At present, numerous members of the European Parliament, as well as a many European ambassadors and members of think tanks are subject to chinese sanctions – including the Parliament’s entire Human Rights Committee, and therefore, myself. Why is that?
The EU had sanctioned four individuals from China for serious human rights crimes against the Uyghurs, such as forced labour in “re-education” camps. China reacted with “counter-sanctions”, a direct attack on freedom of expression. These sanctions prevent us from doing our work: For example, some Chinese experts we invited to the Human Rights Committee have already withdrawn their commitments – I spoke about this to the South China Morning Post. They fear that they too could be sanctioned if they cooperate with a sanctioned body.
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