Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act

Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn act to condemn gross human rights violations of ethnic Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, and calling for an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China.
NicknamesUyghur Act
Enacted bythe 116th United States Congress
EffectiveJune 17, 2020
Citations
Public lawPub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 116–145 (text) (PDF)
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the Senate as S. 3744 by Marco Rubio (R-FL) on May 14, 2020
  • Passed the Senate on May 14, 2020 (Unanimous consent)
  • Passed the House on May 27, 2020 (413–1)
  • Signed into law by President Donald Trump on June 17, 2020

The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (S. 3744)[1] is a United States federal law that requires various United States government bodies to report on human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, including internment in the Xinjiang re-education camps.[2][3]

On September 11, 2019, a version of the bill—the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019[4]—was passed in the United States Senate by unanimous consent.[5][6][7] On December 3, 2019, a stronger version of the bill—the UIGHUR Act—was passed by the US House of Representatives by a vote of 407–1.

On May 14, 2020, the Senate introduced and approved what would be the current 2020 bill.[3][6][8] On May 27, 2020, the House passed the amended bill by a vote of 413–1, sending it to then-President Donald Trump for approval.[9] The bill was signed by Trump into law on June 17, 2020.[10]

  1. ^ S. 3744; Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 116–145 (text) (PDF)
  2. ^ "H.R.649 - Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019". United States Congress. March 4, 2019. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Westcott, Ben; Byrd, Haley (December 3, 2019). "US House passes Uyghur Act calling for tough sanctions on Beijing over Xinjiang camps". CNN. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  4. ^ S.178 - Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019, 116th Congress (2019-2020) Archived December 4, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Congress.gov.
  5. ^ "Actions Overview S.178 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)". United States Congress. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ABC-HR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Lipes, Joshua (September 12, 2019). "US Senate Passes Legislation to Hold China Accountable for Rights Abuses in Xinjiang". Radio Free Asia. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  8. ^ Byrd, Haley (May 14, 2020). "Senate approves Uyghur human rights bill". CNN. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  9. ^ Edmondson, Catie (May 27, 2020). "House Passes Uighur Human Rights Bill, Prodding Trump to Punish China". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Lipes, Joshua (June 17, 2020). "Trump Signs Uyghur Rights Act Into Law, Authorizing Sanctions For Abuses in Xinjiang". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved June 17, 2020.