Beijing | The Chinese government on Tuesday announced sanctions against four American personalities in retaliation for their comments on the human rights and religious freedom situation in Xinjiang.
This region of northwest China, which has long been hit by attacks attributed to separatists or Uyghur Islamists, has been the subject of draconian police surveillance for several years.
Western studies, based on interpretations of official Chinese documents, testimonies of alleged victims and statistical extrapolations accuse the Chinese authorities of repression against the Uyghurs, the main ethnic group in Xinjiang and of the Muslim faith.
In response to human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Washington has imposed sanctions on a growing number of Chinese politicians and companies in recent months, sparking Beijing’s anger and reciprocal action.
China on Tuesday announced retaliation against four members of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
“We are taking countermeasures against four people of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom: its president Nadine Maenza, its vice president Nury Turkel, as well as members Anurima Bhargava and James W. Carr,” said before the press a spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy, Zhao Lijian.
The personalities concerned are prohibited from entering Chinese soil, including Hong Kong or Macao.
Their possible assets in China are frozen and Chinese citizens are prohibited from entering into business relations with them.
Established in 1998, USCIRF is a federal commission that studies religious freedom around the world. She vehemently criticized China’s treatment of Uyghurs.