Despite rights groups’ fears that they could be tortured or even killed, Thai authorities have confirmed that at least 40 Uyghurs have been deported to China.
After being detained in a Bangkok detention facility for ten years, the gang is said to have been flown back to China’s Xinjiang region on Thursday.
The Uyghur population and other primarily Muslim ethnic groups in the northwest of Xinjiang province have been accused of crimes against humanity and potentially genocide by China. Beijing refutes every accusation.
Thailand is deporting Uyghurs for the first time since 2015.
Since the United States and the United Nations expressed grave concerns, the deportation has been cloaked in secrecy.
