After weeks of diplomatic maneuvering and ambiguous statements, Thai authorities deported a group of 40 Uyghur men to China last month.

The United States and several human rights organizations had spent months warning against such a move, arguing that the deportees will almost certainly face persecution, arbitrary detention, or worse under the Chinese government.

The Uyghurs, a Turkic-speaking predominantly Muslim minority from China's northwestern Xinjiang province, have endured years of repression by Chinese authorities. Washington has officially labeled China's actions as "genocide."

The recent deportation incident echoes a similar episode in 2015, when the Thai government forcibly repatriated over 100 Uyghur refugees to China, prompting global outrage and sparking protests across the Muslim world.

Ahead of the latest deportations, the US State Department issued several warnings, calling on Bangkok to respect its obligations under international law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to a country where they are at risk of torture, cruel treatment, punishment or other serious harm.

On February 27, the day of the deportations, Germany's foreign office criticized the move in a statement.

"The deportation violates the principle, enshrined in........

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