Moscow (Russia), March 12: The European Union is going to impose sanctions on four Chinese citizens and one more entity over the alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, media reported.
The restrictions, which will include a travel ban and asset freezes, will be officially adopted at a meeting of EU foreign ministers later this month, The Wall Street Journal reported citing unnamed diplomats.
The names of the Chinese officials and entity that will be targeted by the sanctions remain unknown.
For years, Beijing has been facing criticism from several Western nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States over alleged systematic human rights violations of the Uighur Muslim minority. China refutes the accusations calling them politically motivated.
Historically Muslim Xinjiang was conquered by the Qing Empire in the 1750s, when the Chinese troops destroyed the Dzungar Khanate. The region went through several bloody revolts and proclaimed independence as the East Turkistan Republic following the 1911-1912 Xinhai Revolution that toppled the Qing Dynasty. In 1949, the recently established People's Republic of China restored control over Xinjiang, which has been mired in a simmering conflict since then.
Source: Sputnik
