France urges 'free entry' of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in China's Xinjiang

Criticizing China for human rights abuses against religious minorities in Xinjiang, the French Foreign Minister on July 21 urged that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights be given “free entry” to Xinjiang. As per reports, Jean-Yves Le Drian joined the US and the UK as he demanded that Michelle Bachelet must be allowed to investigate China's western province where over one million Uighurs resided.  

"All of the practices in the area are unacceptable because they go against all the global human rights conventions and we condemn them strongly," the top French diplomat was quoted as saying by ANI. Further, he said that Paris was closely “monitoring the situation in Xinjiang” and wants international independent observers and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to navigate the region and take “strict actions” against China over the atrocities it committed on Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the province. Further, on July 21, the Muslim Council of Britain urged the UK government to "take strong action" against china for "ethnic cleansing of Uighur Muslims".  

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US sanctions 11 Chinese firms

Earlier, in a drastic measure over Hong Kong’s new security legislation, the UK suspended the extradition treaty with Hong Kong "immediately and indefinitely" citing China’s behaviour in Hong Kong and its ethnic communities’ human rights abuses in Xinjiang, UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab was reported saying in an address with the House of Commons in a live-streamed conference. Moreover, the US announced sanctions against 11 Chinese firms over human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region. US Commerce Department blacklisted these companies as it accused China of "campaign of repression" against the Uighurs minority group. New addition now has at least 50 Chinese companies in total on the US Entities List which is restricted to avail US technology and other goods, according to reports.   

US Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, said in a statement that the Chinese companies were added on the list maintained by the Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Accusing China of human rights violation, he added, "Beijing actively promotes the reprehensible practice of forced labour and abusive DNA collection and analysis schemes to repress its citizens.” 

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(With ANI Inputs)

(Image Credit: AP)