,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #djgc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #g1 #bjbb,mr4 ,rubio introduced the following bill2 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 identity1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,uyghur ,policy ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,chinese ,communist ,party continues to repress the distinct ,turkic identity of ,uyghurs and members of other predominantly ,muslim ethnic groups in the ,xinjiang ,uyghur ,autonomous ,region and in other areas where they have habitually resided4 7#b7 ,uyghurs1 and other predominantly ,muslim ethnic groups make up the majority of the indigenous population in the area that the ,chinese ,communist ,party has designated as the ,xinjiang ,uyghur ,autonomous ,region 7,,xuar74 ,throughout their history1 ,uyghurs and other predominately ,muslim ethnic groups have maintained a civilization that was distinct from the ,chinese4 ,for centuries1 these ,turkic groups were not under ,chinese rule4 7#c7 ,human rights1 including freedom of religion or belief1 and the preservation of and respect for the ,uyghurs' unique ,turkic and ,islamic civilization and identity are legitimate interests of the international community4 7#d7 ,the ,people's ,republic of ,china 7,,prc7 has ratified the ,international ,covenant on ,economic1 ,social1 and ,cultural ,rights1 done at ,new ,york ,december #af1 #aiff1 and is thereby bound by its provisions4 ,china 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 ,chinese migration into the ,,xuar has placed immense pressure on those who seek to preserve the ethnic1 cultural1 religious1 and linguistic traditions of the ,uyghurs people4 ,chinese authorities have supported an influx of ,chinese economic immigrants into the ,,xuar1 discriminated against ,uyghurs in hiring practices1 and provided unequal access to healthcare services4 7#f7 ,the ,chinese ,communist ,party has manipulated the strategic objectives of the international war on terror to mask their increasing cultural and religious oppression of the predominantly ,muslim population residing in the ,,xuar4 7#g7 ,following unrest in the region1 in #bjad1 the ,chinese ,communist ,party launched its ,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 community4 7#h7 ,chinese ,communist ,party officials 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 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 who remain in the ,,prc have gone missing or have 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 ethnic groups have been imprisoned in extrajudicial political reeducation centers4 7#ab7 ,independent accounts from former detainees of political reeducation centers describe inhumane conditions and treatment1 including forced political indoctrination1 torture1 beatings1 rape1 forced sterilization1 and food deprivation4 ,former detainees also confirmed that they were told by guards that the only way to secure release was to demonstrate sufficient political loyalty to 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 ,chinese ,communist ,party has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against ,uyghurs and other ethnic and religious groups in the ,,xuar4 7#ae7 ,government bodies of multiple nations have also declared that ,chinese ,communist ,party atrocities against such populations in the ,,xuar constitute genocide1 including the parliaments of the ,united ,kingdom1 ,belgium1 ,czechia1 ,lithuania1 the ,netherlands1 and ,canada4 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 to press for authorities in ,china to open the ,,xuar to regular1 transparent1 and unmanipulated visits by members of the press1 ,members of ,congress1 congressional staff delegations1 and members and staff of the ,congressional-,executive ,commission on the ,people's ,republic of ,china and the ,u4,s4-,china ,economic and ,security ,review ,commission2 7#b7 to strive to ensure the preservation of the distinct ethnic1 cultural1 religious1 and linguistic identity of ,uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious groups in the ,,xuar2 7#c7 to urge other nations to call for the cessation of 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 to commend countries that have provided shelter and hospitality to ,uyghurs in exile1 including ,turkey1 ,albania1 and ,germany2 and 7#e7 to urge countries with sizeable ,muslim populations1 given commonalities in their religious and cultural identities1 to demonstrate concern over the plight of ,uyghurs4 #d4 ,public diplomacy in the ,islamic world with respect to the ,uyghur situation 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state1 working through the ,assistant ,secretary of ,state for ,educational and ,cultural ,affairs1 shall support1 through the ,united ,states ,speaker ,program1 human rights advocates representing ,uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious groups persecuted in the ,,prc1 to speak at public diplomacy forums in ,muslim-majority countries and other regions about issues regarding the human rights and religious freedom of ,uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious groups that are being persecuted in the ,,prc4 7b7 ,consultation requirement ,the ,assistant ,secretary of ,state for ,educational and ,cultural ,affairs shall consult with representatives of the global ,uyghur community when selecting participants for the activity described in subsection 7a74 7c7 ,media activities ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with the ,chief ,executive ,officer of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,global ,media should facilitate the unhindered dissemination of information to ,muslim-majority countries about issues regarding the human rights and religious freedom of ,uyghurs and members of other groups in the ,,xuar4 #e4 ,strategy to increase access to detention facilities and prisons and secure the release of prisoners 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall develop and submit to ,congress a strategy to support and secure the release of political prisoners detained in the ,,prc4 7b7 ,elements ,the strategy required under subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7#a7 a detailed description of how the ,united ,states ,government can pressure the ,,prc to immediately close all detention facilities and political reeducation camps housing ,uyghurs and members of other ethnic minority groups in the ,,xuar2 7#b7 a detailed assessment of how the ,united ,states can leverage its contributions to the ,united ,nations to 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 situation2 7#c7 a detailed description of how the ,united ,states ,government will work with other like-minded countries to pressure the ,,prc to immediately stop the genocide of ,uyghurs and other ethnic groups in the ,,xuar2 and 7#d7 a detailed plan for how ,united ,states ,government officials can use meetings with representatives of the ,chinese ,communist ,party to demand 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 ,,xuar4 7c7 ,form ,the strategy required under subsection 7a7 shall be submitted in unclassified form4 #f4 ,requirement for ,uyghur language training ,the ,secretary of ,state shall ensure that-- 7#a7 ,uyghur language training is available to ,foreign ,service officers1 as appropriate2 and 7#b7 every effort is being made to ensure that a ,uyghur-speaking member of the ,foreign ,service 7as 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 the ,,prc1 ,turkey1 and other nations hosting ,uyghur populations4 #g4 ,uyghur considerations at the ,united ,nations ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,united ,states ,permanent ,representative to the ,united ,nations shall use the voice1 vote1 and influence of the ,united ,states at the ,united ,nations-- 7#a7 to oppose any efforts-- 7,a7 to prevent consideration of the issues related to the ,,xuar in any body of the ,united ,nations2 and 7,b7 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#b7 to support the appointment of a special rapporteur or working group for the ,,xuar for the purposes of-- 7,a7 monitoring human rights violations and abuses in the ,,xuar2 and 7,b7 making reports available to the ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees1 the ,high ,commissioner for ,human ,rights1 the ,general ,assembly1 and other ,united ,nations bodies4