US Senators Rubio and Merkley Introduce New Legislation to Hold the Chinese Communist Party Accountable for the Crimes in Xinjiang

07-06-2023

Marios Putro

South and East Asia Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Jeff Merkley introduced the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act (UGASA) on May 31st. With regard to human rights abuses in the northwest Chinese region of Xinjiang and to combat acts of genocide from the Government of the People's Republic of China, this legislation is a continuation of the sanctions already in place against Chinese officials under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (Rubio, 2023). The bill would grant authority to the U.S State Department and the U.S Agency for International Development to provide assistance to victims of genocide in the region mentioned above, broadcast initiatives to counter Chinese-led propaganda regarding the CCP’s acts of genocide, promote the preservation of linguistic and cultural heritage targeted/repressed by the CCP, mandate disclosures to the Securities and Exchange Commission of entities directly or indirectly engaged with the acts of genocide in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and provide funds to the organizations that document human rights abuses in the XUAR. (Rubio, 2023).

According to Senator Rubio’s statement: 

“By building upon current legislation, this bicameral bill aims to enhance the enforcement of secondary sanctions on businesses that offer assistance to the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing atrocities against the Uyghurs. As Beijing continues with its campaign of oppression against non-Chinese ethnic groups, we must uphold sanctions against Chinese authorities and companies responsible for acts of genocide” (Rubio, 2023)

Senator Merkley stated:

“Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang are being tortured, imprisoned, forced into labor, and pressured to abandon their religious and cultural practices by the Chinese government. The United States must send a resounding and unequivocal message against genocide and slave labor wherever these evils appear. The horrifying surveillance, imprisonment, torture, and forced ‘re-education camps’ that Uyghur Muslims have been subjected to are appalling human rights violations, depriving millions of people of their liberty in an effort to strip an entire community of their culture and their past. This bill is a critical step in doing more to hold the CCP accountable for these atrocious abuses while taking actions to protect the victims of genocide” (Rubio, 2023).

Previously, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act was the initial step to address the acts of genocide committed in Xinjiang by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The bill was first introduced by Senators Rubio and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and a bipartisan group of senators in 2018. Lastly, the last bill before the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act (UGASA) was the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which the Joe Biden administration ratified on December 23, 2021 (CBP, 2023).

Sources and further reading:

Rubio Applauds POTUS Signing Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act Into Law. (2020, June 17). U.S. Senator For Florida, Marco Rubio. https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/6/rubio-applauds-potus-signing-uyghur-human-rights-policy-act-into-law 

Rubio, Merkley Introduce Landmark Legislation to Hold the CCP Accountable for Crimes in Xinjiang. (2023, May 31). U.S. Senator For Florida, Marco Rubio. Retrieved June 6, 2023, from https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2023/5/rubio-merkley-introduce-landmark-legislation-to-hold-the-ccp-accountable-for-crimes-in-xinjiang 

Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. (n.d.). U.S. Customs And Border Protection. https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor/UFLPA