The experts’ statement comes less than a week after Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said he would lobby Thailand against deporting the 48 Uyghurs to China during a hearing on his nomination for the post of U.S. secretary of state, which he was confirmed for on Monday.

The family was detained in Thailand in 2014 after fleeing increasing repression in their hometown in China's Xinjiang province. She and the children were allowed to leave Thailand a year later. But her husband remained in detention, along with 47 other Uyghur men. Niluper – not her real name – now fears she and her children may never see him again.

Dozens of men from the ethnic minority sought escape from repression in China a decade ago, but have been detained in Thailand ever since.

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has denied trying to deport a group of 48 Uyghur men to China as alleged by human rights advocates.

In this photo provided on condition of anonymity, Uyghur detainees who say they are facing deportation back to China, where they fear persecution and even death, sit in an immigration detention center in Bangkok, Thailand, in February 2024.

As 48 detained Uyghurs remain trapped in a prolonged state of uncertainty and fear in Thailand, Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, alongside members of the Japan Uyghur Association,

The AP’s vast network of sources and collaborative reporting led to the first report on detained Uyghurs in Thailand who face deportation and persecution

"Thailand is a very strong U.S. partner, a strong historical ally," Rubio said during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. "That is an area where I think diplomacy could really achieve results because of how important that relationship is and how close it is.