Uyghur Policy Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1542 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1542

 To support the human rights of Uyghurs and members of other minority
groups residing primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, to
       safeguard their distinct identity, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2025

  Mr. Curtis 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 minority
groups residing primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, to
       safeguard their distinct identity, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Uyghur Policy Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The People's Republic of China (referred to in this Act
        as the ``PRC'') continues to repress the distinct Islamic,
        Turkic identity of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and
        religious minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
        Region (referred to in this Act as the ``XUAR'') in
        northwestern China and other areas in which they have
        habitually residided.
            (2) Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic
        minorities historically making up the majority of the XUAR
        population have maintained a distinct religious and cultural
        identity throughout their history.
            (3) Human rights, including the freedom of religion or
        belief, and respect for the Uyghurs' unique Muslim identity are
        legitimate interests of the international community.
            (4) The PRC--
                    (A) has ratified the International Covenant on
                Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, done at New York
                December 16, 1966, and is thereby bound by its
                provisions; and
                    (B) has also signed the International Covenant on
                Civil and Political Rights, done at New York December
                19, 1966.
            (5) An official campaign to encourage Han Chinese migration
        into the XUAR has placed immense pressure on Uyghurs and other
        ethnic and religious minority groups who seek to preserve their
        unique ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic traditions.
            (6) PRC authorities have supported an influx of Han Chinese
        economic immigrants into the XUAR, implemented discrimination
        against Uyghurs and other minorities in hiring practices, and
        provided unequal access to healthcare services.
            (7) PRC authorities 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 XUAR.
            (8) In 2014, following unrest in the XUAR, Chinese
        authorities launched the ``Strike Hard Against Violent
        Extremism'' campaign, in which dubious allegations of
        widespread extremist activity were used as justification for
        gross human rights violations committed against Uyghurs and
        members of other minority communities in the XUAR.
            (9) PRC authorities have made use of the legal system as a
        tool of repression, including for the imposition of arbitrary
        detentions and torture against members of the Uyghur community
        and other minority populations.
            (10) Uyghurs and Kazakhs who have secured citizenship or
        permanent residency outside of the PRC have attested to
        repeated threats, harassment, and surveillance by PRC
        officials.
            (11) Reporting from international news organizations has
        found that during the past decade, family members of Uyghurs
        and other minority groups living outside of the PRC have gone
        missing or been detained to force Uyghur expatriates to return
        to the PRC or silence their dissent.
            (12) In 2017, Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service was the
        first media organization to report on the PRC's vast, mass
        arbitrary-detention program in the XUAR.
            (13) Credible evidence from human rights organizations,
        think tanks, and journalists confirms that more than 1,000,000
        Uyghurs and members of other ethnic minority groups have been
        imprisoned in extrajudicial ``political reeducation'' centers.
            (14) Independent accounts from former detainees of
        ``political reeducation'' centers describe inhumane conditions
        and treatment including forced political indoctrination,
        torture, beatings, rape, forced sterilization, and food
        deprivation.
            (15) 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 Government of the PRC.
            (16) Popular discourse surrounding the ongoing atrocities
        in the XUAR and advocacy efforts to assist Uyghurs remains
        muted in most Muslim majority nations around the world.
            (17) Former Secretaries of State Antony Blinken and Michael
        Pompeo and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have all confirmed
        that the Government of the PRC has committed genocide and
        crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic and
        religious minorities in the XUAR.
            (18) Government bodies of multiple countries have also
        declared that atrocities by the Government of the PRC against
        such populations in the XUAR constitute genocide, including the
        Parliament of the United Kingdom, of Belgium, of Czechia, of
        Lithuania, of the Netherlands, and of Canada.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Government of the PRC should immediately open the
        XUAR to regular, transparent, and unmanipulated visits by--
                    (A) members of the press;
                    (B) international organizations, including the
                Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
                Human Rights;
                    (C) academic and human rights research
                institutions; and
                    (D) foreign delegations, including delegations from
                the Congress of the United States;
            (2) the Government of the PRC should--
                    (A) recognize, and take tangible steps to protect
                and preserve, the distinct ethnic, cultural, religious,
                and linguistic identity of Uyghurs and members of other
                ethnic and religious minority groups in the XUAR;
                    (B) cease all government-sponsored crackdowns,
                imprisonments, and detentions of people throughout the
                XUAR aimed at repressing their ethnic, cultural,
                political, or religious identities; and
                    (C) cease all government-sponsored transnational
                repression of Uyghurs, including the detainment,
                harassment, intimidation, and surveillance of the
                family members of exiled Uyghurs and Uyghur activists;
            (3) it is commendable that countries, including Turkey,
        Albania, and Germany, have provided shelter and hospitality to
        Uyghurs and other minority group members in exile from the PRC;
            (4) urges all countries, especially fellow democracies and
        countries with sizeable Muslim populations, to condemn and
        address the plight of Uyghurs and other minority communities in
        the XUAR;
            (5) the Government of the PRC should immediately grant
        unconditional releases to all prisoners that have been detained
        for their ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic
        identities, for expressing their political or religious beliefs
        in the XUAR, or for being related to members of the Uyghur
        diaspora or activist community, including--
                    (A) Ekper Asat, who participated in the Department
                of State's International Visitors Leadership Program in
                2016, was incarcerated after returning to the XUAR, and
                is now serving a 15-year prison sentence on charges of
                ``inciting ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination'';
                    (B) Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a Uyghur retired medical
                doctor who was wrongfully detained in the XUAR on
                September 11, 2018, and unjustly sentenced to 20 years
                in prison in retaliation for her sister's advocacy for
                Uyghur human rights issues; and
                    (C) Kamile Wayit, a Uyghur university student who
                was wrongfully detained on December 12, 2022, after
                returning to the XUAR during the winter holiday while
                on break from studying;
            (6) the Government of the PRC should facilitate access for
        international humanitarian organizations, including the
        International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
        Societies, to the ``political reeducation'' centers in the XUAR
        to ensure prisoners are not being mistreated and are receiving
        necessary medical care; and
            (7) the Department of State should continue to facilitate
        the unhindered dissemination to the international community of
        information regarding the human rights, religious freedom, and
        transnational repression of Uyghurs and members of other
        minority groups in the XUAR.

