Canada imposed sanctions on eight former and current senior Chinese officials on Tuesday, citing alleged state-led human rights violations in the Xinjiang region, Tibet and against Falun Gong followers.
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“Canada is deeply concerned over reports that China has arbitrarily detained more than 1 million people in Xinjiang since 2017, many of whom were held in camps and faced psychological, physical and sexual violence,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
A 2022 report by the then UN human rights chief said China’s treatment of Uygurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority in Xinjiang, in the country’s far west, could constitute crimes against humanity. Beijing denies the allegations.
Canada’s targets include Chen Quanguo, former Communist Party chief in the Xinjiang region, and Wu Yingjie, Communist Party head in Tibet between 2016 and 2021.
The action imposes an asset freeze on the targeted officials by prohibiting Canadians from engaging in property-related activity or providing financial services.
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UN human rights body says China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang
UN human rights body says China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang
“We call on the Chinese government to put an end to this systematic campaign of repression and uphold its international human rights obligations,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in the statement.