WASHINGTON — Ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the US on Friday imposed sanctions on 20 people, from Afghanistan to China and Haiti to Iran, accused of violating human rights in their respective countries.
Included in the sanctions are two Afghan government ministers accused of oppressing women and girls by restricting access to secondary education; two Iranian intelligence officers who the Treasury Department says are plotting violence against opponents of the Iranian regime beyond the country's borders, and two Chinese officials accused of torturing Uighur ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang region.
“Our commitment to upholding and defending human rights is sacred,” said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. “Violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms – anywhere in the world – strike at the core of our shared humanity and our collective conscience,” she said.
She said the agency's human rights sanctions “underscore the seriousness of our commitment to promoting accountability for human rights abuses and protecting the U.S. financial system from those who commit these egregious acts.”
The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans.
Republican lawmakers say the sanctions on Chinese officials don't go far enough.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said in a statement: “While we welcome this news, the Biden administration has dragged its feet to long to implement sanctions under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.”
“Most alarmingly absent from the administration's appointments is Ma
The Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948, sets a standard for human rights and freedoms for all people.
The State Department has also imposed visa restrictions on a range of people – with a collective sanctions package of visa restrictions and sanctions against 37 people in 13 countries.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said many of Friday's accusations target people responsible for gender-based violence and the oppression of women and girls.
“Our actions promote accountability for these heinous acts, especially in environments where the rule of law is poorly enforced, and support members of vulnerable and marginalized populations, including political dissidents, women, civil society leaders and activists, LGBTQI+ people, and human rights defenders and environmental activists are targeted by repressive governments,” Blinken said.