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Uyghurs: Human Rights

Asked by Sir Iain Duncan SmithConservativeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 28 April 2026UIN 128636

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) adequacy of UK sanctions in response to ongoing human rights violations in the Uyghur Region since 22 April 2021.

Answered by Seema Malhotra

This Government stands firm on human rights, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We continue to raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister raised human rights in his meeting with President Xi Jinping in January.

We also continue to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations, for example by joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly last October.

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