UK SLAPS SANCTIONS VS CHINA OVER UYGHUR ABUSES

Britain imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and a construction company over human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim Uyghur community in Xinjiang, part of coordinated action by some Western countries to put pressure on Beijing, Reuters reported.

Earlier on Monday, the US announced sanctions on two more Chinese officials linked to China’s Xinjiang region and the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials, including a top security director.

Britain has repeatedly denounced torture, forced labor and sterilizations that it says are taking place against Muslim Uyghurs on an “industrial scale” in China’s Xinjiang region and repeated its criticism of Beijing on Monday.

Activists and UN rights experts have said that at least 1 million Muslims are detained in camps in the remote western region. China denies abuses and says its camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism.

“I can tell the House (of Commons) today that I’m designating four senior individuals responsible for the violations that have taken place and persist against the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang,” foreign minister Dominic Raab told parliament, adding that a construction company was included in the sanctions.

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