New US Tariffs on 60 countries, Including in Europe and China, for goods produced with forced labor inspired by US Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh's dissent

Good news! A very interesting angle to impose import tariffs! 

Will President Trump try to go down in history as an abolitionist? Way to go!

How serious is modern slavery or indentured servitude or similar arrangements/conditions around the world even today at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century?

Caveat: I am not familiar with the details of President Trump's latest imposition of tariffs.

"... Trump imposed the latest tariffs, ranging from 10-12.5 percent, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. They follow an investigation under Section 301 finding failure to prevent the importation of goods as a result of forced labor in the respective countries.

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 is one of the pathways forward that Kavanaugh highlighted in the dissent when the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s worldwide International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which he imposed on April 2, 2025. ..."

"Today, Ambassador Jamieson Greer is taking final action, at President Trump’s direction, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 by imposing tariffs on 60 economies for their failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.  Today’s action comes after the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) investigations, which included two rounds of public hearings, more than 2,100 public comments, and engagement with our trading partners to remedy these longstanding concerns.

“President Trump recognizes that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labor from global supply chains.  The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” said Ambassador Greer.  “Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere.  I am encouraged by the trading partners who have moved quickly to adopt forced labor import prohibitions, and look forward to ensuring their effective enforcement.” ..."

U.S. Tariffs 60 Trading Partners, Including Europe and China, for Slave Labor Product Imports "United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer on Thursday announced “tariffs on 60 economies for their failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.”"

Trump’s Tariffs on 60 Countries Adopt Method Justice Brett Kavanaugh Laid Out in SCOTUS Ruling "The tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed on 60 countries Thursday night utilize one of the mechanisms that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh laid out in the dissent of February’s Supreme Court ruling striking down Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs."

USTR Takes Action in Forced Labor Section 301 Investigations (original government news release)

Trump's Newest Tariffs Are Likely Illegal Too (a critical voice) "The Section 301 tariffs announced on Thursday overstep the powers granted by Congress and likely run afoul of the major questions doctrine."

DHS Withdraws Request to Deport Chinese Man Guan Heng Who Filmed Chinese Concentration Camps were Uighurs are held

Good news! I was betting with myself that this deportation was a mistake and will be corrected.

China’s Unrelenting Ethnic Cleansing Campaign agains the Uyghurs

Serious stuff!

Canada orders Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer Hikvision to cease operations

Good news! Sometimes the West takes human rights violations seriously!

"Industry Minister Melanie Joly said the Canadian government issued an order against Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer Hikvision to close for national security reasons.

"The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc's continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada's national security," Joly wrote on X.

The U.S. has expressed concerns with Hikvision over its use of equipment from China's Xinjiang region, which is the basis of reports of abuses against the Uyghur population, according to Reuters.  ..."

"

Summary

• Canada says order a result of multi-step review
• Hikvision has faced US sanctions over ties to Xinjiang, where rights groups have documented abuse
• Company said last year it had exited 5 Xinjiang contracts

...

Hikvision, also known as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co, has faced numerous sanctions and restrictions by ... the United States, over the past five and a half years for the firm's dealings and the use of its equipment in China's Xinjiang region, where rights groups have documented abuses against the Uyghur population and other Muslim communities. ..."

Canada orders Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer Hikvision to suspend 

operations | Just The News "A Hikvision spokesperson said the company "strongly" disagrees with the decision, arguing it "lacks a factual basis, procedural fairness, and transparency.""

Canada orders China's Hikvision to close Canadian operations

Tough looking woman! 😊 Industry Minister Melanie Joly (age 49)

Talk on Significance of Tibet in the Context of the India-China Relationship

Those of us who are older may well remember that the Uyghurs are not the only ethnic minority persecuted by the Communist Party of China!

In decades past, the Tibetans and the destiny of their Dalai Lama used to be a human rights cause long before the Uyghurs!

"Tibet is the silent battleground where India and China intersect. It is through Tibet that China manages its relations with India, using the boundary dispute to keep New Delhi off-balance. India is also where the most revered Tibetan, the 14th Dalai Lama lives in exile. There is now a two-pronged effort by China to deal with the consequences of the Dalai Lama’s passing and his possible reincarnation outside Tibet: To manage the succession in its own favour, and to Sinicise Tibetan Buddhism. In the “new era” of Xi Jinping, Chinese policy continues to combine repression and development activities. Dr. Lobsang Sangay talks about the significance of Tibet in India-China relations."

"Speaker

Lobsang Sangay

Former Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration (government-in-exile) and Lecturer on Law, Senior Visiting Fellow at East Asian Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School."

Talk on Significance of Tibet in the Context of the India-China Relationship | ORF

Iran: Gefängnis-Massaker von 1988 kommen in Stockholm vor Gericht

Good news! Justice delayed, is justice denied (Interessant, dieser Wikipedia Eintrag hat keine deutsche Übersetzung, dafür aber Tamil, Hindi, Thai)!

"... Angeklagt vor dem Bezirksgericht in Stockholm ist der 60-jährige Iraner Hamid Nouri. Er soll an der aussergerichtlichen Hinrichtung politischer Gefangener im Sommer 1988 beteiligt gewesen sein. Auch Raisi war in die Gefängnis-Massaker verwickelt, denen nach Angaben von Amnesty International rund 5000 Häftlinge zum Opfer fielen. ..."

Iran: Gefängnis-Massaker von 1988 kommen in Stockholm vor Gericht (behind paywall) In Stockholm hat der Prozess gegen einen Iraner begonnen, der 1988 an der Hinrichtung Tausender Häftlinge beteiligt gewesen sein soll. Auch Irans neuer Präsident war in die Massaker verwickelt. Der Prozess könnte neue Erkenntnisse zu seiner Rolle bringen.

EU, US, Canada, and UK sanction Chinese officials for massive human rights violations in Xinjiang

When will the Chinese people finally rid themselves of this murderous Communist Party dictatorship that has ruled the country since 1949!

Why are Australia, India, Israel and other countries not part of these sanctions?

The article below also shows declassified documents as proof for the human rights violations!

"... The bloc’s top diplomats imposed travel bans and asset freezes on four senior Chinese officials including Zhu Hailun, the former deputy party secretary in Xinjiang, and one of the architects of the mass-detention program ...

Zhu’s signature was on five of the six documents at the heart of the China Cables, which documented China’s use of prison-like structures and highly sophisticated mass-surveillance technology to detain and control members of the Uyghur community in Xinjiang. ..."

EU, US, Canada, and UK sanction Chinese officials for human rights violations in Xinjiang - ICIJ The rare, coordinated effort has triggered a strong reaction from China, which retaliated with tit-for-tat sanctions against European politicians and scholars.