Geneva, Feb 28 United Nations experts expressed serious concern over 40 Uyghur men who were forcibly deported to China by Thai authorities a year ago under pressure from Beijing, as their current whereabouts, health and fate remain unknown.
“The disappearances reflect a broader pattern of transnational repression targeting ethnic and religious minorities and individuals perceived to be critical of the Chinese Government,” the experts said.
They highlighted that, on February 27, 2025, Thailand deported the 40 men to China, reportedly under intense pressure from the Chinese Government, without applying the safeguards required by customary international law-- “principle of non-refoulement”.
The deportations, they said, exposed them to the risk of gross human rights violations, including enforced disappearance, torture and arbitrary deprivation of life.
According to the experts, before their forced return, these men had been detained incommunicado for over a decade in Bangkok’s Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Centre, in substandard conditions and without contact with their families, legal representatives or the outside world.
“Despite China’s response, the lack of reliable, comprehensive and independently verified information surrounding these men’s fate and whereabouts is profoundly alarming. Families have received no communication, no confirmation of the place of detention or whereabouts, and no indication as to whether their loved ones are even alive," the experts said.
“We are dismayed that the forced returns from Thailand were carried out despite urgent and repeated appeals from the United Nations, international human rights mechanisms, Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission, and civil society organisations,” they added.
The experts further mentioned,“We remain astounded by the persistent and unrelenting use of forced returns and transnational repression, carried out in blatant breach and disregard of international human rights law obligations, as well as of fundamental values of humanity and human dignity.”
Citing credible reports and numerous victim testimonies, they said, Chinese authorities systematically subject the detainees’ relatives and the local communities to tight surveillance, monitoring their movements, communications, and social interactions.
“This pervasive oversight creates a climate of fear in which many families are too afraid to search for their loved ones, seek information, or speak publicly about their cases due to fear of reprisals,” the experts said.
“Denying legal access while intimidating families into silence creates an environment where serious human rights violations can unfold, unchecked,” they warned. “Silencing relatives not only deepens their suffering, but obstructs genuine accountability. Justice cannot be pursued in silence.”
The experts called on China to guarantee the safety and well-being of the 40 Uyghur returnees by granting independent monitors unhindered access while ensuring that families and local communities are not left in fear and uncertainty.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor