[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4785 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4785
To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other minority
groups residing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and safeguard
their distinct identity, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 29, 2021
Mrs. Kim of California (for herself, Mr. Bera, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mrs.
Demings, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Malinowski, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Cicilline, Mr.
Chabot, Ms. Titus, and Mr. Johnson of Ohio) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other minority
groups residing in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and safeguard
their distinct identity, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Uyghur Policy Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The People's Republic of China (PRC) continues to
repress the distinct Islamic, Turkic identity of Uyghurs and
members of other minority groups of the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern China.
(2) Uyghurs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnic
minorities living in the XUAR, have maintained throughout their
history a distinct religious and cultural identity.
(3) Human rights, including freedom of religion or belief,
and respect for the Uyghurs' unique Muslim identity are
legitimate interests of the international community, including
the particular concern of Islamic nations.
(4) The People's Republic of China has ratified the
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
and is thereby bound by its provisions. China has also signed
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Article One of both covenants state that all peoples have the
right to self-determination.
(5) An official campaign to encourage Han Chinese migration
into the XUAR has placed immense pressure on those who seek to
preserve the ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic
traditions of the Uyghurs people. Chinese authorities have
supported an influx of Han Chinese economic immigrants into the
XUAR, implemented discrimination against Uyghurs in hiring
practices, and provided unequal access to healthcare services.
(6) The authorities of the People's Republic of China have
manipulated the strategic objectives of the international war
on terror to increase their cultural and religious oppression
of the Muslim population residing in the XUAR.
(7) Following unrest in the region, in 2014, Chinese
authorities launched their ``Strike Hard against Violent
Extremism'' campaign, in which dubious threats of widespread
extremist activity were used as justification for gross human
rights violations committed against members of the Uyghur
community in the XUAR.
(8) Chinese authorities have made use of the legal system
as a tool of repression, including for the imposition of
arbitrary detentions and for torture against members of the
Uyghur and other populations.
(9) Uyghurs and Kazakhs who have secured citizenship or
permanent residency outside of China have attested to repeated
threats, harassment, and surveillance by Chinese officials.
(10) Reporting from international news organizations has
found that over the past decade, family members of Uyghurs
living outside of China have gone missing or been detained to
force their return to China or silence dissent.
(11) Credible evidence from human rights organizations,
think tanks, and journalists confirms that more than 1,000,000
Uyghurs and members of other Muslim ethnic minority groups have
been imprisoned in ``political reeducation'' centers.
(12) Independent accounts from former detainees of
``political reeducation'' centers describe inhumane conditions
and treatment including forced political indoctrination,
torture, beatings, rape, forced sterilization, and food
deprivation. Former detainees also confirmed that they were
told by guards the only way to secure release was to
demonstrate sufficient political loyalty.
(13) News surrounding the ongoing atrocities in the XUAR
and advocacy efforts to assist Uyghurs remains muted in most
Muslim majority nations around the world.
(14) Both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Former
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo have stated that the Chinese
government in Xinjiang has committed genocide and crimes
against humanity.
(15) Government branches of other nations have also
declared genocide in Xinjiang, including the parliaments of the
United Kingdom, Belgium, Czechia, Lithuania, the Netherlands
and Canada.
SEC. 3. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY.
Congress--
(1) calls upon the Government of the People's Republic of
China to open the XUAR to regular visits by United States
Members of Congress, Congressional staff delegations, the
United States Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues under
section 4, and members and staff of the Congressional-Executive
Commission on the People's Republic of China;
(2) calls upon the Government of the People's Republic of
China to recognize, and seek to ensure, the distinct ethnic,
cultural, religious, and linguistic identity of Uyghurs and
members of other groups in the XUAR;
(3) calls upon the Government of the People's Republic of
China to cease all government-sponsored crackdowns,
imprisonments, and detentions of people throughout the XUAR
aimed at those involved in the peaceful expression of their
ethnic, cultural, political, or religious identity;
(4) commends countries that have provided shelter and
hospitality to Uyghurs in exile, including Turkey, Albania, and
Germany; and
(5) urges countries with sizeable Muslim populations, given
their common religious and cultural identity, to demonstrate
particular concern over the plight of Uyghurs.
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR UYGHUR ISSUES.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be within the Department of
State a United States Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues (in this
section referred to as the ``Special Coordinator''), to be designated
by the Secretary of State in accordance with subsection (b).
(b) Consultation.--The Secretary of State shall consult with the
Chairs and Ranking Members of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives prior to the designation of the Special Coordinator.
(c) Central Objective.--The Special Coordinator should seek to
promote the protection and preservation of the distinct ethnic,
cultural, religious, and linguistic identities of the Uyghurs.
