Australia Will Trip Badly If It Acts Bigger Than Its Boots
Foreign Minister Marise Payne
Already feeling the pinch of various coercive measures taken by China against Australia, now Canberra is going ahead towards so-called Magnitsky-style laws which will allow Australia to impose targeted sanctions against perpetrators of “egregious acts of international concern”.
Such moves by USA and various other Western countries is just a tool for manipulation against smaller countries. Such laws and actions under them have no impact on economically or militarily powerful countries. As it is these western countries have themselves have looted and abused the human rights of millions across the globe. In many cases they continue to do so indirectly, even to their own citizens. Australia is no exception. The world can see what has happened to the original Australians …the aborigines but 80% of the “horror” stories are still unknown.
Now under the proposed law,Human rights abusers and cyber attackers from overseas would face financial sanctions and travel bans in Australia.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Thursday confirmed the government was drafting so-called Magnitsky-style laws targeting individuals or entities perpetrating “egregious acts of international concern”, marking a long-awaited response to a parliamentary inquiry recommending Australia join global allies in doing so.
The reforms would allow Australia to impose targeted sanctions wherever concerns against perpetrators arise, without having to establish a country-specific approach.
Senator Payne said the government intends to legislate reforms to the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 by the end of the year.
“The Australian Government will reform and modernise Australia’s autonomous sanctions laws to enable the imposition of targeted financial sanctions and travel bans against the perpetrators of egregious acts of international concern,” she said in a statement.
The laws could target specific conduct such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human rights violations, malicious cyber activity, and serious corruption.
Mounting concerns over human rights violations in the Asia-Pacific region in places such as in Myanmar and China had prompted calls for reform.
The so-called Magnitsky sanctions are named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who uncovered $230 million worth of tax fraud committed by Russian government officials in 2008.
After Mr Magnitsky testified against the officials, he was imprisoned and allegedly tortured. He later died in jail.
Once Australia starts acting on this new law, then it is surely going to come in conflict with not only China but many other countries. Those countries too will retaliate against Australia with similar bans and sanctions. This will result in Australia getting further isolated and UNCKE SAM will be of no help. Therefore only suitable advice to Government of Australia will be to mind its own business and not to act bigger than its boots or else it is likely to trip very badly.
Leading campaigner says Australia’s limp response to human rights violations is ‘humiliating’
That prompted political activist Bill Browder to lead a push for the US Magnitsky Act to be adopted in 2012 on behalf of his former lawyer.
Since then, similar laws have been passed in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Possible reforms in Australia gained cross-party support during a review of the sanctions regime completed last December by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.
