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The People’s Republic of China continues to brutally suppress Uyghurs and other ethnic groups. The United States must continue to hold officials accountable for these abuses. 

The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, which U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) led, was signed into law in 2020 and its sanctions are set to expire in 2025. Rubio was joined by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in introducing the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024 to ensure continued U.S. support for the human rights of Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in China. This effort would reauthorize the critical aspect of this law for another five years.

• “At a time when the Uyghur diaspora and Chinese dissidents remain the targets of transnational repression at the hands of Communist China, we must have the tools needed to confront this threat. This reauthorization is essential and I urge my colleagues to support this initiative.” – Senator Rubio

• “The United States must continue to send a clear message that we will not be complicit in the Chinese government’s persecution and genocide of Uyghur Muslims. Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang are being tortured, imprisoned, enslaved, forced into labor, and pressured to abandon their religious and cultural practices by the Chinese government. Passing this bill is vital to holding China accountable for these grave human rights violations while protecting the victims of this genocide.” – Senator Merkley

Want more information?

• April 2023: Rubio, Colleagues Reintroduces Uyghur Policy Act