Turkish authorities are increasingly restricting the legal residency of Uyghurs seeking safety from the Chinese government, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
The 51-page report, "Protected No More: Uyghurs in Türkiye," finds that Uyghurs' previous access to international protection status, and indeed preferential treatment under the Turkish immigration system, is being nullified as authorities arbitrarily mark their police and immigration records with "restriction codes," denoting them a "public security threat." The government detains some Uyghurs in inhumane and degrading conditions, and coerces them to sign voluntary return forms, putting them at risk of removal to third countries that have extradition agreements with China.
"Until recently, Uyghurs who escaped repression at home felt safe in Türkiye, but as China-Türkiye relations warm, and the Erdoğan government cracks down on refugees and migrants, many are growing fearful," said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Some Uyghurs say they don't dare leave their homes for fear of arrests and being sent to deportation centers, while others are undertaking perilous journeys elsewhere in search of safety."
Human Rights Watch interviewed 13 Uyghurs, 6 lawyers, and a Turkish government official knowledgeable about the situation, and reviewed Turkish government policies and documents, such as deportation decisions, case records, and circular orders. Human Rights Watch also reviewed publicly available cases of 33 Uyghurs who were held in deportation centers between December 2018 and October 2025.
"Now, because I don't have any legal documents, I cannot even go outside because of fear, even for groceries because I don't want to end up in the deportation center again." said a Uyghur whose residence permit was arbitrarily canceled by Turkish authorities.
Under the immigration crackdown, Uyghurs, like other refugees and migrants in Türkiye, are often assigned "restriction codes" (typically code "G87") that can lead to a cascade of negative and often devastating consequences. These include rejection of international protection applications or another status entitling an individual to residency, as well as denial of citizenship. Uyghurs have effectively become "irregular migrants" and some eventually are ordered deported. When they interact with a police or immigration officers for any reason, they can be sent to a deportation center.
The Uyghurs and their lawyers that were interviewed said that Uyghurs are subjected to ill-treatment in detention centers and often pressured to sign voluntary return forms, allowing them to be repatriated or sent to another country. At least three of the Uyghurs interviewed had signed the form, and one of them was deported to the United Arab Emirates, which has an extradition treaty with China.
Human Rights Watch wrote to the Migration Management President seeking comments on the report findings and information about Uyghurs in Türkiye on September 23, and again on October 27, 2025, and received no answer.
The assignment of restriction codes is linked to the implementation of Türkiye's Law 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection. How and why restriction codes are assigned is unclear and in practice their use seems to reach far beyond what was intended under the law. They are often imposed without reasonable justification, concrete evidence, or a clear causal link to wrongdoing.
Under Turkish law, individuals can appeal deportation decisions.Human Rights Watch reviewed five court decisions from 2024 and 2025 concerning deportation order appeals by Uyghurs. In each case, the court upheld the deportation order without saying what the individuals had done that constituted the alleged threat to public security and order. Worryingly, in each case the court ruled that the prohibition of refoulement did not apply, contending that the applicant Uyghur had not established they would be at risk of ill-treatment and torture if sent to China. A lawyer who has lodged many such appeals said that judges can often issue "a negative decision [dismissing an appeal] when they see restriction codes, just to be safe."
The Turkish government is obligated to respect the international law principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits countries from returning anyone to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution, torture or other serious ill-treatment, a threat to life, or other comparable serious human rights violations.
A simple complaint from a neighbor or being ensnared in a criminal case-even though later acquitted-can result in decisions to apply the restriction codes. Turkish authorities also base these codes on intelligence provided by other governments. In some cases, the Chinese government submitted lists of people it brands as "terrorists," a term it conflates with peaceful activism or expression of Uyghur identity in Xinjiang.
Since 2017, the Chinese government has subjected Uyghurs to severe human rights abuses that Human Rights Watch and independent legal experts have concluded amount to crimes against humanity. If returned to China, especially from a country such as Türkiye that the Chinese government deems "sensitive," Uyghurs may face detention, interrogation, torture, and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment.
"The Turkish government should respect the principle of nonrefoulement, immediately stop all deportations of Uyghurs to third countries, and recognize Uyghurs as refugees on a prima facie basis," Pearson said. "Other governments should halt transferring Uyghurs to Türkiye, as it can no longer be considered a safe third country for Uyghurs, and should consider resettling Uyghur refugees from Türkiye."
Selected Quotes:
"I was treated as if I was guilty. I spent one year in detention.... I tried several times to renew my residence permit but failed. The immigration office told me I had 10 days to leave the country, after telling me that my latest residence permit application was rejected. Then, I decided to leave the country. I had my Chinese passport, so I booked a flight to a third country that would be a path for me to go to safety in Europe. Turkish authorities detained me at the airport and put me on a two-year entry ban."
- A Uyghur who was arbitrarily detained by Turkish authorities because of a restriction code and left Türkiye afterwards, June 2025.
"The conditions were very poor. In one instance, the facility did not provide proper food for nine days straight. In one deportation center, I slept on the cement floor for a week where I shared a single blanket with two other people. There were 20 people in a small cell where there was no sense of hygiene. I witnessed people who got infested with lice."
- A Uyghur who spent several months at various deportation centers, May 2025.
"In some instances, people who had a call with someone suspicious can get assigned a code. For example, there was a Uyghur who was detained on suspicion of "terrorism" but then released unconditionally, as there was a lack of evidence. However, during the investigation, everyone who had a phone call with this person got a G87 code."
- A lawyer who works on cases of Uyghurs, July 2025.
"There are many cases where the government cancelled the long-term residence permits of Uyghurs and gave them a humanitarian residence permit [instead]. The decision is arbitrary. And some of my clients' humanitarian residence permits are also cancelled or denied renewal. In such situations, people can be held in those centers for up to one year. Then they will be released without legal status. Then, after a couple of days, another police checkpoint can lead them to detention once again. It is … a horrible vicious cycle for those who don't have proper documents. Türkiye has increasingly become an unlivable place for Uyghurs."
- A lawyer who works on cases of Uyghurs, June 2025.
