The United Nations on Friday urged Thailand to refrain from deporting dozens of detained Uyghurs to any country where they could face significant harm after reports that the Thai authorities were preparing to send them to China.
Rights groups have raised alarms that 48 Uyghur detainees held in immigration centres across Thailand may soon be deported.
The Uyghurs, who fled China’s Xinjiang region over a decade ago, live in constant fear of being returned to a country where they could face grave human rights abuses.
The United Nations Human Rights Office has been closely monitoring the situation.
Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani stated that the UN has been in contact with Thai authorities, urging them to seek a solution that would prevent the deportation of individuals to any country where they might face harm, under international human rights obligations and Thai law.
The call came after a group of independent UN rights experts urged Thailand to halt the deportation. They warned that the Uyghurs would face a real risk of torture or other forms of mistreatment upon returning to China.
According to the experts, the Uyghurs had sought protection in Thailand but had been detained incommunicado for over a decade, without access to lawyers or family.
The experts also raised concerns about the health conditions of 23 of the detainees, who suffer from serious medical issues.
Human Rights Watch reported that Thai immigration officials had recently taken new photographs of the Uyghurs and asked them to complete paperwork, which the rights group believes could be a precursor to their forced deportation.
Thai authorities, however, have denied the Uyghurs are on hunger strike.
The United States accused China of committing genocide against the Uyghur minority, citing reports of torture, forced labour, and mass arbitrary detention in the Xinjiang region.
Beijing denied these allegations, insisting that its policies are aimed at combating extremism.
