NGO petitions UK government to sanction Chinese seafood processors linked to forced labor
The British NGO that helped craft the legal petition has asked to remain anonymous due to concerns about repercussions from the Chinese government, according to Outlaw Ocean.
An undisclosed NGO has submitted a legal petition to the British government, seeking formal sanctions against seven Chinese seafood companies.
The British NGO that helped craft the legal petition has asked to remain anonymous due to concerns of repercussions from the Chinese government, according to Outlaw Ocean.
The seven companies are Yantai Sanko Fisheries; Yantai Longwin Foods; The Chishan Group, including Shandong Haidu and Rongcheng Haibo; Shandong Meijia Group, including Rizhao Meijia Aquatic Foodstuff, Rizhao Jiayuan Foodstuff and Rizhao Meijia Keyuan Foods; Qingdao Tianyuan Aquatic Foodstuffs; Rongsense Group, including Rizhao Rirong Aquatic Products and Rizhao Rongxing; and Xinjiang Zhongtai Zhihui Modern Service.
The legal petition was filed March 4 under the United Kingdom’s Global Human Rights Sanctions (GHR) law.
These products, according to the investigation, are making their way to consumers through major retailers in North America and Europe, including Walmart, Kroger, Sysco and others.
In February a group of US lawmakers co-signed a subsequent letter calling on the executive branch of the federal government to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on the Chinese companies listed in the sanctions recommendation.
The Global Magnitsky Sanctions Program was established to combat worldwide human rights abuses and corruption. It empowers the US government to impose targeted sanctions on individuals or entities involved in severe human rights violations or significant corruption.
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