EU to impose sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuses
The European Union agreed today to sanction Chinese officials for human rights abuses, two diplomats have said, the first penalties against Beijing in over three decades.
EU envoys authorised travel bans and asset freezes on four Chinese figures and one entity, whose name has not been made public.
The Chinese officials were accused of human rights abuses against China’s Uighur Muslim community, which signals the growing concern over their safety from Europe, the United States and Canada.
Officials from Russia, Libya, South Sudan and North Korea have also made the EU’s blacklist of 11 names, approved by ambassadors for sanctions.
The EU last sanctioned China with an arms embargo, which is still in place today, following the Tianamen Square massacre which led to a series of pro-democracy protests in 1989.
The news comes as the US sanctioned an additional 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials this morning over Beijing’s clampdown on political freedoms.
The move reflected the White House’s “deep concern” over Hong Kong’s autonomy after Beijing imposed measures that will assess Hong Kong politicians loyalty to Beijing, secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement today.
Rights abuses
United Nations human rights experts have estimated that around 1m Muslims are being detained in camps in Xinjiang.
Forced sterilisations, forced labour and torture are among the abuses authorities have been accused of.
The Chinese Mission to the UN spoke out against the sanctions on Twitter yesterday.
“Stop lecturing others or using human rights as a tool for political manipulation,” it stated.
China has consistently denied any human rights abuses in Xinjiang and has said the camps provide vocational training and are necessary to fight extremism.