Bipartisan Effort to Extend Uyghur Human Rights Sanctions Gains Momentum
Senators Rubio and Merkley Push for Five-Year Reauthorization to Combat Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have introduced the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024 to maintain U.S. support for the human rights of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region and other ethnic minority groups in China. This bipartisan effort aims to extend the sanctions initially established under the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, which was enacted in response to widespread reports of human rights violations in Xinjiang. Senator Rubio, who sponsored the original legislation, emphasized the necessity of reauthorizing these sanctions, stating, "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."
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