fredag 26. mars 2021

Uighurs: China bans UK MPs after Uighur abuse sanctions

China has imposed sanctions on nine UK citizens - including five MPs - for spreading what it called "lies and disinformation" about the country. It comes in retaliation for measures taken by the UK government on Monday over human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslim minority group. Sir Iain Duncan Smith is among the MPs targeted by China, along with two peers, a lawyer and an academic.

He said he would wear the sanctions "as a badge of honour". The response by China follows similar sanctions imposed on the European Union, which was part of the co-ordinated action on Monday, along with the UK, the US and Canada. China has detained Uighurs at camps in the north-west region of Xinjiang, where allegations of torture, forced labour and sexual abuse have emerged. It has denied the allegations of abuse, claiming the camps are "re-education" facilities used to combat terrorism.