#aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dghe ,,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 identity1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,uyghur ,policy ,act of #bjba4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,people's ,republic of ,china 7,,prc7 continues to repress the distinct ,islamic1 ,turkic identity of ,uyghurs and members of other minority groups of the ,xinjiang ,uyghur ,autonomous ,region 7,,xuar7 in northwestern ,china and other areas of their habitual residence4 7#b7 ,uyghurs1 and other predominantly ,muslim ethnic minorities historically making up the majority of the ,,xuar population1 have maintained throughout their history a distinct religious and cultural identity4 7#c7 ,human rights1 including freedom of religion or belief1 and respect for the ,uyghurs' unique ,muslim identity are legitimate interests of the international community4 7#d7 ,the ,people's ,republic of ,china has ratified the ,international ,covenant on ,economic1 ,social1 and ,cultural ,rights and is thereby bound by its provisions4 ,the ,,prc has also signed the ,international ,covenant on ,civil and ,political ,rights4 ,article ,one of both covenants state that all peoples have the right to self-determination4 7#e7 ,an official campaign to encourage ,han ,chinese migration into the ,,xuar has placed immense pressure on those who seek to preserve the ethnic1 cultural1 religious1 and linguistic traditions of the ,uyghur people4 ,chinese authorities have supported an influx of ,han ,chinese economic immigrants into the ,,xuar1 implemented discrimination against ,uyghurs in hiring practices1 and provided unequal access to healthcare services4 7#f7 ,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 ,,xuar4 7#g7 ,following unrest in the region1 in #bjad1 ,chinese authorities launched their ,strike ,hard against ,violent ,extremism campaign1 in which dubious allegations of widespread extremist activity were used as justification for gross human rights violations committed against members of the ,uyghur community in the ,,xuar4 7#h7 ,,prc authorities have made use of the legal system as a tool of repression1 including for the imposition of arbitrary detentions and for torture against members of the ,uyghur community and other populations4 7#i7 ,uyghurs and ,kazakhs who have secured citizenship or permanent residency outside of the ,,prc have attested to repeated threats1 harassment1 and surveillance by ,,prc officials4 7#aj7 ,reporting from international news organizations has found that over the past decade1 family members of ,uyghurs living outside of the ,,prc have gone missing or been detained to force ,uyghur expatriates to return to the ,,prc or silence their dissent4 7#aa7 ,credible evidence from human rights organizations1 think tanks1 and journalists confirms that more than #a1jjj1jjj ,uyghurs and members of other ,muslim ethnic minority groups have been imprisoned in political reeducation centers4 7#ab7 ,independent accounts from former detainees of political reeducation centers describe inhumane conditions and treatment including forced political indoctrination1 torture1 beatings1 rape1 forced sterilization1 and food deprivation4 ,former detainees 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 ,party4 7#ac7 ,popular discourse surrounding the ongoing atrocities in the ,,xuar and advocacy efforts to assist ,uyghurs remains muted in most ,muslim majority nations around the world4 7#ad7 ,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 ,,xuar4 7#ae7 ,government bodies of multiple nations have also declared that ,,prc government atrocities against such populations in the ,,xuar constitute genocide1 including the parliaments of the ,united ,kingdom1 ,belgium1 ,czechia1 ,lithuania1 the ,netherlands1 and ,canada4 #c4 ,declarations of policy ,congress-- 7#a7 calls upon the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china to open the ,,xuar to regular1 transparent1 and unmanipulated visits by members of the press1 ,members of ,congress1 congressional staff delegations1 the ,united ,states ,special ,coordinator for ,uyghur ,issues under section #d1 and members and staff of the ,congressional-,executive ,commission on the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 7#b7 calls upon the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china to recognize1 and seek to ensure the preservation of1 the distinct ethnic1 cultural1 religious1 and linguistic identity of ,uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in the ,,xuar2 7#c7 calls upon the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china to cease all government-sponsored crackdowns1 imprisonments1 and detentions of people throughout the ,,xuar aimed at those involved in the peaceful expression of their ethnic1 cultural1 political1 or religious identity2 7#d7 commends countries that have provided shelter and hospitality to ,uyghurs in exile1 including ,turkey1 ,albania1 and ,germany2 and 7#e7 urges countries with sizeable ,muslim populations1 given commonalities in their religious and cultural identities1 to demonstrate concern over the plight of ,uyghurs4 #d4 ,united states special coordinator for uyghur issues 7a7 ,in general ,there is authorized to be within the ,department of ,state a ,united ,states ,special ,coordinator for ,uyghur ,issues 7in this section referred to as the ,special ,coordinator71 to be designated by the ,secretary of ,state in accordance with subsection 7b74 7b7 ,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 ,coordinator4 7c7 ,central objective ,the ,special ,coordinator should seek to promote the protection and preservation of the distinct ethnic1 cultural1 religious1 and linguistic identities of the ,uyghurs4 7d7 ,duties and responsibilities ,the ,special ,coordinator should1 as appropriate-- 7#a7 coordinate ,united ,state ,government policies1 programs1 and projects concerning the ,uyghurs2 7#b7 vigorously promote the policy of seeking to protect the distinct ethnic1 religious1 cultural1 and linguistic identity of the ,uyghurs and seek improved respect for human rights in the ,xinjiang ,uyghur ,autonomous ,region 7,,xuar72 