Canada sanctions 4 Chinese officials, 1 entity over human rights abuses in Xinjiang
Mar 22, 2021
Toronto [Canada], March 23 : Canada has imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one entity in coordination with the United States and the United Kingdom, citing human rights violations in Xinjiang province.
"Today, Canada announced it is imposing new sanctions against four officials and one entity under the Special Economic Measures (People's Republic of China) Regulations, based on their participation in gross and systematic human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)," Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.
The measures are being introduced in coordination with the US, the UK and in solidarity with the European Union, the statement explained.
Canada is sanctioning Zhu Hailun, former XUAR Deputy Party Secretary who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the human rights, three Xinjiang province security officials - Wang Junzheng, Wang Mingshan, Chen Mingguo - and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau, the statement said.
These sanctions underscore Canada's grave concerns with the ongoing human rights violations occurring in the XUAR, affecting Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities, the statement said. "Mounting evidence points to systemic, state-led human rights violations by Chinese authorities," it added.
As China continues to impose severe crackdowns on the Uyghurs and other minority communities, the European Union has confirmed its first sanctions on Chinese officials since 1989, targeting four officials and one entity.
The sanctions are in response to alleged human rights abuses in the far western region of Xinjiang, where China is accused of detaining a million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in reeducation camps, South China Morning Post reported.
Beijing has repeatedly claimed that the camps are vocational training centres and part of efforts to combat terrorism.
The entity sanctioned is the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau, which "is responsible for serious human rights violations in China, in particular, large-scale arbitrary detentions and degrading treatment inflicted upon Uyghurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities", Global Affairs Canada said.
