[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2766 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 2766
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 26, 2024
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other minority
groups residing primarily 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 2023''.
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 ethnic and religious minority groups in the
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern China
and other areas of their habitual residence.
(2) Uyghurs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnic
minorities historically making up the majority of the XUAR
population, 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.
(4) The People's Republic of China has ratified the
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
and has also signed the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights.
(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 and other ethnic and religious
minority groups.
(6) PRC authorities have supported an influx of Han Chinese
economic immigrants into the XUAR, implemented discrimination
against Uyghurs and other minorities in hiring practices, and
provided unequal access to healthcare services.
(7) The authorities of the People's Republic of China have
manipulated the strategic objectives of the international war
on terror to mask their increasing cultural and religious
oppression of the Muslim population residing in the XUAR.
(8) Following unrest in the region, in 2014, Chinese
authorities launched their ``Strike Hard against Violent
Extremism'' campaign, in which dubious allegations of
widespread extremist activity were used as justification for
gross human rights violations committed against Uyghurs and
members of other minority communities in the XUAR.
(9) PRC 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
community and other minority populations.
(10) Uyghurs and Kazakhs who have secured citizenship or
permanent residency outside of the PRC have attested to
repeated threats, harassment, and surveillance by PRC
officials.
(11) Reporting from international news organizations has
found that over the past decade, family members of Uyghurs and
other minority groups living outside of the PRC have gone
missing or been detained to force Uyghur expatriates to return
to the PRC or silence their dissent.
(12) 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.
(13) 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.
(14) Former detainees of PRC so-called ``political
reeducation'' centers also confirmed that they were told by
guards the only way to secure release was to demonstrate
sufficient political loyalty to the PRC Government and the
Chinese Communist Party.
(15) Popular discourse surrounding the ongoing atrocities
in the XUAR and advocacy efforts to assist Uyghurs remains
muted in much of the world, including in most Muslim majority
nations.
(16) Both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Former
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo have stated that the PRC
government has committed genocide and crimes against humanity
against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in
the XUAR.
(17) Government bodies of multiple nations have also
declared that PRC government atrocities against such
populations in the XUAR constitute genocide, including the
parliaments of the United Kingdom, Belgium, Czechia, Lithuania,
the Netherlands, and Canada.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
immediately open the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)
to regular, transparent, and unmanipulated visits by members of
the press, international organizations including the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, academic
and human rights research institutions, as well as foreign
delegations including from the United States Congress;
(2) Government of the People's Republic of China should
recognize, and take tangible steps to protect and preserve, the
distinct ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic identity
of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority
groups in the XUAR;
(3) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
cease all government-sponsored crackdowns, imprisonments, and
detentions of people throughout the XUAR aimed at repressing
their ethnic, cultural, political, or religious identities;
(4) it is commendable for countries to provide shelter and
hospitality to Uyghurs and other minority group members in
exile, as Turkey, Albania, and Germany have done;
(5) urges all countries, especially fellow democracies and
those with sizeable Muslim populations, to condemn and address
the plight of Uyghurs and other minority communities in the
XUAR;
(6) the Government of the PRC should immediately and
unconditionally release all prisoners detained for their
ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic identities, or for
expressing their political or religious beliefs in the XUAR,
including--
(A) Ekper Asat, who participated in the Department
of State's International Visitors Leadership Program in
2016, was incarcerated after returning to the XUAR, and
is now serving a 15 year prison sentence on charges of
``inciting ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination'';
(B) Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical doctor and
Uyghur, who was wrongfully detained in the XUAR on
September 11, 2018, and unjustly sentenced to 20 years
in prison in retaliation for her sister's advocacy for
Uyghur human rights issues; and
(C) Kamile Wayit, a university student and Uyghur,
who was wrongfully detained on December 12, 2022, after
returning to the XUAR while on break from studying
during the winter holiday;
(7) the Government of the PRC should facilitate access for
international humanitarian organizations, including the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies, to the ``political reeducation'' centers in the XUAR
to ensure prisoners are not being mistreated and are receiving
necessary medical care; and
(8) the United States Agency for Global Media should
continue to facilitate the unhindered dissemination of
information to the international community on issues regarding
the human rights and religious freedom of Uyghurs and members
of other minority groups in the XUAR.
