The British government today expressed its full support for British MPs and others who have been sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party for speaking out on behalf of Uighur Muslims.
“The MPs and other British citizens sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party today have played a major role in bringing to the world’s attention the serious human rights abuses of Uighur Muslims,” tweeted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“Speaking out against human rights abuses is a fundamental freedom and I strongly support them.”
The Chinese Communist Party’s Foreign Ministry said it sanctioned nine people and four organizations, banned the people concerned and their immediate Family members from entering China (including Hong Kong and Macau), froze their property in China, and prohibited Chinese citizens and organizations from trading with them with immediate effect.
The sanctions list includes: Thomas Tugendhat, chairman of the British Foreign Affairs Committee; Lain Duncan Smith, former Conservative leader; Neil O’Brien, David Alton, Tim Loughton, Nusrat Ghani, Helena Kennedy, Geoffrey Nice, Joanne Nicola Smith Finley, and the China Research Group The four entities include the China Research Group, the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, the Uyghur Tribunal, and Essex Court Chambers.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called on China to allow the United Nations to visit Xinjiang if it wants to “credibly refute allegations of human rights abuses.
“We condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to silence those who highlight human rights abuses at Home and abroad, including British MPs and peers,” he tweeted.
“While the UK joins the international community in sanctioning human rights abuses, the Chinese government is sanctioning those who criticize it.”
British Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said “we strongly disagree” with Beijing‘s sanctions statement. A British law firm has also been targeted for sanctions because of its handling of cases related to the human rights of the Uighur people.
Nine people and four organizations, including former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, have been sanctioned by the Communist Party for speaking out to get human rights issues in Xinjiang and Hong Kong on the parliamentary agenda.
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