Support for Uyghurs and Tibetans | China sanctions two Canadian organizations

China imposes sanctions on two Canadian organizations, as well as around twenty individuals, for their support of the Uighurs and Tibetans.

Beijing frequently criticizes Canada for its interference in the Uighur issue, more particularly with regard to forced labor in the province of Xinjiang. This time, it is the turn of the Canada-Tibet Committee and the Uighur Rights Defense Project (URAP) to be subject to sanctions. All their assets in China have been blocked, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. They are also banned from the country.

These sanctions do not shake the executive director of URAP. Quite the contrary. “It appears that our work here in Canada resonates strongly with Xi Jinping in Beijing. The Chinese sanction that concerns me, our team and our organization […] is accepted as a badge of honor,” published Mehmet Tohti on the X platform.

“These sanctions demonstrate that the work of the URAP has a significant impact,” corroborated the president of the World Uyghur Congress, Turgunjan Alawdun.

“This is a typical move by the Chinese Communist Party, which engages in tit-for-tat sanctions,” he added.

Nearly two weeks ago, Canada sanctioned eight former and current Chinese government officials for their role in implementing policies of genocide against the Uighurs.

“Canada is deeply concerned about human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet, and against Falun Gong followers,” commented Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. We call on the Chinese government to end this systematic campaign of repression and respect its international human rights obligations. »

China has reportedly arbitrarily detained more than a million people in Xinjiang since 2017, many of whom have been held in camps and suffered psychological, physical and sexual violence.