{
  "id": 17222719,
  "title": "Thailand must not yield to China over Uyghurs, Amnesty chief says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/thailand-must-not-yield-to-china-over-uyghurs-amnesty-chief-says",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-30T12:10:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Khaosod English",
    "slug": "khaosod-english",
    "url": "https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2026/10/30/thailand-must-not-yield-to-china-over-uyghurs-amnesty-chief-says/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Agnes Callamard, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, has warned Thailand not to hand over five Uyghur men to China, where they could face torture. She also urged Thailand to assume a stronger international role in protecting human rights and upholding the rule of law. Callamard emphasized that Thailand has the potential to play a more significant role as a middle power, advocating for international law and justice in regional matters.\n\nThe human rights chief highlighted several pressing issues in Thailand, including freedom of expression, lèse-majesté prosecutions, and transnational repression. The lèse-majesté law has resulted in 48 people remaining imprisoned, despite an amnesty law earlier this year. One notable case is that of Arnon Nampa, who has been charged with 38 crimes, 14 of which stem from lèse-majesté, and faces a sentence that will increase upon the adjudication of all charges.\n\nCallamard stressed that freedom of expression remains a top priority for Amnesty International, as it negatively impacts Thailand's image and reputation. Additionally, she raised concerns about transnational repression and the safety of human rights defenders from China, Cambodia, and Vietnam who are based in Thailand. Recently, 40 Uyghur men were forcibly repatriated to China after 10 years in detention, and there is a fear that Thailand may subject similar individuals to torture and forced disappearance, as occurred with Bai Xiaodong and Le Chi Tan, a Chinese journalist and a Vietnamese anti-corruption activist.",
  "summary": "This is the first of a three-part interview with Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard. She discusses Thailand’s human rights challenges, from lèse-majesté prosecutions and freedom of expression to the protection of Uyghur detainees and activists at risk of transnational repression. Callamard, who was in Bangkok on a working visit, urged Thai authorities not to return […] The…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}