Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act
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| Long title | A bill to condemn gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, and calling for an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China. |
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| Nicknames | Uyghur Act |
| Announced in | the 116th United States Congress |
| Number of co-sponsors | 44 |
| Legislative history | |
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The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 is a bill in the United States Congress that would require various United States government bodies to report on the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, including internment in the Xinjiang re-education camps.[1][2]
On September 11, 2019, a version of the bill was passed in the United States Senate by unanimous consent.[3][4][5] On December 3, 2019, a stronger version of the bill was passed by the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 407 to 1.[2] As of December 3, 2019[update], the revised bill is awaiting approval by the United States Senate.[2][4]
Legislative history
On September 11, 2019, a version of the bill—S. 178, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019—passed in the United States Senate by unanimous consent.[4][5][6]
On December 3, 2019, a stronger, amended version of the bill—the Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act (UIGHUR Act)—was passed by the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 407 to 1.[2][7][4][8] The sole "no" vote was cast by Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky.[8]
Legislation
The bill would direct the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress on security issues caused by the Chinese government's reported crackdown on Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report on efforts to protect Uyghurs and Chinese nationals in the United States, the U.S. Agency for Global Media to report on Chinese media related issues in Xinjiang, and for the United States Department of State to report on the scope of the reported Chinese government crackdown on Uyghurs in Xinjiang.[1]
The bill would also call on United States President Donald Trump to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act on Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, which would be the first time such sanctions would be imposed on a member of China's politburo.[9][10]
Reactions
Domestic
Editorials in the New York Times and the Washington Post supported the passage of the Act.[11][12] Opinion pieces written in various publications also supported the passage of the Act.[13]
International
A World Uyghur Congress spokesman said on December 3, 2019 that the House bill is important in opposing "China's continued push of extreme persecution" and that the organization looks forward to President Trump signing the bill.[9][14] Uighur activists, think tank analysts and political representatives called on various governments to sanction Mainland Chinese officials for their perceived involvement in the Xinjiang conflict.[15]
Editorials in the Indian newspaper The Statesman supported the Act.[16][17]
The Chinese government have called the bill a malicious attack on China and demanded that the United States prevent it from becoming law, warning that it would act to defend its interests as necessary.[9] On December 4, 2019, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the bill "wantonly smeared China's counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts".[2] On December 8, 2019, Minfeng/Niya County (in eastern Hotan Prefecture, southern Xinjiang) County Communist Party Committee Vice Secretary (委副书记) and County Magistrate (县长) Aizezi Aili (艾则孜·艾力) penned a criticism of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.[18] The claim of deradicalization drew criticism in an article by the Deccan Chronicle[19] while an article written by Srikanth Kondapalli made criticisms of the PRC's grand strategy for Xinjiang.[20]
Analysts cited in an article by Reuters said that Mainland China's response to passage of the Uyghur bill could be stronger than its reaction to the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act[9] while the BBC's China correspondent said that if the bill became law, then it would mark the most significant international attempt to pressure Mainland China over its mass detention of the Uighurs.[14]
See also
- Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act
- Magnitsky Act
- Mihrigul Tursun
- Xinjiang re-education camps
- Xinjiang conflict
- Organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China
References
- ^ a b "H.R.649 - Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019". United States Congress. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Westcott, Ben; Byrd, Haley (December 3, 2019). "US House passes Uyghur Act calling for tough sanctions on Beijing over Xinjiang camps". CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "Actions Overview S.178 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)". United States Congress. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Uyghur bill demanding sanctions on Chinese officials passes US House of Representatives". ABC News. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Lipes, Joshua (September 12, 2019). "US Senate Passes Legislation to Hold China Accountable for Rights Abuses in Xinjiang". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ S.178 - Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019, 116th Congress (2019-2020), Congress.gov.
- ^ "Anger in China as US House passes Uighur crackdown bill". Al Jazeera. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Roll Call Vote No. 644, Clerk of the United States House of Representative (December 2, 2019).
- ^ a b c d Lee, Se Young; Brunnstrom, David (December 3, 2019). "Trump comments, Uighur bill hurt prospects of U.S.-China deal". Reuters. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Flatley, Daniel (December 4, 2019). "U.S. House Passes Xinjiang Bill, Prompting Threat From China". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "China's Brutal 'Boarding Schools'". NYT. NYT. March 17, 2019.
- ^ "What Congress can do now to combat China's mass ethnic cleansing of Uighurs". Washington Post. Washington Post. May 23, 2019.
Meanwhile, bipartisan legislation aimed at holding the Chinese accountable, sponsored by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), has cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is in committee in the House. Hopefully it will pass both chambers soon.
- ^ Sources include:
- Lake, Eli (July 16, 2019). "China's Campaign Against the Uighurs Demands a Response". Bloomberg. Bloomberg.
- "Congress must take action on Chinese human rights abuses". The Hill. The Hill. 09/27/19.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Bosco, Joseph (12/11/19). "Congress should finish what it started and help the Uighurs". The Hill. The Hill.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "China Is Operating Mass Detention Centers in Xinjiang. How Should the U.S. Respond?". Lawfare. Lawfare. December 13, 2019.
