EU Ministers to issue sanctions for rights abuses

Brussels, March 22 The European Union's (EU) 27 Foreign Affairs Ministers are expected to endorse sanctions against various individuals and entities for human rights abuses on Monday.

At a meeting in Brussels, the Ministers are likely to agree on sanctioning four individuals and one entity from China for their involvement in human rights abuses of the Uighur population in Xinjiang province, dpa news agency quoted EU diplomats as saying.

Under a recently established global human rights sanctions mechanism, the bloc has drawn up asset freezes and travel bans.

The bloc is also likely to sanction several individuals and entities from North Korea, Russia, Libya, Eritrea and South Sudan on the basis of that instrument, according to the diplomatic sources.

Another country likely to be targeted by sanctions is Myanmar, where a military coup was declared on February 1.

EU ministers are expected to react to the ongoing crackdown following the military takeover.

Individuals or entities linked to the military could be sanctioned, a senior EU official said last week.

Aside from endorsing sanctions, the ministers are expected to discuss the politically sensitive issues of Turkey and Russia, attempting to hash out their strategic positions to both countries.

While relations with Turkey have somewhat improved over the past months, the relationship to Russia has deteriorated.

( With inputs from IANS )