By Uyghur Times Staff
December 10, 2024 | Ottawa, Canada
On International Human Rights Day, Canada has imposed sanctions on eight Chinese officials for their roles in severe and systematic human rights violations against Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Falun Gong practitioners.
The sanctions, announced by the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, fall under the Special Economic Measures (People’s Republic of China) Regulations. They target both former and current senior Chinese officials believed to be responsible for orchestrating the Chinese government’s brutal repression of ethnic and religious minorities.
“Canada is deeply concerned by the human rights violations in Uyghur homeland and Tibet and against those who practice Falun Gong,” said Minister Joly. “We call on the Chinese government to put an end to this systematic campaign of repression and uphold its international human rights obligations.”
Canada emphasized that these measures reflect the country’s commitment to defending human rights globally, particularly in regions where authoritarian regimes attempt to silence dissent and erase cultural identity.
Sanctioned Individuals
The officials named in the sanctions include:
- Chen Quanguo – Former Xinjiang Party Secretary, architect of the internment camp system
- Erkin Tuniyaz-Current Chairman of the Xinjiang region
- Zakir Shohrat – Former Chairman of the Xinjiang regional government
- Peng Jiarui – Xinjiang official involved in repression
- Wu Yingjie – Former Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region
- Liujun Huo – Chinese security official
- Zhang Hongbo – Senior Chinese official linked to suppression policies
- You Quan – Top United Front official known for overseeing ideological control
The sanctions include an asset freeze and a ban on financial transactions with Canadians, both in Canada and abroad.
Background and International Response
This is not Canada’s first move on the issue. In March 2021, Canada initiated sanctions under the same regulation, and in September 2021, introduced measures to prevent goods made from forced labour in Uyghurhomeland from entering Canadian and global supply chains.
In July 2024, Minister Joly met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in China, where she raised concerns about the ongoing abuses in Xinjiang and Tibet.
Canada’s actions align with similar measures from the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union, and mark a growing international consensus against Beijing’s human rights record.
These sanctions send a strong message that democratic governments are watching and are prepared to act. They provide symbolic support to the Uyghur diaspora and other persecuted communities and increase pressure on the Chinese Communist Party to end its repressive practices.
