Press Release – For Immediate Release
26 November 2022
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) applauds the passing of the Uyghur Policy Act (H.R.4785) in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“The passage of the Uyghur Policy Act is a show of the incredible support that Uyghurs are receiving from U.S. lawmakers to end the ongoing genocide”, WUC President, Dolkun Isa, said. “The loss of Uyghur lives during the Urumqi fire has reminded us that more action is needed to address the situation. This Bill is a clear example of such action.”

The Uyghur Policy Act is now the fifth legislative initative by the U.S. House of Representatives to address the Uyghur genocide, following the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act (S.3744) the Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act, the Resolution Condemning the Ongoing Genocide Against Uyghurs (H.Res.317), and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (H.R.6252).

The Uyghur Policy Act first of all calls upon the Chinese government “to cease all government-sponsored crackdowns, imprisonments, and detentions of people throughout” East Turkistan, and “urges countries with sizeable Muslim populations, given their common religious and cultural identity, to demonstrate particular concern over the plight of Uyghurs.”

Most importantly, the Bill authorizes the establishment of a Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues as a new position within the U.S. government. The Special Coordinator should coordinate policies, programs, and projects concerning the Uyghurs, maintain close contact with religious, cultural, and political Uyghur leaders, and make efforts to establish contacts with foreign ministries of other countries, especially in Europe, Central Asia, and the Islamic world. Finally, the bill also supports the creation of a UN Special Rapporteur or Working Group to monitor and report on the situation in East Turkistan.

Speaking in support of the bill, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, stated: “[w]ith this legislation, we send a powerful signal to the Uyghur people: America sees you, we stand with you and we’re fighting with you.  And we send a resounding message to Beijing: this genocide must end now.”

The WUC expresses its enormous gratitude to the sponsor of the Bill, Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), as well as to all other co-sponsors, and commends the efforts of Uyghur advocates and civil society partners to on this legislative initiative.