December 10, 2022
The Coalition strongly welcomes today’s application of targeted sanctions by the Australian Government against certain individuals responsible for horrific human rights abuses.
The Magnitsky-style sanctions applied upon 13 individuals and two entities has the full support of the Coalition.
We note that the Coalition has been calling for this exact action for months, particularly in relation to Iran.
The decision for sanctions against Iran's Morality Police, the Basij Resistance Force and six Iranian individuals as well as individuals involved in the supply of drones to Russia has already been undertaken by the U.S. and other likeminded countries weeks ago.
We urge the Australian Government to continue pursuing action against other Russian and Iranian nationals responsible for grievous human rights abuses.
It is regrettable that no action has been taken to include sanctions on those responsible for abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
The Coalition continues to offer bipartisan support for the Australian Government to stop lagging behind likeminded nations in taking such action, as we have made clear since the release of the report of the UN Human Rights Commissioner in August.
Whilst today’s announcement will be welcomed by those who have been standing up for human rights in Iran and Russia there will be understandable disappointment for those concerned with the situation in places like Xinjiang and Myanmar. We also note that the government has not applied targeted sanctions for serious cyber incidents. The Albanese Government needs to be transparent in its explanation for its different approaches in these cases.
The Coalition will continue to encourage the adoption of principled stances that are consistent with Australia’s strong history of promoting and protecting human rights globally and acting in the interests of international peace and security.
