[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1542 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 496
119th CONGRESS
2d 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 (for himself, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. Warnock) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Foreign Relations
July 27, 2026
Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
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,
<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>
<DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Uyghur Policy Act of
2025''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> Congress finds the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (4) The PRC--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) has also signed the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, done at New
York December 19, 1966.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> It is the sense of Congress that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) the Government of the PRC should immediately
open the XUAR to regular, transparent, and unmanipulated visits
by--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) members of the press;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) international organizations, including
the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (C) academic and human rights research
institutions; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (D) foreign delegations, including
delegations from the Congress of the United
States;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) the Government of the PRC should--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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'';</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 4. UNITED STATES STRENGTHENING OF COORDINATION ON UYGHUR
ISSUES.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, as appropriate,
shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) prioritize policies, programs, and projects to
support the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minority groups in the XUAR;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (2) vigorously promote the policies of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) protecting the distinct ethnic,
religious, cultural, and linguistic identities of the
Uyghurs and other minority groups; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) improving the protection of human
rights in the XUAR;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (5) consult with Congress regarding policies
relevant to the XUAR and the Uyghurs;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (6) coordinate with relevant Federal agencies to
administer aid to Uyghur rights advocates;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
<DELETED> (12) submit to Congress an annual report,
including a classified annex, if necessary, that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) describes actions taken by the United
States to address and prevent transnational repression
against Uyghurs in the United States; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (B) includes recommendations for further
legislative or policy measures in support of the human
rights of Uyghurs and other minority groups from the
XUAR.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (b) Support.--The Secretary of State shall ensure the
Department of State has adequate resources, staff, and administrative
support to carry out this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 5. FUNDING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES TO CONDUCT PUBLIC
DIPLOMACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD ON THE UYGHUR
SITUATION.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 6. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.</DELETED>
<DELETED> 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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 7. ACCESS TO DETENTION FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND THE
RELEASE OF PRISONERS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) to close all detention facilities and
``political reeducation'' camps housing Uyghurs and members of
other ethnic minority groups in the XUAR;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) the strategy developed pursuant to subsection
(a); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 8. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (a) Uyghur Language Training and Staffing.--The Secretary
of State shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (1) Uyghur language training is available to
Foreign Service officers, as appropriate; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>SEC. 9. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.</DELETED>
<DELETED> The President should direct the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and
influence of the United States--</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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;</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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</DELETED>
<DELETED> (3) to support the appointment of a special
rapporteur or working group for the XUAR for the purposes of--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> (A) monitoring human rights violations and
abuses in the XUAR; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> (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.</DELETED>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Uyghur Policy Act of 2026''.
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 resided.
(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) The PRC--
(A) 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) signed the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, done at New York December 19, 1966.
(4) PRC authorities manipulated the strategic objectives of
the international war on terror to mask their increasing
cultural and religious oppression of Uyghurs and other ethnic
and religious minority groups residing in the XUAR.
(5) In 2014, PRC authorities launched the ``Strike Hard
Against Violent Extremism'' campaign, in which dubious
allegations of widespread extremist activity were used as
justification for violations of internationally recognized
human rights committed against Uyghurs and members of other
ethnic and religious minority groups in the XUAR.
(6) PRC authorities have made use of its legal system as a
tool of repression, including for the imposition of arbitrary
detentions and torture against members of the Uyghur community
and other ethnic and religious minority groups.
(7) 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.
(8) Reporting from international news organizations has
found that during the past decade, in order to silence dissent
or to force exiled or other overseas Uyghurs to return to the
PRC, family members of such Uyghur individuals or members of
other ethnic and religious minority groups living inside the
PRC have disappeared or been detained by PRC authorities.
(9) In February 2025, Thai authorities refouled 40 detained
Uyghurs to Xinjiang, ignoring warnings from the United States
Government and Congress.
(10) 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.
(11) International civil society has compiled credible
evidence that--
(A) more than 1,000,000 Uyghurs and members of
other ethnic and religious minority groups were
detained in extrajudicial ``vocational education and
training centers''; and
(B) thousands more such individuals continue to be
coerced to participate in state-led forced labor
transfer programs.
(12) Independent accounts from former detainees of
``vocational education and training'' centers describe inhumane
conditions and treatment, including forced political
indoctrination, torture, beatings, rape, forced sterilization,
and food deprivation.
(13) 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.
(14) Discourse surrounding the ongoing atrocities in the
XUAR, including efforts to support the Uyghur community,
remains limited in most Muslim majority nations around the
world.
(15) Former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo determined,
and both former Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed, that the Government
of the PRC continues to commit genocide and crimes against
humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious
minorities in the XUAR.
(16) Multiple foreign government bodies have declared that
atrocities by the Government of the PRC against Uyghurs and
members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in the
XUAR constitute genocide, including the European Parliament and
the parliaments of Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France,
Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom,
respectively.
