The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, has expressed the European institution’s pride in awarding the 2019 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Ilham Tohti, a Uighur academic sentenced to life imprisonment in China (see EUROPE 12393/1).
“We are proud to have awarded the Sakharov Prize to a representative of the Uyghur people, who is in prison”, said Mr Sassoli in an interview with EUROPE.
On Monday, the Chinese authorities adopted sanctions against five MEPs and some EU bodies in retaliation for EU sanctions adopted on the same day against four Chinese officials and one entity active in Xinjiang (see EUROPE 12683/1).
“This will not reverse our actions. These Chinese actions targeting MEPs and EU bodies do not intimidate us”, said Mr Sassoli.
He advocated the confrontation of ideas, when it is based on respect for fundamental rights.
Asked about the possible repercussions of these tensions on EU-China relations, particularly in trade, the Parliament President promised that MEPs would examine “in great detail” the bilateral investment agreement, which must be approved by Parliament before it can enter into force.
“We want to stimulate trade, bring down the walls. Creating conflict is not part of our way of thinking. But in this case, MEPs and EU bodies, who have spoken out in favour of fundamental rights, have been targeted”, noted Mr Sassoli, convinced that such actions cannot go unnoticed. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)