The United Kingdom, in an attempt to get rid of politicians and businesses from non-democratic countries like China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia has imposed sanctions including a visa ban and asset freeze on human rights violators.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, the number 2 in Boris Johnson’s cabinet, said 49 individuals will be immediately subject to UK’s visa ban.
“From today, the UK will have new powers to stop those involved in serious human rights abuses and violations from entering the UK, channelling money through our banks and profiting from our economy,” Raab said in a statement.
“This is a clear example of how the UK will help to lead the world in standing up for human rights. We will not let those who seek to inflict pain and destroy the lives of innocent victims benefit from what the UK has to offer,” he added.
As per various reports, people involved in the deaths of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi will make it in the first list. But, the major target of sanctions on violators of human rights will be Chinese businesses and individuals, reported Financial Times, the most respected media house of the United Kingdom.
“Future targets of the regime may include those who commit unlawful killings perpetrated against journalists and media workers, or activity motivated on the grounds of religion or belief,” said the UK foreign minister.
The United Kingdom has taken a very tough stance against the imposition of National Security Law in Hong Kong. The future target of the visa bans might be the pro-Beijing politicians in Hong Kong like the current chief executive Carrie Lam. The Chinese Communist Party executives in provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet might also be banned from visiting the United Kingdom and their properties in the country seized, given the human rights violations by CCP in these provinces.
In the last few months, the democratic world has taken a tough stance against the violation of human rights in China. The politicians and ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan urged Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to “carefully reconsider” the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping given imposition of National Security Law in Hong Kong.
A few days ago, Two European countries- Austria and Belgium have passed resolutions against China for organ harvesting from ethnic and religious minorities, viz. Uyghur Muslims, Falun Gong practitioners and Christians.
An Austrian MP Gudrun Kugler said, “Time and again reports of illegal trafficking of human organs have surfaced in the People’s Republic of China that contradict all human rights and ethical standards.”
The resolution passed on June 23 asks the Austrian government to protect organ trafficking victims by cooperating with international organisations such as the WHO, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Council of Europe.
The democratic world is waking up to human rights atrocities in China and now many Chinese politicians might face visa ban and freeze of assets in democratic countries around the world.
The UK’s decision might inspire Australia, where a large number of politicians of Chinese Communist Party have stored their wealth, to freeze Chinese assets (individuals and companies) in the name of human rights abuse.
China used to fool the democratic world by buying up influence in the United Nations Human Rights Council, which never expressed concern over abuse of human rights by Beijing despite concrete evidence. But, now democratic countries are taking suo moto cognizance over these issues instead of outsourcing it to UNHRC, and China is set to pay the price for its sins.