(17) On March 12, 2026, China's National People's Congress
adopted the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which
mandates Mandarin instruction for minority children beginning
in preschool and subjects all ethnic affairs to party
authority, systematically eroding the linguistic and cultural
identity of Uyghurs and other minority groups.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) 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) immediately 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 members of other
ethnic and minority groups in the XUAR;
(2) 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;
(C) academic and research institutions focused on
internationally recognized human rights; and
(D) foreign delegations, including delegations from
the United States;
(3) it is commendable that countries, including Germany,
the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Turkiye, among
others, have provided shelter and hospitality to Uyghurs and
other ethnic and religious minority group members in exile from
the PRC;
(4) the Government of the PRC should immediately grant
unconditional release of 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) Ekpar 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 unjustly detained in the XUAR on
September 11, 2018, and unfairly sentenced to 20 years
in prison in retaliation for her United States citizens
sister's advocacy for Uyghurs;
(C) Illham Tohti, a Uyghur economics professor who
advocated for improving Uyghur-Han relations and
improving the implementation of regional autonomy laws
in the PRC, was detained on January 15, 2014, and
sentenced to life in prison on charges of
``separatism''; and
(D) Rahile Dawut, a professor who researched Uyghur
folklore and traditions and was detained in 2017 and
sentenced to life in prison on charges of ``splittism''
and ``endangering State security'';
(5) the Government of the PRC should facilitate
comprehensive access for international organizations, to
``vocational education and training'' centers, prisons, and
factories in the XUAR; and
(6) the Department of State should continue to facilitate
the unhindered dissemination of information to the
international community regarding the status of internationally
recognized human rights, religious freedom, and transnational
repression of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minority groups in the XUAR.
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES STRENGTHENING OF COORDINATION ON UYGHUR ISSUES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State should, as appropriate--
(1) prioritize policies, programs, and projects, in
coordination with other relevant agencies, to support Uyghurs
and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in
the XUAR;
(2) vigorously promote policies to protect the distinct
ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identities of the
Uyghurs and other minority groups;
(3) maintain close contact with Uyghur religious, cultural,
and political leaders, including by seeking regular travel to
the XUAR and visiting Uyghur diaspora communities around the
world;
(4) advocate for the release of political prisoners in the
XUAR who were detained for exercising their internationally
recognized human rights to put pressure on exiled Uyghurs;
(5) regularly consult with Congress regarding policies
relevant to the XUAR and the Uyghurs;
(6) engage with counterparts in Europe, Central Asia, and
member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation--
(A) to promote internationally recognized human
rights and religious freedom for Uyghurs and other
ethnic and religious minority groups in the XUAR; and
(B) to develop and implement joint initiatives and
programs aimed at promoting awareness and supporting
Uyghur victims of detention, harassment, and
transnational repression;
(7) develop a strategy to work with foreign partners to
pressure the Government of the PRC--
(A) to close all detention facilities and
``vocational education and training'' camps housing
Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minority groups in the XUAR;
(B) to allow unhindered access to detention
facilities and ``vocational education and training''
camps in the XUAR by independent media, researchers,
and international organizations for a comprehensive
assessment; and
(C) to protect internationally recognized human
rights and preserve the distinct religious and cultural
identity of the Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic
minority communities in the XUAR;
(8) work with international partners--
(A) to raise awareness regarding transnational
repression of Uyghur Americans or Uyghurs who are
living in exile in the United States; and
(B) to develop and implement strategies to prevent
and respond to such transnational repression; and
(9) establish a mechanism for individuals to report
incidents of transnational repression against Uyghurs and other
ethnic and religious minority groups with ties to the XUAR.
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 3
years, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
the House of Representatives, with a classified annex, if necessary,
that--
(1) lists the actions described in subsection (a) that were
taken by the Secretary during the reporting period, including
programs and engagements with foreign governments;
(2) describes actions taken by the United States Government
to address and prevent transnational repression against Uyghurs
in the United States; and
(3) includes recommendations for further legislative or
policy measures in support of the internationally recognized
human rights of Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority
groups from the XUAR.
(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. 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. 6. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.
(a) Uyghur Language Training and Staffing.--The Secretary of State
may take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that--
(1) Uyghur language training is available to Foreign
Service officers; 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--
(A) one United States diplomatic or consular post
in the People's Republic of China; and
(B) one United States diplomatic or consular post
in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyszstan, or Turkiye.
(b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act, 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. 7. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.
The President shall direct the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote, and
influence of the United States at every United States multilateral
mission--
(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 actions to prevent the participation of
advocates for internationally recognized human rights of
Uyghurs in nongovernmental fora hosted by, or otherwise
organized under the auspices of, any body of the United
Nations; and
(3) to support the creation or appointment of a special
rapporteur for the XUAR for the purposes of--
(A) monitoring violations and abuses of
internationally recognized human rights in the XUAR;
and
(B) making reports containing information about
such violations and abuses available to the General
Assembly of the United Nations and other United Nations
affiliated agencies, bodies, entities, and member
states.
Calendar No. 496
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1542
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
July 27, 2026
Reported with an amendment