The European Parliament on Thursday 17 December called on the EU to “rapidly assess” the adoption of sanctions against Chinese officials and State-run entities “responsible for designing and implementing the policy of mass detention of Uighurs (...) in Xinjiang, the use of forced labour and orchestrating the severe repression of their fundamental rights”.
In the resolution from the Greens/EFA, S&D, ECR, Renew Europe, and EPP groups, adopted by 604 votes in favour, 20 against and 57 abstentions, MEPs deeply regret the current persecutions and the serious and systematic violations of human rights “amounting to crimes against humanity” and call for their immediate cessation. In particular, the Chinese authorities are being called upon to put an end to forced labour and mass sterilisation programmes.
The winner of the 2019 Sakharov Prize, Ilham Tohti, must be released immediately and unconditionally, add MEPs.
Parliament also strongly condemns the fact that European brands and companies have benefited from the use of forced labour. It calls on them to assess their commitments in Xinjiang, to exercise their corporate responsibility, and to terminate their business relations if they are found to be promoting human rights abuses or if such abuses cannot be eliminated. Parliament also believes that “in order to effectively address the issue of forced labour and other human rights violations”, new legislation on corporate supply chains should include a ban on EU market authorisation for the goods concerned.
On behalf of the High Representative of the Union, Commissioner Helena Dalli recalled that the EU had repeatedly underlined its serious concerns about the situation of the Uighurs. “We will continue to call on China to meet its domestic and international obligations”, including on labour rights and responsible business conduct, she added.
See the resolution: http://bit.ly/2WpcF3m (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)