The U.S. State Department has announced sanctions on an unknown number of current and former Thai officials for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghur men to China despite worries that they could be jailed or even face death there.

The State Department said it was “combating China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China.”

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has expressed its appreciation for the recent sanctions imposed by the US State Department on Thai officials involved in the deportation of Uyghur refugees to China. In a statement shared on the social media platform X,