Human rights law only shows depths of Trump's hypocrisy

Given his open disdain for Muslims, Donald Trump’s apparent support for Uighurs incarcerated and tortured in China rings hollow.

US President Donald Trump has abandoned the traditional processes for crafting and vetting official statements, preferring instead to engage via social media. Picture: Evan Vucci/AP

Last month, US president Donald Trump signed into law a bill allowing him to impose sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the mass incarceration of more than 1m Uighurs and members of other largely Muslim minorities in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang.

The bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (UHRPA) condemned the abuses and called on the Chinese authorities to close their “vocational education” centres in the region immediately, ensure respect for human rights, and allow people living in China to re-establish contact with family, friends, and associates outside the country.