Thailand deports 40 Uyghur men back to China after more than a decade in detention

At least 40 Uyghur men deported from Thailand to China despite international outcry and human rights concerns.

A group of at least 40 Uyghur men detained in Thailand for more than a decade have been deported to China, Thai and Chinese officials said Thursday (February 27, 2025). 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.

The deportation were “a clear violation of international human rights laws and standards,” according to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

“It is deeply regrettable that they have been forcibly returned,” Mr. Türk said on Thursday. “It is now important for the Chinese authorities to disclose their whereabouts, and to ensure that they are treated in accordance with international human rights standards.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned “in the strongest possible terms Thailand’s forced return of at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where they lack due process rights and where Uyghurs have faced persecution, forced labour and torture.”

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Mr. Rubio at his Senate confirmation hearing in January had pledged to press Thailand — “a very strong U.S. partner, a strong historical ally” — not to deport the Uyghurs.