UK: Uyghur forced labour case against Boris Johnson challenges import of goods from China

A day after Biden ministration imposed new sanctions on Chinese firms alleging atrocities against minorities group, High Court of England and Wales allowed Uyghur rights vocacy group to proceed with a forced labour case against UK authorities, reported ANI. According to rights vocacy group, Prime Minister Boris Johnson led-government allowed entry of goods produced by Uyghurs in China. group believe cotton goods imported from China are produced by forced labour in China. As per multiple reports published in Rio Free Asia, a case was registered by World Uyghur Congress (WUC) of Munich, Germany, and Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) against states and actors involved in human rights violations.

group argued that cotton goods produced by detention camps are entering United Kingdom with help of Johnson ministration. Roseanne Gerin, editor of Rio Free Asia, who has been reporting on human rights issues for more than 20 years, said that Johnson ministration has violated 9th-century law that prohibits importation of prison-me goods. She claimed that cotton goods entering country are me by minorities communities who are facing an oppressive regime over years. 

" A court win would set a "world-first precedent" by confirming that UK's Proceeds of Crime Act -- originally targeting money laundering and or illegal activities of organized crime -- also applies to proceeds companies accumulate from so-called atrocity crimes," GLAN said in a statement.

group argued that Chinese Communist government, on several occasions, tried to erase data related to Uyghur Muslim brutality. According to vocacy group, Chinese President Xi-Jinping tried his best to obliterate witness statements, leaked government documents and a satellite image from internet which could easily prove ill-treatment of Jinping government. "All evidence points to cotton me using forced labour coming into UK from Uyghur region, East Turkestan," ANI quoted statement of Siobhan Allen, a GLAN legal officer. "Living in a free country which upholds respect for human rights, it hurts so much to know that products that are used in this country are fruit of enslavement of my people," Rahima Mahmut, WUC's UK Director, said in statement.

With inputs from ANI

Image: AP