TNR Watch: UN Human Rights Council in Question

In late February, the Thai government deported 40 Uyghur men to China, despite warnings from rights groups, diplomats, and the men themselves that they risked repression and torture if returned. This act of transnational repression, carried out by two member states of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), underscores the gap between rhetoric and reality in discussion of transnational repression (TNR) at the United Nations.

Offenders seated: The Thai government’s decision came only weeks after Thailand began a three-year term on the HRC, the main UN body tasked with promoting human rights worldwide. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stressed that the mass deportation of the Uyghurs contravened international human rights law and the principle of nonrefoulement, under which no one should be returned to a country where they would face serious persecution.

The Thai government is not the only government to have either perpetrated or enabled transnational repression and served on the HRC. Of the council’s 47 current members, 13 have carried out physical acts of TNR since 2014, according to Freedom House’s data. This cohort includes the Chinese government, which requested the return of the Uyghurs and is responsible for the world’s most sophisticated transnational repression campaign. While council members regularly censor discussion of their own misdeeds, active cooperation between members to facilitate TNR should raise more concerns than they do currently regarding which states are allowed into the body.

Modest progress: Even so, the HRC has increasingly dedicated attention to TNR in recent years. In June 2024, then-US Ambassador to the HRC Michèle Taylor delivered a joint statement reiterating the commitment of 46 countries to addressing transnational repression and supporting victims. Special rapporteurs, which operate under the purview of the HRC, have also considered TNR in their roles. Ben Saul, the special rapporteur on countering terrorism while protecting human rights, has noted that perpetrator governments weaponize specious terrorism accusations to legitimize their efforts. Special rapporteur on freedom of expression Irene Khan likewise covered TNR in her June 2024 report on exiled journalists. UN-appointed experts on Eritrea and Nicaragua have detailed how both of those governments have employed cross-border tactics against citizens.

Mending the gap: The HRC can and should play a continued role in highlighting transnational repression committed worldwide, including by its own members. Democratic governments should further support the mandates of special rapporteurs working on human rights violations, as these independent experts are integral to investigating and exposing acts of TNR through their official platforms. Additionally, democratic governments should vote in blocs to avoid the election of prominent transnational repression perpetrators to the HRC.