II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1252 

To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic 

groups residing primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 

and safeguard their distinct civilization and identity, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 20, 2023 

Mr. RUBIO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of 

other ethnic groups residing primarily in the Xinjiang 

Uyghur Autonomous Region and safeguard their distinct 

civilization and identity, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Uyghur Policy Act of 

5 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Chinese Communist Party continues to 

2 repress the distinct Turkic identity of Uyghurs and 

3 members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic 

4 groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 

5 and in other areas where they have habitually re6 sided. 

7 (2) Uyghurs, and other predominantly Muslim 

8 ethnic groups make up the majority of the indige9 nous population in the area that the Chinese Com10 munist Party has designated as the Xinjiang 

11 Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Throughout 

12 their history, Uyghurs and other predominately 

13 Muslim ethnic groups have maintained a civilization 

14 that was distinct from the Chinese. For centuries, 

15 these Turkic groups were not under Chinese rule. 

16 (3) Human rights, including freedom of religion 

17 or belief, and the preservation of and respect for the 

18 Uyghurs’ unique Turkic and Islamic civilization and 

19 identity are legitimate interests of the international 

20 community. 

21 (4) The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has 

22 ratified the International Covenant on Economic, 

23 Social, and Cultural Rights, done at New York De24 cember 16, 1966, and is thereby bound by its provi25 sions. China has also signed the International CovVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:18 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1252.IS S1252

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1 enant on Civil and Political Rights. Article One of 

2 both covenants state that all peoples have the right 

3 to self-determination. 

4 (5) An official campaign to encourage Chinese 

5 migration into the XUAR has placed immense pres6 sure on those who seek to preserve the ethnic, cul7 tural, religious, and linguistic traditions of the 

8 Uyghurs people. Chinese authorities have supported 

9 an influx of Chinese economic immigrants into the 

10 XUAR, discriminated against Uyghurs in hiring 

11 practices, and provided unequal access to healthcare 

12 services. 

13 (6) The Chinese Communist Party has manipu14 lated the strategic objectives of the international war 

15 on terror to mask their increasing cultural and reli16 gious oppression of the predominantly Muslim popu17 lation residing in the XUAR. 

18 (7) Following unrest in the region, in 2014, the 

19 Chinese Communist Party launched its ‘‘Strike Hard 

20 against Violent Extremism’’ campaign, in which du21 bious allegations of widespread extremist activity 

22 were used as justification for gross human rights 

23 violations committed against members of the Uyghur 

24 community. 


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1 (8) Chinese Communist Party officials have 

2 made use of the legal system as a tool of repression, 

3 including for the imposition of arbitrary detentions 

4 and for torture against members of the Uyghur and 

5 other populations. 

6 (9) Uyghurs and Kazakhs who have secured 

7 citizenship or permanent residency outside of the 

8 PRC have attested to repeated threats, harassment, 

9 and surveillance by PRC officials. 

10 (10) Reporting from international news organi11 zations has found that over the past decade, family 

12 members of Uyghurs living outside of the PRC who 

13 remain in the PRC have gone missing or have been 

14 detained to force Uyghur expatriates to return to 

15 the PRC or silence their dissent. 

16 (11) Credible evidence from human rights orga17 nizations, think tanks, and journalists confirms that 

18 more than 1,000,000 Uyghurs and members of other 

19 ethnic groups have been imprisoned in extrajudicial 

20 ‘‘political reeducation’’ centers. 

21 (12) Independent accounts from former detain22 ees of ‘‘political reeducation’’ centers describe inhu23 mane conditions and treatment, including forced po24 litical indoctrination, torture, beatings, rape, forced 

25 sterilization, and food deprivation. Former detainees 


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1 also confirmed that they were told by guards that 

2 the only way to secure release was to demonstrate 

3 sufficient political loyalty to the Chinese Communist 

4 Party. 

5 (13) Popular discourse surrounding the ongoing 

6 atrocities in the XUAR and advocacy efforts to as7 sist Uyghurs remains muted in most Muslim major8 ity nations around the world. 

9 (14) Both Secretary of State Antony Blinken 

10 and Former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo 

11 have stated that the Chinese Communist Party has 

12 committed genocide and crimes against humanity 

13 against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious 

14 groups in the XUAR. 

