Australia has consistently condemned human rights violations against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and across China. We will continue to advocate in multilateral institutions – at the UN Human Rights Council,at the International Labour Organisation,at the UN General Assembly. And we will continue to advocate directly with China,at the highest levels. Restarting high-level dialogue with China does not mean our differences will disappear. It does mean we have the opportunity to speak directly and candidly about the issues that are important to our values and interests.
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We can’t only deal with those who share our views if we are to effect change. Professor Sean Turnell’s release from unjust detention in Myanmar is an example of why we must keep engaging in dialogue as we continue to press for change. Without dialogue,the Paris Peace Agreements for Cambodia,one of Australia’s finest foreign policy achievements,would not have come about.
But where dialogue does not progress,we look for other ways to send a strong message. Autonomous sanctions are one of those ways. Australia’s regime has enabled us to punish individuals and entities responsible for Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine,and those enabling them.
On Saturday,I have imposed sanctions on three individuals and one entity for their role in the transfer of the Iranian-made drones Russia has used to terrorise Ukrainian civilians and destroy essential infrastructure.
I advocated for Magnitsky-style amendments to our autonomous sanctions regime that would also allow us to hold human rights abusers to account. The Albanese government is now applying them.
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The sanctions listings include several of the people involved in the attempted assassination of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. They also include Seyed Sadegh Hosseini,a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran,for his role in the indiscriminate use of violence against protestors,as well Iran’s Morality Police and the Basij Resistance Force,implicated in unlawful killings,beatings,and sexual assaults during the same crackdown.
The Iranian regime’s flagrant and widespread disregard for the human rights of its own people has appalled Australians,and the perpetrators must be held accountable.
Sanctions are not our only choice,and they will rarely be our first choice. It’s about making the best judgment I can in this role,about the right approach at the right time.
Sometimes we partner with others,sometimes we engage directly,sometimes we have to apply pressure. Our task is to do what we can to lessen the injustice in this world.
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As we mark Human Rights Day,Australians can reflect on our record of being one of eight countries involved in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a legacy our government inherits with pride. We take the world as it is,and dedicate ourselves with great seriousness to the question of how we can shape it for the better.
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