Sanction Xi Jinping for Xinjiang Atrocities Act

Bill: 117-s-5082
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO]
Introduced: 2022-11-14
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2022-11-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-11-14
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Sanction Xi Jinping for Xinjiang Atrocities Act</strong></p> <p>This bill directs the President to impose sanctions on the senior Chinese Communist Party officials who directed, oversaw, monitored, or were otherwise complicit in the perpetration of genocide and other crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China.</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5082 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 14, 2022 Mr. Hawley introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To impose sanctions with respect to General Secretary Xi Jinping and other senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party complicit in the perpetration of genocide and other crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Sanction Xi Jinping for Xinjiang Atrocities Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) On August 31, 2022, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released an assessment that found that— (A) serious human rights violations have been committed by authorities of the People’s Republic of China against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; and (B) such violations may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity . (2) The Secretary of State has found that treatment by authorities of the People’s Republic of China of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region constitutes genocide and other crimes against humanity. (3) The Xinjiang Police Files published in May 2022 offered unprecedented insight into the human rights violations perpetrated by authorities of the People's Republic of China against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, including— (A) imprisonment of the elderly, young mothers, and other adults considered to be a threat by the Chinese Communist Party, including individuals alleged to have engaged in forbidden religious activities; (B) imprisonment of children as young as 14, some of whom were apparently instructed to smile for detention photos; (C) use of armed strike groups and other personnel armed with clubs, batons, bayonets, machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and other military-grade weapons to intimidate and control detainees; (D) directives for police forces to shoot dead detainees who fail to heed orders, including to prevent individuals from escaping alive; and (E) restrictions on medical care afforded to detainees. (4) The Xinjiang Police Files provide further evidence, including speeches by Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi and then-Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, that General Secretary Xi Jinping directed and oversaw persecution of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, including by— (A) directing Chen to travel to Xinjiang and make a stable Xinjiang arise ; (B) issuing important instructions on governing Xinjiang according to the law, unifying and stabilizing Xinjiang, and building Xinjiang over the long term ; and (C) ordering Xinjiang authorities to— (i) conduct de-extremification work , including transformation through education ; and (ii) implement practical measures such as expanding the number of employed [staff in detention facilities], enlarging the capacity [of those facilities], and increasing investment [in those facilities] within the set time frame . 3. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) General Secretary Xi Jinping is complicit in the genocide and other crimes against humanity perpetrated against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; and (2) General Secretary Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese Communist Party officials should be held accountable for such genocide and crimes against humanity, including through the imposition of sanctions. 4. Imposition of sanctions with respect to senior Chinese Communist Party officials complicit in Xinjiang human rights violations (a) Identification of senior Chinese Communist Party officials complicit in Xinjiang human rights violations Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes the following: (1) A list of senior Chinese Communist Party officials who directed, oversaw, monitored, or were otherwise complicit in the perpetration of genocide and other crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. (2) A description of actions taken by senior Chinese Communist Party officials listed under paragraph (1) that resulted in their inclusion on such list. (b) Sanctions Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the President shall impose the sanctions described in section 1263(b) of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act ( 22 U.S.C. 10102(b) ) with respect to individuals identified under subsection (a). (c) Report on implementation Not later than 90 days after first imposing sanctions under subsection (b), the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report regarding measures taken by the President to implement this section. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives. (2) Senior Chinese Communist Party officials The term senior Chinese Communist Party officials means— (A) the General Secretary of the Party Central Committee; (B) members of the Political Bureau Standing Committee; (C) members of the Political Bureau; (D) members of the Central Military Commission; (E) members of the Central Committee; (F) members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection; and (G) members of the Secretariat. 5. Termination This Act shall terminate on January 1, 2033.