European Parliament Members Ask EU to Move Faster on Human Rights Sanctions

Two European Parliament members urged the European Union to “swiftly” impose sanctions on China for human rights violations in Hong Kong and against Muslim minority groups. In a July 23 letter, MEPs Hilde Vautmans of Belgium and Katalin Cseh of Hungary called on EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to more quickly create a human rights sanctions regime and provide a time table for the imposition of sanctions. Vautmans and Cseh said the EU should sanction Chinese leaders involved in infringing on Hong Kong’s autonomy and the mass detention of Uighurs. “We urge you to make progress with the drafting of the proposal,” Vautmans and Cseh said. Borrell said in December the EU was preparing a Magnitsky Act-style human rights sanctions regime (see 1912100046), and Parliament members have previously asked the EU to move faster (see 2004020016).