The Trump administration on Thursday condemned Thailand’s return of at least 40 Uygurs to China, urging other nations not to forcibly send Uygurs seeking protection back to China and calling on Chinese authorities to provide regular access to those who have already been returned.
Additionally, “the Thai Government must insist and fully verify continuously that Chinese authorities protect the Uygurs’ human rights”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Thai and Chinese officials said on Thursday that the group of 40 Uygur men, who had been detained in Thailand for more than a decade, had been deported to China.
The men made a public appeal last month to halt the deportation, saying they faced imprisonment and possible death in China.
Thai lawmakers and international officials had urged the Thai government not to deport them, warning it would amount to a serious rights abuse.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday called the deportation “a clear violation of international human rights laws and standards”.
“My office has urged, repeatedly, the Thai authorities to respect their obligations under international law in relation to these individuals in need of international protection,” Türk said. “It is deeply regrettable that they have been forcibly returned.”
