US sanctions Chinese entity and individuals over ‘human rights abuses’ against Uygurs in Xinjiang, using Global Magnitsky Act
- Secretary of State Pompeo calls Chinese treatment of Uygurs and other Muslims the ‘stain of the century’
- Sanctions target Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) former party secretary Sun Jinlong and deputy party secretary Peng Jiarui
The US government has sanctioned a Chinese paramilitary entity and two individuals linked to it for a “campaign of repression” against ethnic minority groups in the country’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region (XUAR).
The sanctions, authorised under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, target Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) for its “connection to serious human rights abuse” in Xinjiang, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced on Friday.
They also apply to Sun Jinlong, XPCC’s former party secretary, and the entity’s deputy party secretary Peng Jiarui.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang, China against Uygurs and other Muslim minorities rank as the stain of the century,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
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China sanctions US officials and Congress members in response to Xinjiang ban
“The Trump Administration has led the world’s effort to impose tangible costs on the PRC’s continuous campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, intrusive surveillance, forced labour, forced population control, involuntary collection of biometric data, and genetic analyses targeted at these groups,” he added.
“Today, we are continuing that record of principled action.”
