Germany’s Uyghur deportation bungled: China detour to Turkey

German authorities in Lower Saxony admitted a bureaucratic error after a deported Uyghur woman was flown to China instead of Turkey in early November 2025, triggering condemnation from rights groups and urgent questions about how such a mistake could occur. The woman, identified as Rizwangul Bekri, had her asylum claim denied and was removed from Germany despite longstanding warnings about the grave risks Uyghurs face if sent back to China. After landing at Beijing airport, she was rerouted to Turkey, avoiding what advocates say could have been a life-threatening return.

The immediate facts and risks

Officials in Lower Saxony notified her daughter, Muyesser Obul, in the town of Selsingen that the removal had gone ahead. Obul learned her mother, who is reported as either 56 or 59 in different accounts, had been taken despite chronic hypertension that requires regular medication.

Uyghur groups say the error placed Bekri at risk of detention and abuse, given widespread reports of internment, torture, and coercive “re-education” facing Uyghurs in China. After landing at Beijing, Bekri was eventually rerouted to Turkey, a step advocates say likely prevented immediate, potentially life-threatening consequences.

“Even short exposure to Chinese authorities can carry lasting consequences for Uyghurs,” rights groups warned, urging urgent accountability.

Official response and scrutiny

The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior acknowledged the mistake and said it is examining how the deportation to China happened despite clear human rights warnings. Officials have faced sharp criticism from civil society and opposition lawmakers since details emerged.

Key points of pressure on the ministry:
– Disclose the chain of decisions that led to Bekri’s removal.
– Explain which checks failed during the removal process.
– Publish findings from an internal review and set out corrective measures.

The case has revived scrutiny of:
– Data handling and identity verification methods.
– Airline routing practices and multi-leg booking vulnerabilities.
– How “do not return” or high-risk flags are embedded in booking and exit-control systems.

Legal and policy context

Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim minority from China’s Xinjiang region, have long sought refuge in Europe due to mass surveillance, arbitrary detentions, and family separations reported by NGOs and UN experts. Germany has previously pledged to avoid refoulement—the forced return of a person to a place where they risk persecution.

• The principle of non-refoulement is central to international refugee law and is referenced in the 1951 Refugee Convention and European human rights standards.
• Legal scholars note non-refoulement applies not only to final destinations but also to transit points where individuals could face apprehension.

For background on Germany’s obligations and asylum procedures, see the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) overview: Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF): Asylum and refugee protection.

Reactions from rights groups and advocates

• The World Uyghur Congress condemned the deportation as a breach of Germany’s obligations and tied it to a previous 2018 case in which a 22‑year‑old Uyghur man was mistakenly deported to China and subsequently disappeared. That earlier incident prompted what rights advocates described as a moratorium on Uyghur deportations to China.
• Justice For All’s Save Uyghur Campaign demanded an immediate investigation and accountability, calling the bureaucratic error evidence of deeper systemic weaknesses.
• VisaVerge.com analysis highlighted how small administrative mistakes—an incorrect destination, a flawed document, or a misapplied removal order—can have life-or-death consequences.

Advocacy groups are pressing Lower Saxony to:
– Publish findings quickly.
– Reinstate firm safeguards preventing deportations to China for Uyghur applicants.
– Provide clear guidance to airlines and federal police about handling Uyghur removals.

How the routing error may have occurred

German officials have not provided a detailed timeline beyond acknowledging the early November 2025 removal. It remains unclear at which point the routing error occurred and why a destination listed as Turkey led to a transfer through Beijing.

Lawyers who follow asylum enforcement point to several vulnerabilities:
– Complex, multi-leg travel bookings can create gaps if passenger nationality, risk profiles, or “do not return” flags are not embedded in bookings or exit controls.
– Routine cross-checks should have prevented a Uyghur national from boarding a flight that touched Chinese territory.
– Failures could involve flawed documentation, misapplied removal orders, or data-sharing breakdowns between agencies and carriers.

Human impact and medical concerns

Bekri’s daughter described the distress of receiving notice after the fact and trying to track her mother while fearing she could vanish in custody, as others have.

Advocates emphasize additional harms beyond detention risk:
– Pressure on the deported individual and their family, including potential reprisals or surveillance.
– Disruption of essential medical care—Bekri requires blood pressure medication, which can be jeopardized during removals if authorities do not coordinate care.

Calls for reform and oversight

The incident renewed attention on state-level asylum operations—where deportations are typically carried out—and the need for robust safeguards. Lower Saxony has promised to review procedures and outline measures to prevent repetition.

Rights groups want the state to:
– Commit publicly to the spirit of the 2018 moratorium—effectively barring removals of Uyghurs to China and any routing that passes through Chinese territory.
– Undertake a transparent, independent inquiry and audit of deportation procedures.
– Implement clear, codified instructions to airlines and federal police to flag and block any routing that risks transit through or contact with Chinese authorities.

Legal scholars and advocates propose concrete system fixes:
1. Strengthen identity checks and verification procedures.
2. Ensure “non-refoulement” flags are embedded in travel bookings and exit controls.
3. Improve airline coordination and training on protected-status passengers.
4. Formalize medical protocols to secure continuity of care during removals.
5. Conduct independent audits and publish findings for parliamentary and public oversight.

Public and political response

Public reactions in Germany mix sorrow and anger. Concerns include:
– Whether other Uyghurs have been put at similar risk.
– Calls by some lawmakers for parliamentary oversight and review of data-sharing tools used in deportations.
– Uyghur community leaders reporting anxious families seeking assurances for relatives with pending asylum claims or removal orders.

For Bekri, the immediate danger has passed because she reached Turkey. But the episode has already reshaped the policy conversation: authorities must show lessons are learned and that safeguards will withstand operational pressures.

Rights groups warn that without strong, codified protections and reliable frontline practice, another mistake could happen—underscoring that policies matter only if implementation matches the law.

As Lower Saxony conducts its review, advocates stress that the stakes are high for Uyghurs across Europe. The Bekri case should be treated not as an isolated mishap but as evidence that systems need fixes—from better identity checks and flight routing controls to stronger medical protocols and explicit non-refoulement flags. For a community that has already suffered so much, even one wrong turn on a removal flight can carry a cost no government can justify.