Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill for the rights of the Uyghurs, providing for sanctions against Chinese officials suspected of abuses against this and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province.
The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 “holds accountable perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses such as the systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labour, and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uyghurs and other minorities in China”, Trump said in a statement.
The President’s signature came after the law, which was proposed by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, received the almost unanimous approval of the US Congress.mThe act provides a 180-day deadline for a report to various congressional committees identifying Chinese officials and others responsible for torture, prolonged detention without charge or trial, and infringing cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment on the Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. Among the sanctions contemplated in the law are the veto on entry into the US and the revocation of visas, as well as the blocking of assets in America, and the prohibition of transactions with designated persons.
It also condemns the Chinese Communist Party for the creation of detention centres and recommends a stronger response to abuses committed not only against Uyghurs but also against Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities. (IANS)