European Parliament Pushes for More China, Sudan Human Rights Sanctions

Members of the European Parliament last week called on the bloc to sanction officials in China and Sudan for human rights violations.

One resolution adopted by Parliament asked for EU sanctions against Chinese authorities responsible for religious persecution, including against those that practice Falun Gong, a religious movement founded in China in the 1990s. They also said China should end its persecution of Uyghurs and Tibetans, adding that member states should use their “national sanctions regimes” and the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime “against all perpetrators, as well as entities that have contributed to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and abroad.”

Another resolution asks EU states to impose human rights sanctions against the “rival armed factions in Sudan” that are causing “human rights violations and food insecurity.” The resolution also asks the U.N. Security Council to “sanction violations of the UN arms embargo on Darfur, and to expand the embargo to the whole of the country.” The U.S. has imposed several rounds of Sudan sanctions in recent months in response to people and companies contributing to the ongoing military conflict in the country (see 2306010064 and 2312040056).