Trump signs into law bill to punish China over crackdown on Uyghur Muslims
Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed into law a legislation that condemns the gross human rights violations of Uyghur minority groups in China's restive Muslim-majority Xinjiang region, paving the way for imposing sanctions against senior Chinese officials.
The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, 2020 holds accountable the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses such as the systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labour and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uyghurs and other minorities in China, Trump said.
However, a section of the Act purports to limit his discretion to terminate inadmissibility sanctions under the Act, he said on Wednesday. In some circumstances, this limitation could be inconsistent with my constitutional authorities , Trump said.
Reacting to the development, the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing slammed the law, saying it "maliciously attacks" China's policy in the Xinjiang region.
China will "resolutely hit back and the US will bear the burden of all subsequent consequences", it said in a statement after Trump signed the Act into law.
The bill, which includes sanctions on the senior Chinese officials directly involved in the crackdown on the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, was passed with an overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
Senator Marco Rubio applauded the Act and said that it is an important step in countering the totalitarian Chinese government's widespread and horrific human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), including the mass internment of over one million Uyghurs and other predominantly ethnic Turkic Muslims, as well as Beijing's intimidation and threats against US citizens and legal permanent residents on American soil.
By signing the Act into law, President Trump took a historic step in the support of Uyghur Muslims worldwide and against China's egregious human rights abuses and probable crimes against humanity, he said.
As the Chinese government and Communist Party of China (CPC) continue its mass internment of at least a million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities, the US will hold the CPC and its enablers accountable for their heinous crimes, said Rubio.
He is the co-chair of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations' Subcommittee that oversees human rights, and is a member of the subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy.
The internment of at least a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities is reprehensible and inexcusable, and the Chinese Communist Party and government must be held to account. This legislation is the product of a true bipartisan, bicameral effort and I look forward to its full implementation soon, said Senator Jim Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) welcomed the enactment of the law. Uyghurs around the world are celebrating, said Omer Kanat, UHRP Executive Director.
It's the kind of news we have been waiting for, more than three years into the Uyghur crisis. But the US cannot be the sole nation acting to hold the perpetrators accountable for their crimes. Uyghurs call on countries around the world to work together against ethno-religious persecution, profiling and cultural genocide, he said.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom thanked Trump for signing the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.
It is a great day for the American citizens as well as Uyghur and other Turkic people in China who have been subject to ghastly human rights abuses by the Communist Party of China, USCIRF Commissioner Nury Turkel said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Thieves break into forest officer’s house in Ullal, decamp with bike, jewellery and ₹10.5 lakh cash
Mangaluru: Thieves broke into the rented house of a forest officer in the Kotekar sub-division of Ullal and stole a motorbike, ₹10.5 lakh in cash and gold and silver jewellery weighing about 181 grams, police said. The incident came to light on Thursday morning after Mehboob returned home from his native after nearly one week
The victim, Mehboob Saab Gudihola, had been living in the house with his wife and child for the past six months. According to the complaint, the family had travelled to their native place in Koppal on Friday.
The theft came to light when Gudihola returned home on Thursday morning and found that the house had been broken into.
In his complaint to police, Gudihola said the accused had entered the house through the main door and broke open cupboards in two rooms. The thieves allegedly stole gold and silver jewellery weighing around 181 grams, including ornaments belonging to the child.
They also took away ₹10.5 lakh in cash, which Gudihola told police he had brought home after availing a bank loan. In addition, a motorbike parked on the premises was also stolen.
Following the complaint, Ullal Police registered a case and launched an investigation. A dog squad and forensic experts visited the house and conducted an inspection.
