Australia and New Zealand have joined together to release a statement expressing their grave concerns about the severe human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China. This comes after the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union jointly unveiled parallel Magnitsky-style sanctions on six Chinese officials. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a joint statement that they welcome the measures announced by the group of Western allies. “We share these countries’ deep concerns, which are held across the Australian and New Zealand communities,” they said on March 23. Payne and Mahuta said there was clear evidence of severe human rights abuses in Xinjiang that include “restrictions on freedom of religion, mass surveillance, large-scale extra-judicial detentions, as well as forced labour and forced birth control, including sterilisation.” “Since 2018, when reports began to emerge about the detention camps in Xinjiang, Australia and …