, and support for pro-democracy movements in Thailand.
Transnational Repression and Compromised Spaces
The forced deportation of Uyghur refugees by Thailand despite facing imminent danger in China, and the use of repressive legislation illustrate broader patterns of transnational repression and the erosion of democratic spaces, concerns that have been increasingly documented by UNPO. These actions align with a trend in which authoritarian states leverage legal, political, and diplomatic mechanisms to silence dissent, control marginalized communities, and, in some cases, extend authoritarian practices beyond their own borders.
Thailand’s lese-majesty law and its broader legal framework, which has been used to prosecute political opposition and civil society actors, reflect the ways in which compromised civic spaces manifest in different national contexts. These measures serve to constrain political expression, limit public debate, and suppress opposition under the guise of maintaining national security or public order. At the same time, the deportation of Uyghur refugees, despite well-documented risks of arbitrary detention and ill-treatment in China, is indicative of the interplay between domestic restrictions on freedoms and broader patterns of transnational repression. By facilitating forced deportations of targeted groups, states become complicit in practices that undermine international refugee protections and expose vulnerable populations to significant harm.
The European Parliament’s resolution aligns with UNPO’s longstanding advocacy against the shrinking of democratic spaces and transnational repression. By addressing both domestic repression in Thailand and the broader risks posed by transnational authoritarianism, the resolution underscores the need for stronger international protections for refugees, judicial independence, and the safeguarding of political freedoms. These measures are essential to ensuring that individuals and communities facing persecution have access to justice and protection, rather than being subjected to legal and political systems that erode fundamental rights.
