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China has sanctioned individuals and organizations in the UK who it said “maliciously spread lies and disinformation”, days after the British government imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged serious human rights violations in Xinjiang.
Members of parliament, including former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith and Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, were among those appointed by China’s Foreign Ministry.
Also included in the sanctions were organizations such as the China Deputies’ Investigation Group and the Essex courtrooms, which published a legal opinion describing China’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide.
Iain Duncan Smith described the sanctions as “a badge of honor.”
On Twitter, he wrote: “It is our duty to denounce the Chinese government’s human rights abuse in Hong Kong and the genocide of the Uyghurs.
“Those of us who live free lives under the rule of law must speak up for those who have no voice.”
Monday, the UK joined the EU, Canada and the US in sanctioning China, the first time the UK imposed asset freezes and travel bans on Chinese officials.
China immediately imposed retaliatory sanctions on the EU, including members of the European Parliament.
But he seems to have been relatively surprised by the British sanctions, and has taken several more days to respond.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said the UK sanctions “were based solely on lies and misinformation” and that the move “seriously undermines China-UK relations.”
The spokesman added that they had summoned the British ambassador to China to express their opposition.
Sanctioned individuals and entities in the UK are prohibited from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, and Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with them.
Activists and UN rights experts say that around a million Uighur Muslims and other minorities have been detained in Xinjiang, northwest China.
A watchtower and barbed wire fencing at a facility in Xinjiang, China
In their legal opinion published in February, Essex Court Chambers attorneys wrote: “There is a very credible case that crimes against humanity of slavery, torture, rape, forced sterilization and persecution and the crime of genocide are being committed against the population. Uighur. “.
China has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying the camps are voluntary training centers.
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