{"id":22800,"date":"2025-07-31T11:39:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T15:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=22800"},"modified":"2025-09-25T11:00:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T15:00:15","slug":"chairs-introduce-landmark-uyghur-genocide-and-sanctions-accountability-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/chairs-introduce-landmark-uyghur-genocide-and-sanctions-accountability-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Chairs Introduce Landmark Uyghur Genocide and Sanctions Accountability Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington DC<\/strong> \u2013 Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Chair and Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), today introduced the Uyghur Genocide and Sanctions Accountability Act of 2025, a comprehensive, bipartisan bill to address the People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC) for its atrocities targeting the Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. They were joined by fellow Commissioners Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY) in introducing this legislation. Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI), the Chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, also joined in cosponsoring the legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legislation expands existing sanctions authorities, imposes mandatory visa bans, restricts U.S. government contracts linked to forced labor, and provides assistance to survivors of torture, forced sterilization, rape, and arbitrary detention. It also directs U.S. agencies to preserve cultural heritage threatened by PRC policies, counters disinformation denying the genocide, and bars the sale and purchase of Chinese seafood products in Defense Department facilities due to their ties to Uyghur and North Korean forced labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Senator Dan Sullivan<\/strong>, Chair of the CECC, said:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe evidence is clear. The Chinese Communist Party has waged a deliberate and systematic campaign to destroy the Uygur people through forced sterilization, mass internment, and forced labor. This legislation ensures the United States holds accountable not only the perpetrators of these horrific crimes but also those who support or profit from them. That includes cutting off imports of seafood caught and processed with forced labor, which not only implicates Uyghur and North Korean workers, but also undermines American producers through grossly unfair trade practices.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Representative Chris Smith<\/strong>, Co-Chair of the CECC, stated:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cGenocide is not a relic of the past\u2014it is happening now, on our watch. The CCP\u2019s cruel efforts to erase the Uyghur people and their culture are among the most egregious human rights violations in modern history. This bill responds with clear-eyed resolve: targeted sanctions, visa bans, survivor support, and strong measures to end complicity in these crimes. We cannot remain silent while atrocity crimes unfold in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Senador Jeff Merkley<\/strong>, Former Chair of the CECC, said:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAs long as the People\u2019s Republic of China continues to bulldoze the human rights of Uyghurs and other vulnerable groups, the United States must do everything we can to call out the horrific genocide and systemic abuses. This bipartisan bill builds on my Ley de prevenci\u00f3n del trabajo forzoso uigur <\/em>by expanding sanctions and delivering new tools to hold the Chinese government accountable for its horrifying surveillance regime, mass imprisonment, torture, and so-called \u2018re-education camps\u2019 inflicted on Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities. We must swiftly pass this legislation to stand up to China\u2019s ongoing campaign of repression.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Representative Tom Suozzi, <\/strong>CECC Commissioner & Cochair House Uyghur Caucus, said:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe Chinese Communist Party is carrying out a campaign of systematic repression against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic and religious minorities, including mass detention, torture, forced labor, and ethnic cleansing. The bipartisan Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act will intensify sanctions on CCP officials responsible for these atrocities and enhance our ability to document and expose human rights abuses. As Co-Chair of the Uyghur Caucus, I\u2019m committed to making this legislation a top priority for this Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Representative John Moolenaar, <\/strong>Chair, House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said:<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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“The CCP\u2019s genocide against the Uyghurs is one of the gravest human rights atrocities of our time. This bill ensures the United States leads with strength and principle by imposing tougher sanctions, banning visas for abusers, and cutting off taxpayer contracts linked to forced labor. It also provides critical support to survivors and pushes back against the CCP\u2019s propaganda machine. If we truly believe in human dignity, then accountability must be the foundation of our policy toward China.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

El Uyghur Genocide and Sanctions Accountability Act<\/strong> har\u00eda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n