Ottawa will impose sanctions against four Chinese officials as well as a Chinese economic development office for “their participation in gross and systematic human rights violations” against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
• Read also: Uighur “genocide”: reprisals against Canada?
• Read also: Uighurs: can we speak of genocide in China?
Canada is thus making a united front with the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, all of which announced similar sanctions on Monday.
“Today, we took coordinated action on measures parallel to those of the European Union and which send a clear message in response to human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang. We unite our voices to call on China to end its repressive practices against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang, and to release those arbitrarily detained, ”the foreign ministers said in a joint statement. of the coalition of western countries.
- Listen to international political columnist Loïc Tassé with Benoit Dutrizac on QUB Radio:
They reiterated their demand for “unfettered access to Xinjiang for the international community, including independent United Nations investigators, journalists and foreign diplomats.”
Canada’s sanctions impose “a prohibition on all transactions (that is, a freeze of their assets), which prohibits any person in Canada and any Canadian abroad from carrying out any transaction involving the property of these people or to provide them with financial or related services, ”detailed the Foreign Ministry.
The targeted entity in question is the Public Security Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the region where human rights violations take place.
“No connection” with the Michael
This new rise in tensions takes place as the trial of Michael Kovrig, the second Canadian detained in China for more than two years, ended Monday. Michael Spavor’s trial ended on Friday. The two Michael are currently awaiting the verdict of their respective trials.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, however, clarified Monday that there was “no link” between the detention of the two Michael and the establishment of these sanctions.
“We have been deploring the arbitrary detention of the two Michael’s for a long time and working with our allies around the world on this issue,” offered the Prime Minister. Asked whether these sanctions could further endanger the two Michael’s, Mr. Trudeau did not come forward.
China was quick to respond by issuing sanctions against European officials on Monday.
- Listen to the column of Guillaume Lavoie, associate member of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair