Geneva, March 2 -- The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has expressed grave concern over the fate and whereabouts of 40 Uyghur Muslim men who were forcibly returned to China by Thai authorities a year ago, warning that their disappearance reflects a broader pattern of transnational repression targeting ethnic and religious minorities.

In a press release issued today, UN experts said the men were deported on 27 February 2025 under what was described as intense pressure from the Chinese Government and without the safeguards required under the customary international law principle of non-refoulement.

The experts stressed that the forced returns exposed the men to the risk of gross human rights violati...