US designates 12 officials including 4 Chinese for gross human rights violations

The US on Friday (local time) designated 12 officials for their involvement in gross violations of human rights, including four Chinese officials on the occasion of Human Rights Day for arbitrary detention of Uyghurs.

"On this #HumanRightsDay, we are designating 12 officials for their involvement in gross violations of human rights. As part of our commitment to put human rights at the center of US foreign policy, we will continue to promote accountability for human rights violators," tweeted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Department of State has designated the following individuals for their involvement in gross violations of human rights

The designated officials include Shohrat Zakir, Erken Tuniyaz, Hu Lianhe, and Chen Mingguo, current and former senior People's Republic of China (PRC) officials in Xinjiang, China for their involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely arbitrary detention of Uyghurs, who are predominantly Muslim, and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang; Abel Kandiho, Major General and head of the Chieftancy of Military Intelligence within the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces, for his involvement in a gross violation of human rights, namely torture.

Ihar Kenyukh and Yauheni Shapetska, heads of the notorious Akrestsina Detention Center in Minsk, Belarus, have also been designated for their involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely the torture and/or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment of detainees in the aftermath of the fraudulent August 9, 2020, presidential election.

Others include Benazir Ahmed, current Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police and former Director-General of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Miftah Uddin Ahmed, Lieutenant Colonel and former commanding officer of RAB Unit 7, for their involvement in a gross violation of human rights, namely the May 2018 extrajudicial killing of Teknaf City Municipal Councillor Ekramul Haque in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar District, Bangladesh.

Chandana Hettiarachchi, a Sri Lankan naval intelligence officer, for his involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely, the flagrant denial of the right to liberty of at least eight "Trincomalee 11" victims, from 2008 to 2009. Sunil Ratnayake, a former Staff Sergeant in the Sri Lanka Army, for his involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely the extrajudicial killings of at least eight Tamil villagers in December 2000.

Mario Plutarco Marin Torres, a former governor of Puebla, Mexico, for his involvement in a gross violation of human rights in Mexico, namely, the arbitrary detention of journalist and human rights defender Lydia Cacho in December 2005.

Additionally, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is imposing sanctions on 15 individuals and 10 entities including for roles in serious human rights abuse and repression across several countries.

"We are determined to put human rights at the center of our foreign policy, and we reaffirm this commitment by using appropriate tools and authorities to draw attention to and promote accountability for human rights violations and abuses, no matter where they occur," read US Department of State press statement.

Moreover, the US also appreciated the coordinated actions taken by the United Kingdom and Canada under their respective sanctions programs to target Burmese military actors responsible for violence and repression.

"We also welcome the close coordination with the EU, UK, and Canada last week on our strongest sanctions package to date on Belarus, which jointly imposes costs on the Lukashenka regime for its continued repression of the Belarusian people," added the statement.

( With inputs from ANI )

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