International pressure is mounting on Thailand – including from the new US administration – over the fate of dozens of Uyghur men held in detention for more than a decade, following reports the Thai government planned to deport the group to China.

Human rights advocates are demanding to know why the UN’s refugee agency hasn’t done more to secure the Uyghurs’ right to asylum.

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 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.

Thailand has denied plans to deport 48 Uyghur men to China after UN experts warned of torture risks. The men have reportedly been detained since 2014 after fleeing China’s Xinjiang province. Human rights groups and Thai senators are urging the government to avoid deportation and ensure proper handling of the case amid growing international concerns.

US President Donald Trump's incoming secretary of state is among those calling for Thailand not to deport a group Uyghurs to China, where it is feared they would face persecution.

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.

"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.