15 (15) Government bodies of multiple nations 

16 have also declared that Chinese Communist Party 

17 atrocities against such populations in the XUAR 

18 constitute genocide, including the parliaments of the 

19 United Kingdom, Belgium, Czechia, Lithuania, the 

20 Netherlands, and Canada. 

21 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

22 It is the policy of the United States— 

23 (1) to press for authorities in China to open the 

24 XUAR to regular, transparent, and unmanipulated 

25 visits by members of the press, Members of ConVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:18 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1252.IS S1252

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1 gress, congressional staff delegations, and members 

2 and staff of the Congressional-Executive Commis3 sion on the People’s Republic of China and the U.S.- 

4 China Economic and Security Review Commission; 

5 (2) to strive to ensure the preservation of the 

6 distinct ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic 

7 identity of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic 

8 and religious groups in the XUAR; 

9 (3) to urge other nations to call for the ces10 sation of all government-sponsored crackdowns, 

11 imprisonments, and detentions of people throughout 

12 the XUAR aimed at those involved in the peaceful 

13 expression of their ethnic, cultural, political, or reli14 gious identity; 

15 (4) to commend countries that have provided 

16 shelter and hospitality to Uyghurs in exile, including 

17 Turkey, Albania, and Germany; and 

18 (5) to urge countries with sizeable Muslim pop19 ulations, given commonalities in their religious and 

20 cultural identities, to demonstrate concern over the 

21 plight of Uyghurs. 

22 SEC. 4. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD WITH 

23 RESPECT TO THE UYGHUR SITUATION. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, working 

25 through the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational 


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1 and Cultural Affairs, shall support, through the United 

2 States Speaker Program, human rights advocates rep3 resenting Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and reli4 gious groups persecuted in the PRC to speak at public 

5 diplomacy forums in Muslim-majority countries and other 

6 regions about issues regarding the human rights and reli7 gious freedom of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic 

8 and religious groups that are being persecuted in the PRC. 

9 (b) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—The Assistant 

10 Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs 

11 shall consult with representatives of the global Uyghur 

12 community when selecting participants for the activity de13 scribed in subsection (a). 

14 (c) MEDIA ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary of State, in 

15 consultation with the Chief Executive Officer of the 

16 United States Agency for Global Media, should facilitate 

17 the unhindered dissemination of information to Muslim18 majority countries about issues regarding the human 

19 rights and religious freedom of Uyghurs and members of 

20 other groups in the XUAR. 

21 SEC. 5. STRATEGY TO INCREASE ACCESS TO DETENTION 

22 FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND SECURE THE 

23 RELEASE OF PRISONERS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

25 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 


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1 SEC. 5. STRATEGY TO INCREASE ACCESS TO DETENTION 

2 FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND SECURE THE 

3 RELEASE OF PRISONERS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

5 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 

6 shall develop and submit to Congress a strategy to support 

7 and secure the release of political prisoners detained in 

8 the PRC. 

9 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub10 section (a) shall include— 

11 (1) a detailed description of how the United 

12 States Government can pressure the PRC to imme13 diately close all detention facilities and ‘‘political re14 education’’ camps housing Uyghurs and members of 

15 other ethnic minority groups in the XUAR; 

16 (2) a detailed assessment of how the United 

17 States can leverage its contributions to the United 

18 Nations to support the United Nations Commis19 sioner for Human Rights and numerous United Na20 tions Special Rapporteurs’ urgent calls for imme21 diate and unhindered access to detention facilities 

22 and ‘‘political reeducation’’ camps in the XUAR by 

23 independent international organizations and the Of24 fice of the United Nations High Commissioner for 

25 Human Rights for a comprehensive assessment of 

26 the human rights situation; 


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1 (3) a detailed description of how the United 

2 States Government will work with other like-minded 

3 countries to pressure the PRC to immediately stop 

4 the genocide of Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in 

5 the XUAR; and 

6 (4) a detailed plan for how United States Gov7 ernment officials can use meetings with representa8 tives of the Chinese Communist Party to demand 

9 the immediate and unconditional release of all pris10 oners detained for their ethnic, cultural, religious, 

11 and linguistic identities, or for expressing their polit12 ical or religious beliefs in the XUAR. 

13 (c) FORM.—The strategy required under subsection 

14 (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form. 

15 SEC. 6. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING. 

16 The Secretary of State shall ensure that— 

17 (1) Uyghur language training is available to 

18 Foreign Service officers, as appropriate; and 

19 (2) every effort is being made to ensure that a 

20 Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service (as 

21 described in section 103 of the Foreign Service Act 

22 of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3903)) is assigned to United 

23 States diplomatic and consular missions in the PRC, 

24 Turkey, and other nations hosting Uyghur popu25 lations. 


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1 SEC. 7. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NA2 TIONS. 

3 The Secretary of State and the United States Perma4 nent Representative to the United Nations shall use the 

5 voice, vote, and influence of the United States at the 

6 United Nations— 

7 (1) to oppose any efforts— 

8 (A) to prevent consideration of the issues 

9 related to the XUAR in any body of the United 

10 Nations; and 

11 (B) to prevent the participation of any 

12 Uyghur human rights advocates in nongovern13 mental fora hosted by or otherwise organized 

14 under the auspices of any body of the United 

15 Nations; and 

16 (2) to support the appointment of a special 

17 rapporteur or working group for the XUAR for the 

18 purposes of— 

19 (A) monitoring human rights violations 

20 and abuses in the XUAR; and 

21 (B) making reports available to the High 

22 Commissioner for Refugees, the High Commis23 sioner for Human Rights, the General Assem24 bly, and other United Nations bodies. 

Æ 


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