Morocco barred Uyghur activist and former World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa from entering the country. He was due to attend the International Religious Freedom Summit North Africa in Casablanca (IRF).
In an interview with Uyghur News Network (UNN), Isa said he arrived in Morocco on July 20. The conference was held on July 21-22. He said Moroccan immigration officials detained him for about 15 hours before deporting him to Germany.
“They didn’t give any explanation,” Isa said. “They just handed me a notice saying I couldn’t enter Morocco.”
According to the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), Moroccan authorities gave Isa a written notice from the Ministry of Interior and the General Directorate of National Security. The organization said the notice did not explain why he was denied entry.
Isa said he believes the decision reflects China’s efforts to pressure foreign governments to target Uyghur activists abroad.
The incident came weeks after China introduced its Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress. The WUC said Article 63 of the law could be used to target Uyghur activists outside China. It said there is no public evidence Morocco acted under the law.
Isa said lawmakers in Germany and the European Parliament, along with human rights organizations, criticized his deportation. He said the German government also raised the case with Moroccan authorities.
The WUC called on Morocco to explain why Isa was denied entry. It also urged the government to say whether the decision was influenced by China.
Morocco has faced criticism over previous Uyghur cases. In 2020, it joined 44 other countries in a UN statement supporting China’s policies in the Uyghur region despite growing evidence of mass detention, forced labor and other abuses against Uyghurs.
In 2021, Moroccan authorities arrested Uyghur activist Idris Hasan on an Interpol notice requested by China. He was released in 2025 after more than three years in detention following repeated appeals from UN experts and rights groups.
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