US Senate passes Uygur Human Rights Policy Act
- The Senate passes legislation that would pave the way for targeted sanctions against government officials in China over alleged human rights abuses
- While no tally was taken, around two-thirds of the Senate had previously signed onto the bill as cosponsors. It must now go to the House for a vote
The US Senate on Thursday passed legislation that would pave the way for targeted sanctions against government officials in China over alleged human rights abuses against Muslim ethnic minority groups in the country’s northwest.
The legislation directs the White House to submit a report to Congress within 180 days identifying those deemed responsible for torture, extrajudicial detention, forced disappearance and other “flagrant denial[s]” of human rights in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
These individuals would be subject to sanctions, including the freezing of assets in the US and denial of entry to the country.
Introduced by Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio and New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat, the Uygur Human Rights Policy Act was passed under the Senate’s unanimous consent rules, used to move non-controversial legislation without the need for a vote.
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Yet while there was no tally taken, more than two-thirds of the Senate had previously signed onto the bill as cosponsors, a significant show of bipartisan support in the 100-strong chamber.