SEC. 4. UNITED STATES STRENGTHENING OF COORDINATION ON UYGHUR ISSUES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, as appropriate, shall--
            (1) prioritize policies, programs, and projects to support
        the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority
        groups in the XUAR;
            (2) vigorously promote the policies of--
                    (A) protecting the distinct ethnic, religious,
                cultural, and linguistic identities of the Uyghurs and
                other minority groups; and
                    (B) improving the protection of human rights in the
                XUAR;
            (3) direct the Department of State to maintain close
        contact with Uyghur religious, cultural, and political leaders,
        including seeking regular travel to the XUAR and to Uyghur
        populations in Central Asia, Turkey, Albania, Germany, and
        other parts of Europe;
            (4) lead coordination efforts for the release of political
        prisoners in the XUAR who are being detained for exercising
        their human rights or being relatives of exiled Uyghurs;
            (5) consult with Congress regarding policies relevant to
        the XUAR and the Uyghurs;
            (6) coordinate with relevant Federal agencies to administer
        aid to Uyghur rights advocates;
            (7) strive to establish contacts with foreign ministries of
        other countries, especially in Europe, Central Asia, and
        members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, to pursue a
        policy of promoting greater respect for human rights and
        religious freedom for Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious
        minority groups in the XUAR;
            (8) utilize Strategic Dialogue with the Organisation of
        Islamic Cooperation to address Uyghur rights and work with its
        individual member states to develop and implement joint
        initiatives and programs aimed at promoting awareness of Uyghur
        rights and supporting Uyghur victims of detainment, harassment,
        and transnational repression;
            (9) support independent media authorized under section 309
        of the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22
        U.S.C. 6208), including Radio Free Asia, which conduct
        reporting and investigative journalism focused on the XUAR,
        including in local languages, to ensure the reporting of future
        PRC human rights abuses;
            (10) work with international partners to raise awareness
        concerning acts of transnational repression against Uyghur
        Americans or Uyghurs who are living in exile in the United
        States and develop and implement strategies to prevent and
        respond to such transnational repression;
            (11) establish a reporting mechanism for individuals to
        report incidents of transnational repression against Uyghurs
        and other minority groups with ties to the XUAR; and
            (12) submit to Congress an annual report, including a
        classified annex, if necessary, that--
                    (A) describes actions taken by the United States to
                address and prevent transnational repression against
                Uyghurs in the United States; and
                    (B) includes recommendations for further
                legislative or policy measures in support of the human
                rights of Uyghurs and other minority groups from the
                XUAR.
    (b) Support.--The Secretary of State shall ensure the Department of
State has adequate resources, staff, and administrative support to
carry out this section.
    (c) Sunset.--The requirements under this section shall cease to
have any force or effect beginning on the date that is 5 years after
the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. FUNDING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES TO CONDUCT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
              IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD ON THE UYGHUR SITUATION.

