June 6, 2024 | Press Releases
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024.
U.S Senator Marco Rubio said: “The People’s Republic of China continues its brutal suppression of Uyghurs and other ethnic groups. The United States must persist in holding Chinese officials accountable for these abuses.”
The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, initially led by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), was signed into law in 2020, with its sanctions set to expire in 2025. To ensure ongoing U.S. support for the human rights of Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in China, Rubio, along with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), introduced the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024. This effort aims to extend the critical provisions of the law for another five years.
“At a time when the Uyghur diaspora and Chinese dissidents remain the targets of transnational repression at the hands of Communist China, we must have the tools needed to confront this threat. This reauthorization is essential and I urge my colleagues to support this initiative,” stated Senator Rubio.
Senator Merkley emphasized, “The United States must continue to send a clear message that we will not be complicit in the Chinese government’s persecution and genocide of Uyghur Muslims. Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in Xinjiang are being tortured, imprisoned, enslaved, forced into labor, and pressured to abandon their religious and cultural practices by the Chinese government. Passing this bill is vital to holding China accountable for these grave human rights violations while protecting the victims of this genocide.”
Credit to Marcu Rubio’s official website.
