Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., brought out the “Uyghur Policy Act.”
Rubio’s bill will “increase U.S. support for the Uyghur diaspora in the United States and other countries, as well as to advocate for improving the conditions of Uyghurs suffering human rights abuses at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
The bill will have the U.S. State Department craft a plan “on how the Department will seek to use diplomatic meetings with CCP officials in order to gain access to detention facilities in Xinjiang and secure the release of detained Uyghurs” and will ensure Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) have the option of studying the Uyghur language. The bill would also have the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) “oppose any motion that would prevent consideration of issues related to Uyghurs and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in UN activities.”
“The CCP is carrying out a disgusting campaign of genocide and human rights abuses committed against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. The United States cannot be silent in the face of such horrific abuse,” Rubio said. “I’m proud to introduce legislation to increase awareness and advocacy for Uyghurs, and I urge my colleagues to quickly pass this bill.”
The bill was sent to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on which Rubio sits. So far, there are no co-sponsors in the Senate. U.S. Reps. Ami Bera, D-Calif., and Young Kim, R-Calif., are championing the bill in the U.S. House.
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