Los Angeles, CA – On Monday, China placed sanctions on several Americans in response to the US sanctions placed last week. Senators Rubio, Cruz, Cotton and Toomey were on the list. So was congressman Chris Smith.
Beijing then chose to sanction several who stand for human rights. The others included Kenneth Roth the Human Rights Watch Executive Director, National Endowment for Democracy President Carl Gershman, and Michael Abramowitz, the president of Freedom House.
The move by China comes after the United States placed sanctions on Carrie Lam, the Hong Kong Chief Executive. Beijing said the move was interference into Hong Kong affairs, as Lam has been a key part of the implementation of the Chinese security law that sparked protests across Hong Kong.
Key officials in China alled the move ‘shameless and despicable.’ Another said, “such a deplorable move is no less than state-sanctioned doxxing that is a serious breach of privacy and personal safety.” Carrie Lam’s spokesperson said that she would not be intimidated.
Each of the Americans sanctioned were outspoken on the actions of China. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) gave a speech that said that Americans stood with Hong Kong last year.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has also given praise to the Trump administration’s handling of the Hong Kong situation. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said that President Xi and Communist China were “thugs” disregarding Hong Kong’s freedom. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) has proposed legislation to place sanctions on China.
The move by China to sanction those involved in Human Rights is an interesting one. In April, China joined the UN Human Rights Council, despite their track record of violating human rights. Most have agreed that this action in Hong Kong by China was a violation of human rights.
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