(d) Duties and Responsibilities.--The Special Coordinator should,
as appropriate--
(1) coordinate United States Government policies, programs,
and projects concerning the Uyghurs;
(2) vigorously promote the policy of seeking to protect the
distinct ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identity
of the Uyghurs and seek improved respect for human rights in
the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR);
(3) maintain close contact with religious, cultural, and
political leaders of the Uyghurs, including seeking regular
travel to the XUAR and to Uyghur settlements in Central Asia,
Turkey, Albania, Germany, and other parts of Europe;
(4) lead coordination efforts for the release of political
prisoners in the XUAR who are being detained for exercising
their human rights;
(5) consult with Congress on policies relevant to the XUAR
and the Uyghurs;
(6) coordinate with relevant Federal agencies to administer
aid to Uyghur rights advocates; and
(7) make efforts to establish contacts with foreign
ministries of other countries, especially in Europe, Central
Asia, and the Islamic world, to pursue a policy of promoting
greater respect for human rights and religious freedom for
Uyghurs and other groups.
(e) Support.--The Secretary of State shall ensure the Special
Coordinator has adequate resources, staff, and administrative support
to carry out this section.
SEC. 5. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD ON THE UYGHUR SITUATION.
(a) Funding for Human Rights Advocates.--Of the amounts authorized
to be appropriated for the U.S. Speaker Program in the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State, $250,000
for each of fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024 is authorized to be
available for human rights advocates on behalf of the Uyghurs and
members of other minority groups, whose names may be provided by
representatives of the global Uyghur community and in consultation with
the Department of State and the United States Special Coordinator for
Uyghur Issues under section 4, to speak at public diplomacy forums in
Islamic majority countries and other regions on issues regarding the
human rights and religious freedom of Uyghurs and members of other
minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
(b) United States Agency for Global Media.--It is the sense of
Congress that the United States Agency for Global Media should
facilitate the unhindered dissemination of information to Islamic
majority countries on issues regarding the human rights and religious
freedom of Uyghurs and members of other minority groups in the XUAR.
SEC. 6. ACCESS TO DETENTION FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND THE RELEASE OF
PRISONERS.
(a) Sense of Congress on Political Reeducation and Detention
Facilities.--It is the sense of Congress that the United States
Government should, in cooperation with other like-minded countries,
develop a strategy to--
(1) pressure the People's Republic of China to immediately
close all detention facilities and ``political reeducation''
camps housing Uyghurs and members of other ethnic minority
groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR); and
(2) support the United Nations Commissioner for Human
Rights and numerous United Nations Special Rapporteurs' urgent
calls for immediate and unhindered access to detention
facilities and ``political reeducation'' camps in the XUAR by
independent international organizations and the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for a
comprehensive assessment of the human rights situation.
(b) Sense of Congress on Prison Access and Prisoner Release.--It is
the sense of Congress that the President and Secretary of State, in
meetings with representatives of the Government of the People's
Republic of China, should--
(1) request the immediate and unconditional release of all
prisoners detained for their ethnic, cultural, religious, and
linguistic identities, or for expressing their political or
religious beliefs in the XUAR;
(2) seek access for international humanitarian
organizations, including the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to prisoners in the XUAR to
ensure such prisoners are not being mistreated and are
receiving necessary medical care;
(3) seek the immediate release of Ekpar Asat, who
participated in the Department of State's International
Visitors Leadership Program in 2016 and incarcerated after
returning to the XUAR and is now serving a 15-year prison
sentence on charges of ``inciting ethnic hatred and ethnic
discrimination''; and
(4) seek the immediate release of Canadian citizens Michael
Kovrig and Michael Spavor who have been imprisoned without
trial since 2018.
SEC. 7. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.
The Secretary of State shall ensure that Uyghur language training
is available to Foreign Service officers as appropriate, and that every
effort is made to ensure that a Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign
Service (as such term is described in section 103 of the Foreign
Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3903)) is assigned to United States
diplomatic and consular missions in China.
SEC. 8. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States Government should oppose any efforts
to prevent consideration of the issues related to the Xinjiang
Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in any body of the United
Nations;
(2) the United States Government should oppose any efforts
to prevent the participation of any Uyghur human rights
advocates in nongovernmental fora hosted by or otherwise
organized under the auspices of any body of the United Nations;
and
(3) the Secretary of State should instruct the United
States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to
support the appointment of a special rapporteur or working
group for the XUAR for the purposes of monitoring human rights
violations and abuses in the XUAR, and for making reports
available to the High Commissioner for Refugees, the High
Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission, the
General Assembly, and other United Nations bodies.
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