The Paris Court of Appeal has confirmed the inadmissibility of a complaint against several multinational apparel companies accused of benefiting from the forced labor of Uyghurs in China.

Sources familiar with the case reported on Thursday that a new complaint is set to be filed soon.

In April 2021, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and a Uyghur survivor submitted a complaint in France against four major clothing brands, including Zara, Bershka, Uniqlo, and Skechers, alleging that these companies profited from the forced labor imposed on the Turkic Muslim Uyghur minority in China.

Human rights groups estimate that over one million Uyghurs may be affected.

The companies implicated—Inditex (owner of Zara), Uniqlo, and Skechers—have consistently denied any use of forced labor.

The initial complaint was filed in April 2021 with the French national anti-terrorism public prosecutor's office (Pnat), which declared itself incompetent in April 2023, effectively closing the investigation three months after the complaint was filed.

Following this decision, the plaintiffs submitted a new complaint in May 2023, aiming to designate an investigating judge within the same prosecutor's office.

However, in May 2024, the assigned judge issued an order of incompetence and refused to open an investigation, which the civil parties later appealed.

In its written submissions, the public prosecutor’s office challenged the judge’s view on various procedural grounds, suggesting that it was premature to dismiss the case without conducting necessary investigations in France related to the companies or the groups making the allegations.

Despite this assertion, the investigative chamber confirmed the previous ruling on Wednesday.

William Bourdon, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, stated, "We have suffered consequences and lost a lot of time due to the procedural errors of the prosecutor.

We will take the initiative in the coming days by filing a complaint with civil action before an ordinary Parisian judge."