European Union imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for human rights violations in Xinjiang

The European Union imposed Monday sanctions against four Chinese officials because of his involvement in human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims, despite threats from China to retaliate.

The four shown are senior officials of the Xinjiang region. They will have their assets frozen in the EU, and they will be banned from entering the Union and banned from receiving financial assistance from European citizens.

it’s about the first European sanctions against Beijing in more than 30 years, since the arms embargo imposed in 1989 after the crackdown on Tiananmen Square.

China initially denied the existence of Uyghur detention camps in the Xinjiang region, but later called them “re-education camps” and vocational training for people steeped in jihadist ideology. China denies human rights violations there.

Xinjiang was previously a hotbed of subversion against the Chinese government, but Beijing now says its security measures have calmed the region.

The Chinese regime had warned that it would “react with a firm hand” to any sanction for its actions in the western region of Xinjiang. After a while, the Foreign Ministry announced its retaliation with measures against 10 European leaders, including parliamentarians. According to the Foreign Ministry, the European Union’s decision “is based solely on lies and false information, disrespect and distorted facts”, adding that it is a great interference in the internal affairs of China.

The European measures are part of a package of human rights sanctions targeting a dozen people that also includes people from Russia, Myanmar, North Korea, Eritrea, South Sudan and Libya , explained diplomats. “This is a very important step that shows our commitment,” said Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok.

The mechanism – designed to make it easier for the bloc to target rights violators – was launched this month with sanctions against four Russian officials for jailing Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Diplomats said the new sanctions against Russia would target those behind the abuses in the Chechnya region, led with an iron fist by Kremlin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov.

The EU will also freeze assets and ban visas for 11 Burmese junta officials following last month’s military coup and crackdown on protesters.

(With information from AP and Reuters)