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 and other
ethnic and religious minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
Region (in this Act referred to as the ``XUAR'').
(d) Duties and Responsibilities.--The Special Coordinator should,
as appropriate--
(1) coordinate United State Government policies, programs,
and projects concerning the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic
and religious minority groups in the XUAR;
(2) vigorously promote the policy of seeking to protect the
distinct ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identity
of the Uyghurs and other minority groups and seek improved
protection of human rights in the XUAR;
(3) maintain close contact with Uyghur religious, cultural,
and political leaders, including seeking regular travel to the
XUAR and to Uyghur populations 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 the United States 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 members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,
to pursue a policy of promoting greater respect for human
rights and religious freedom for Uyghurs and other ethnic and
religious minority groups from the XUAR.
(e) Support.--The Secretary of State shall ensure the Special
Coordinator has adequate resources, staff, and administrative support
to carry out this section.
(f) Deadline.--If the Secretary of State has not designated the
Special Coordinator by the date that is 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate a report detailing the reasons for the
delay.
(g) Termination.--This section shall terminate on the date that is
5 years after the date of the designation of the Special Coordinator.
SEC. 5. FUNDING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES TO CONDUCT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD ON THE UYGHUR SITUATION.
Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for the U.S. Speaker
program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the
Department of State, $250,000 for each of fiscal years 2024, 2025, and
2026 is authorized to be made available to support human rights
advocates working on behalf of the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic
and religious minority groups from the XUAR that are persecuted in the
PRC, whose names may be provided by the Department of State and the
United States Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues in consultation
with representatives of the global Uyghur community, to speak at global
public diplomacy forums, particularly those in which Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation countries and other Muslim-majority countries are
present, on issues regarding the human rights and religious freedom of
Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups
persecuted in the PRC.
SEC. 6. ACCESS TO DETENTION FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND THE RELEASE OF
PRISONERS.
(a) Strategy on Political Reeducation and Detention Facilities.--
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of State should, in consultation with the heads of other
relevant Federal departments and agencies, develop a strategy to
cooperate with like-minded partners to pressure the People's Republic
of China to--
(1) close all detention facilities and ``political
reeducation'' camps housing Uyghurs and members of other ethnic
minority groups in the XUAR;
(2) allow unhindered access to detention facilities and
``political reeducation'' camps in the XUAR by independent
media, researchers, international organizations and the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for a
comprehensive assessment of the human rights situation; and
(3) protect human rights and preserve the distinct
religious and cultural identity of the Uyghurs and the other
religious and ethnic minority communities in the XUAR.
(b) Report on Strategy and Implementation.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a
report that includes--
(1) the strategy developed pursuant to subsection (a); and
(2) all the steps taken pursuant to the objectives
described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of such subsection.
SEC. 7. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.
(a) Uyghur Language Training and Staffing.--The Secretary of State
shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that--
(1) Uyghur language training is available to Foreign
Service officers as appropriate; and
(2) every effort is made to ensure that at least one
Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service (as such term is
defined by section 103 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22
U.S.C. 3903)) is assigned to each United States diplomatic or
consular post in China.
(b) Report.--No later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act, and annually thereafter for 2 years, the Foreign Service
Institute shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
a report that outlines all the steps taken to implement subsection (a).
SEC. 8. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.
The President should direct the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and
influence of the United States to--
(1) oppose any efforts to prevent consideration of the
gross violation of internationally recognized human rights in
the XUAR in any body of the United Nations;
(2) 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) 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.
SEC. 9. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of
this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts
otherwise authorized.
Passed the House of Representatives February 15, 2024.
Attest:
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,
Clerk.