GENEVA, April 8: The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday China had deported 15 refugees this year in a “security sweep” ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games.

It voiced concern at the most recent case, a 17-year-old boy from Pakistan, who it said had been sent back after being taken from his home in Beijing on April 3 despite being recognised as a refugee under international law.

“There have been 15 (deportations) in total this year from China. They have been Iraqis, Sri Lankans and Pakistanis,” Jennifer Pagonis, spokeswoman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a news briefing in Geneva.

“It does seem to be that this is happening because of the security sweep ahead of the Olympics. That is fairly clear and it is deeply concerning that this is happening,” she said.

China has signed the UN Convention on the status of refugees, obliging it to protect refugees and asylum-seekers in the country, who currently number 180, according to the UNHCR.

It has asked Chinese authorities about the reasons for the Pakistani boy’s deportation, amid concerns it might be a treaty violation known as “refoulement” or forced return, Pagonis said.

“On the surface, it certainly does seem like it is a refoulement, but we’d like to have verification and clarification,” she said. “We always have concerns when refugees are sent back to their country of origin. This is basically something that should not happen.”

The refugee Convention aims to protect people fleeing persecution because of race, religion, nationality or opinion whose lives may be endangered if they are sent home. It also requires refugees to abide by the laws of their adopted country.

China does not have any asylum centres or domestic procedures for filing refugee applications.

—Reuters