But what can the U.S. do? The U.S. will struggle to hold Chinese Communist Party officials accountable through international institutions...domestic options are more promising. Congress is poised to pass the Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response (UIGHUR) Act of 2019, which calls upon President Trump to sanction Chinese officials, prohibits selling certain goods to China that it could use to suppress human rights, and mandates that the State Department report to Congress on conditions in Xinjiang.
- VIGNARAJAH, KRISH O’MARA (05/10/2019). "Uyghurs are being persecuted in China — US must protect them". The Hill. The Hill.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Kanat, Omer (November 23, 2019). "NYT Exposé Should Be the Tipping Point on China's Abuse of Uyghurs". The Diplomat. The Diplomat.
In Congress, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act (S.178 and H.R.649) has been teetering for almost one year. It is time to pass the measure. Other countries should follow this model of accountability and not China's turn toward totalitarianism.
- "Sigal Samuel answers 8 key questions about the Chinese crackdown on Uighur Muslims". Vox. Vox. April 30, 2019.
Here in the US, folks can call or write to their representatives to let them know this is a humanitarian crisis they care about and want to see political action on. They can show support for the Xinjiang Uyghur Human Rights Act, a bipartisan bill that recommends considering several responses to China's crackdown, including imposing sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the camps.
- "China Is Violating Uighurs' Human Rights. The United States Must Act". Foreign Policy. Foreign Policy. November 28, 2018.
- "Congress Aims to Address China's Atrocities against Religious Minorities". NR. NR. July 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "China sanctions: US House passes bill over treatment of Uighurs". BBC. BBC. December 4, 2019.
- ^ Sources include
- Clarke, Michael (July 24, 2018). "Patriotic songs and self-criticism: why China is 're-educating' Muslims in mass detention camps". ABC AU. ABC AU.
To begin with, Australia should simply call out Beijing's actions in Xinjiang for what they are — systematic violations of the human rights of the Uighur people — much as US Congressional leaders and some members of the European Union have done.
- Yar, Irfan (March 22, 2019). "CANADA SHOULD USE THE MAGNITSKY ACT TO TARGET CHINA'S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS: IRFAN YAR IN THE EPOCH TIMES". MLI. MLI.
In the face of such an unrelenting repressive campaign, the government should consider applying such targeted sanctions against Chinese officials involved in the detention of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. U.S. lawmakers are currently exploring the possibility of applying such measures in the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.
- "The Equivalent of Cultural Genocide". Der Spiegel. Der Spiegel. November 28, 2019.
DER SPIEGEL: A group of Senators and Representatives is pushing for the White House to slap entry bans on those responsible for the Xinjiang policy and to freeze their assets in the U.S., if they have any. Do you believe Germany and Europe should do the same? Zenz: Yes, I do. Not because of the financial or economic consequences of such measures, but because of the political message it would send: What is happening to the Uighurs is a crime against humanity. China's government would, of course, react strongly to such measures, just as they have struck back against the results of my research. But they would understand the message. For as long as our efforts to defend our values cost us nothing, they mean nothing to China's government. China is a culture in which talk is cheap.
- "Chinese ambassador warns Canada against adopting motion calling for sanctions". Canadian Press. CBC.
- "Why is Germany silent on China's human rights abuses?". DW. DW. 05-12-2019.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Uighur: Australia needs to end "business as usual" with China". Lowy Institute. The Interpreter. December 5, 2018.
- "China's inexcusable internment of Uighur Muslims". IANS. The Siasat Daily. December 15, 2019.
- Clarke, Michael (July 24, 2018). "Patriotic songs and self-criticism: why China is 're-educating' Muslims in mass detention camps". ABC AU. ABC AU.
- ^ "US acts on Uighurs". The Statesman. The Statesman. December 7, 2019.
America has turned the screws yet again on China, this time admittedly on an issue that is actually Beijing's domestic matter. Yet so cruel has been the calculated travesty of human and/or religious rights that the repression has eventually stirred the conscience of the comity of nations. That repression of Uighurs recalls the persecution of the predominantly Muslim Rohingyas in Myanmar. Indeed, the persecution of minorities is the thread that links Rakhine to Xinjiang province.
- ^ "Cinema Diplomacy". The Statesman. The Statesman. December 10, 2019.
- ^ 艾则孜·艾力 (December 8, 2019). 李梦婷 (ed.). 坚决不允许美国蓄意诋毁和抹黑新疆的人权状况. Xinhua News Agency (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "'De-radicalising' Uighur Muslims: Is the Chinese action justified?". Deccan Chronicle. Dawn. December 18, 2019.
Calling the US action a political move aimed at damaging its international image, China says it is running a deradicalisation programme to mainstream its communities. The Chinese claim has not been verified by independent sources and mystery shrouds its deradicalisation or re-education programme. China needs to demonstrate to the international community that it has inserted human rights safeguards in its deradicalisation measures ... It is interesting that at a time when exclusionism, supremacism, and hyper-nationalism tendencies are globally on the rise, China has decided to launch its own version of 'harmonising' society. This thinking might appear to negate the global trends but in essence, its objectives are similar, and it has little space for accepting diversity.
- ^ Kondapalli, Srikanth (December 8, 2019). "'No Mercy' for the Uighurs". Deccan Herald. Deccan Herald.