Ottawa, Dec. 12 -- On International Human Rights Day, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, announced sanctions under the Special Economic Measures (People's Republic of China) Regulations against eight former or current senior Chinese officials, an official statement said.

These sanctions targeted individuals involved in severe human rights abuses, particularly in Xinjiang, Tibet, and against practitioners of Falun Gong, the statement added.

The Canadian government's decision came in response to ongoing reports of systemic repression and abuses in China, including arbitrary detention, forced labour, and violence against ethnic and religious minorities. Specifically, the sanctions addressed the Chinese government's treatme...