7#c7 maintain close contact with ,uyghur religious1 cultural1 and political leaders1 including seeking regular travel to the ,,xuar and to ,uyghur populations in ,central ,asia1 ,turkey1 ,albania1 ,germany1 and other parts of ,europe2 7#d7 lead coordination efforts for the release of political prisoners in the ,,xuar who are being detained for exercising their human rights2 7#e7 consult with the ,united ,states ,congress on policies relevant to the ,,xuar and the ,uyghurs2 7#f7 coordinate with relevant ,federal agencies to administer aid to ,uyghur rights advocates2 and 7#g7 make efforts to establish contacts with foreign ministries of other countries1 especially in ,europe1 ,central ,asia1 and members of the ,organisation of ,islamic ,cooperation1 to pursue a policy of promoting greater respect for human rights and religious freedom for ,uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups persecuted in the ,,prc4 7e7 ,support ,the ,secretary of ,state shall ensure the ,special ,coordinator has adequate resources1 staff1 and administrative support to carry out this section4 7f7 ,deadline ,if the ,secretary of ,state has not designated the ,special ,coordinator by the date that is #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 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 delay4 7g7 ,termination ,this section shall terminate on the date that is five years after the designation of the ,special ,coordinator4 #e4 ,public diplomacy in the islamic world on the uyghur situation 7a7 ,funding for human rights advocates ,of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for the ,u4,s4 ,speaker ,program in the ,bureau of ,educational and ,cultural ,affairs of the ,department of ,state1 #bej1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbb1 #bjbc1 and #bjbd is authorized to be available for human rights advocates on behalf of the ,uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups persecuted in the ,,prc1 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 community1 to speak at public diplomacy forums in ,organisation of ,islamic ,cooperation countries and other regions on issues regarding the human rights and religious freedom of ,uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups persecuted in the ,,prc4 7b7 ,united states agency for global media ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,united ,states ,agency for ,global ,media should facilitate the unhindered dissemination of information to ,organisation of ,islamic ,cooperation countries on issues regarding the human rights and religious freedom of ,uyghurs and members of other minority groups in the ,,xuar4 #f4 ,access to detention facilities and prisons and the release of prisoners 7a7 ,sense of congress on political reeducation and detention facilities ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,united ,states ,government should1 in cooperation with other like-minded countries1 develop a strategy to-- 7#a7 pressure the ,people's ,republic of ,china to immediately close all detention facilities and political reeducation camps housing ,uyghurs and members of other ethnic minority groups in the ,xinjiang ,uyghur ,autonomous ,region 7,,xuar72 and 7#b7 support the ,united ,nations ,commissioner for ,human ,rights and numerous ,united ,nations ,special ,rapporteurs' urgent calls for immediate and unhindered access to detention facilities and political reeducation camps in the ,,xuar by independent international organizations and the ,office of the ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights for a comprehensive assessment of the human rights situation4 7b7 ,sense of congress on prison access and prisoner release ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,president and ,secretary of ,state1 in meetings with representatives of the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 should-- 7#a7 request the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners detained for their ethnic1 cultural1 religious1 and linguistic identities1 or for expressing their political or religious beliefs in the ,,xuar2 7#b7 seek access for international humanitarian organizations1 including the ,international ,federation of ,red ,cross and ,red ,crescent ,societies1 to prisoners in the ,,xuar to ensure such prisoners are not being mistreated and are receiving necessary medical care2 and 7#c7 seek the immediate release of all prisoners who have been arbitrarily detained and sentenced without due process1 including ,ekpar ,asat1 who participated in the ,department of ,state's ,international ,visitors ,leadership ,program in #bjaf1 was incarcerated after returning to the ,,xuar1 and is now serving a #ae year prison sentence on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination4 #g4 ,requirement for uyghur language training ,the ,secretary of ,state shall ensure that ,uyghur language training is available to ,foreign ,service officers as appropriate1 and that every effort is made to ensure that a ,uyghur-speaking member of the ,foreign ,service 7as such term is described in section #ajc of the ,foreign ,service ,act of #aihj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #cijc77 is assigned to ,united ,states diplomatic and consular missions in ,china4 #h4 ,uyghur considerations at the united nations ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,united ,states ,government should oppose any efforts to prevent consideration of the issues related to the ,xinjiang ,uyghur ,autonomous ,region 7,,xuar7 in any body of the ,united ,nations2 7#b7 the ,united ,states ,government should 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 ,nations2 and 7#c7 the ,secretary of ,state should instruct the ,united ,states ,permanent ,representative to the ,united ,nations to 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 ,,xuar1 and for making reports available to the ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees1 the ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights1 the ,human ,rights ,commission1 the ,general ,assembly1 and other ,united ,nations bodies4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,december #a1 #bjbb4;,clerk4