[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 104 (Monday, June 22, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3014-S3015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 5893. Mr. THUNE (for Mr. Curtis (for himself and Mr. Merkley))
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by Mr. Thune to the bill
S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and
for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe
military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of title XII, add the following:
Subtitle F--Coordination on Uyghur Issues
SEC. 1271. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ``Uyghur Policy Act of
2026''.
SEC. 1272. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The People's Republic of China (referred to in this
subtitle 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 subtitle 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. 1273. 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 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. 1274. 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;
[[Page S3015]]
(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. 1275. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the
requirements under this subtitle. Such requirements shall be
carried out using amounts otherwise authorized for similar
purposes.
SEC. 1276. 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. 1277. 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.
______