A panel of UK-based lawyers and human rights experts investigating alleged abuses against Uyghurs vowed Friday to press on with its work after falling subject to new sanctions by China. The independent Uyghur Tribunal was convened in February. It was one of four UK entities and nine individuals sanctioned by Beijing for raising concerns about the situation in the Chinese region of Xinjiang. It stressed the sanctions "will not affect the work of the tribunal", nor would members be prejudiced against China "in reaching an independent judgement on the information provided" from any group, state or individual. "We continue to hope that the PRC (People's Republic of China) will respond to our invitations to cooperate with the tribunal and provide evidence to help the tribunal in its work," the panel added in a statement. The tribunal is chaired by Geoffrey Nice, a veteran British lawyer who led the UN prosecution for war crimes of late former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, and also includes experts in medicine, education and anthropology. Nice was named personally on the Chinese sanctions list along with Helena Kennedy, a high-profile rights lawyer who is advising the tribunal. There is no state backing for the tribunal. But Nice told reporters last month that such panels had played an important role through the 20th century in holding offenders to account, and noted China would block any international prosecution by the UN. The panel intends to hold a first round of hearings in London in early June and publish its verdict by the end of the year into whether China is guilty of genocide and/or crimes against humanity. Another tribunal led by Nice found last year that China continues to harvest the organs of executed prisoners, including of Uyghurs and members of the banned Falungong spiritual movement, despite official denials. jit/phz/dl