DOMINIC RAAB: BAN CHEN QUANGUO FOR ATROCITIES AGAINST UYGHURS AND TIBETANS
Free Tibet, 25 November 2020
Below is an article published by Free Tibet.
On Wednesday 25th November, Free Tibet, the World Uyghur Congress and the Tibet Community in Britain will announce the launch of their latest critical campaign, #BanChen, calling on the Foreign Secretary to ban human rights abuser, Chen Quanguo, from entering the UK.
Mass detention. Systematic surveillance. Widespread torture. Millions in forced labour camps. And the attempt to erase Uyghur and Tibetan history and culture. These abuses are the product of one man; Senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member, Chen Quanguo.
Chen Quanguo’s human rights abuses make him eligible to be named on the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime List, established in 2020 by Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab. This regime allows the Secretary of State to impose travel sanctions and asset freezes on individuals found responsible for violations of the right to life, the prohibition on torture and the use of forced labour. There is clear evidence that Chen meets all three of these criteria.
By adding Chen’s name to the list, the UK government would send a clear signal to Beijing that the UK will not be complicit in human rights atrocities against Tibetans and Uyghurs, and would expose Chen Quanguo as one of the world’s most inhumane criminals.
Join our panel of experts, advocates and spokespeople in a media briefing to be held on Wednesday 25th November at 2pm London time on Facebook Live. We will provide further details about the #BanChen campaign, and hear from leading Uyghur spokesperson and activist Rahima Mahmut and other expert panelists.
Quotes:
Rahima Mahmut, UK Project Manager for the World Uyghur Congress in the UK said:
“Throughout my lifetime, East Turkestan has been subjected to the most horrible forms of repression, but the arrival of Chen Quanguo in 2016 took the repression to another level. Chen has been the architect of a police state and a genocide. His human rights abuses demand a firm response. Imposing sanctions on Chen would send a clear signal that the UK is changing course and taking these widespread human rights abuses seriously.”
Pema Yoko, Chairperson of the Tibetan Community in Britain said:
“Tibet today is so closed that even daylight seemingly cannot enter without the CCP’s permission. This is Chen’s legacy, and his plan for the Uyghurs. We will not stop demanding our freedom and calling for justice, and a key part of this is holding Chen to account.”
Sam Walton, Chief Executive Officer of Free Tibet said:
“Chen Quanguo is the perfect illustration of how ignoring human rights abuses does not make them go away; it just leads to further and bigger abuses. After cracking down on Tibet and turning it into a prison, the world should have listened. Instead there was near silence, and Chen was rewarded with the chance to replicate his architecture of repression in the Uyghur region. Firm, decisive action is needed, starting with these travel sanctions.”
ENDS
Contact for further information:
John Jones, Campaigns and Advocacy Manager, Free Tibet, UK +44 (0)777 068 1938 |[email protected]
Notes for Editors:
- Link to petition: https://secure.freetibet.org/ban-chen-quanguo-uk
- Link to Facebook Live event: https://en-gb.facebook.com/FreeTibetOrg/
- Letter sent to the Secretary of State: https://twitter.com/ipacglobal/status/1328638306888847360
- Further information on Chen Quanguo: https://www.freetibet.org/take-action/ban-chen/chen-in-tibet