By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - UN experts on Friday voiced deep concern over 40 Uyghur Muslim men deported from Thailand to China a year ago, saying their whereabouts and condition remain unknown.
In a statement, the experts said the disappearances reflect “a broader pattern of transnational repression targeting ethnic and religious minorities and individuals perceived to be critical of the Chinese Government.”
They noted that Thailand forcibly returned the men on Feb. 27, 2025, without safeguards required under the principle of non-refoulement, exposing them to risks including enforced disappearance, torture and arbitrary deprivation of life. The experts added that the men had previously been held incommunicado for more than a decade in Bangkok under substandard conditions.
“Despite China’s response, the lack of reliable, comprehensive and independently verifiable information surrounding these men’s fate and whereabouts is profoundly alarming,” the experts said.
“We are dismayed that the forced returns from Thailand were carried out despite urgent and repeated appeals from the United Nations,” they added.
The experts warned that surveillance and intimidation of the men’s families has created “a climate of fear” preventing relatives from seeking information.
They urged China to ensure the men’s safety and grant independent monitors access, while calling on Thailand and other states to end forced returns of Uyghurs and strengthen safeguards against refoulement.