U.S. House Committee Advances Uyghur Policy Act

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the bipartisan Uyghur Policy Act, aimed at addressing human rights abuses faced by Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China, RFA reported. The legislation urges the State Department to respond to abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and develop strategies to close detention facilities.

The bill requires the U.S. Secretary of State to oversee policies that protect the ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identities of Uyghurs. Although it has passed the House in previous congressional terms, it still faces challenges before becoming law.

In a related development, the World Uyghur Congress has filed a legal complaint in Paris against three Chinese companies—Dahua Technology France, Hikvision France, and Huawei France—accusing them of complicity in crimes against humanity through their involvement in a mass surveillance system targeting Uyghurs.