Pro-Uyghur demonstrators protest in front of the Thai Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, in July 2015, after Thailand forcibly returned nearly 100 Uyghur migrants to China. © Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday announced sanctions against officials from Thailand, a U.S. ally, for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where Washington says the members of the Muslim group will face persecution.
The U.S. is "committed to combating China's efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, where they are subject to torture and enforced disappearances," the State Department said in a statement.