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 Department of State announced Friday that it imposed visa restrictions on Thai officials involved in the forced return of

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio 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.

Thailand defended its deportation of 40 Uyghur detainees to China last week as the “best solution” to avoid a backlash from Beijing, after a rights group said the move violated international law and the returnees could face torture.

The State Department says the United States and other countries made repeated offers to Thailand to resettle more than three dozen Uyghur men before they were deported back to China, where rights groups fear they may face torture and other abuse.

The move appeared intended to discourage Thailand and other countries from such deportations. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The European Parliament has issued a resolution condemning Thailand for deporting 40 Uyghurs back to China, stating that the action violated international law, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).The resolution stated that the deported Uyghurs,