    (a) In General.--Of the amounts appropriated for the Office of the
United States Speaker Program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs of the Department of State for each of the fiscal years 2025,
2026, and 2027, $250,000 shall be made available to support human
rights advocates working on behalf of the Uyghurs and members of other
ethnic and religious minority groups from the XUAR that are being
persecuted in the PRC.
    (b) Identification of Speakers.--The Assistant Secretary of State
for Educational and Cultural Affairs, in consultation with
representatives of the global Uyghur community, shall identify human
rights advocates who may be invited to speak at global public diplomacy
forums, particularly events at which representatives from Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation countries and other Muslim-majority countries
are present, regarding issues regarding the human rights and religious
freedom of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority
groups who have been persecuted by the PRC.

SEC. 6. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.

    No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements
under this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts
otherwise authorized for similar purposes.

SEC. 7. ACCESS TO DETENTION FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND THE RELEASE OF
              PRISONERS.

    (a) Strategy on Political Reeducation and Detention Facilities.--
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other
relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall develop a strategy for
cooperating with like-minded partners to pressure the Government of the
PRC--
            (1) to close all detention facilities and ``political
        reeducation'' camps housing Uyghurs and members of other ethnic
        minority groups in the XUAR;
            (2) to allow unhindered access to detention facilities and
        ``political reeducation'' camps in the XUAR by independent
        media, researchers, international organizations and the Office
        of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for a
        comprehensive assessment of the human rights situation; and
            (3) to protect human rights and preserve the distinct
        religious and cultural identity of the Uyghurs and the other
        religious and ethnic minority communities in the XUAR.
    (b) Report on Strategy and Implementation.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a
report, including a classified annex, if necessary, that includes--
            (1) the strategy developed pursuant to subsection (a); and
            (2) all of the steps that have been taken to implement such
        strategy in accordance with the objectives described in
        paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (a).

SEC. 8. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.

    (a) Uyghur Language Training and Staffing.--The Secretary of State
shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that--
            (1) Uyghur language training is available to Foreign
        Service officers, as appropriate; and
            (2) efforts are made to ensure that at least 1 Uyghur-
        speaking member of the Service (as defined in section 103 of
        the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3903)) is assigned
        to each United States diplomatic or consular post in China.
    (b) Report.--No later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 2 years, the
Foreign Service Institute shall submit a report to the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
the House of Representatives that outlines all of the steps that have
been taken to implement subsection (a).

SEC. 9. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.

    The President should direct the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and
influence of the United States--
            (1) to oppose any efforts to prevent consideration of the
        gross violation of internationally recognized human rights in
        the XUAR in any body of the United Nations;
            (2) to 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 Nations; and
            (3) to support the appointment of a special rapporteur or
        working group for the XUAR for the purposes of--
                    (A) monitoring human rights violations and abuses
                in the XUAR; and
                    (B) making reports containing information about
                such violations and abuses available to the United
                Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United
                Nations Commission on Human Rights, the General
                Assembly of the United Nations, and other United
                Nations subsidiaries.
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