Uighurs: Western countries sanction China over rights abuses

Several Western countries have imposed sanctions on officials in China over rights abuses against the mostly Muslim Uighur minority group.

China has detained Uighurs at camps in the north-west region of Xinjiang, where allegations of torture, forced labour and sexual abuse have emerged.

The sanctions were introduced as a coordinated effort by the European Union, UK, US and Canada.

China responded with its own sanctions on European officials.

It has denied the allegations of abuse, claiming the camps are "re-education" facilities used to combat terrorism.

But UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the treatment of Uighurs amounted to "appalling violations of the most basic human rights".

The EU has not imposed new sanctions on China over human rights abuses since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, when troops in Beijing opened fire on pro-democracy protesters.