UHRP Welcomes New House Bill Addressing Uyghur Genocide in Key Provisions

America-COMPETES-Act-of-2022

January 26, 2022, 2:00 p.m. EST
For Immediate Release
Contact: Omer Kanat +1 (202) 790-1795, Peter Irwin +1 (646) 906-7722

The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) welcomes a new comprehensive bill introduced in the US House of Representatives that includes several provisions aimed at strengthening the US government’s response to the Uyghur genocide.

“This bill would strengthen the US government’s response to the Uyghur genocide,” said UHRP Executive Director, Omer Kanat. “We hope that a Special Envoy to coordinate the response would wake up the rest of the international community that has so far been silent.”

The America COMPETES Act of 2022 includes a provision to designate Uyghurs as prioritized refugees of special humanitarian concern, making them eligible for Priority Two (P-2) processing under the refugee resettlement priority system. The P-2 designation would enable Uyghurs to access the U.S. refugee program without a referral from the UNHCR, an embassy, or an NGO.

The bill also includes a provision to establish a Special Envoy within the State Department to coordinate the political and diplomatic response to “gross violations of universally recognized human rights” in East Turkistan. The Special Envoy would focus on the mass detentions of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples as well as the deployment of technologically advanced surveillance and police detection methods.

UHRP urges the House to strengthen Section 30133 in relation to the review of Chinese companies in US capital markets. The measures in this section of the bill toughen the US government’s response to the crisis by increasing scrutiny of investment flows to Chinese companies linked to abuses against Uyghurs. 

The proposed legislation builds on previously adopted legislation including the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, and the House Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act.

Read more:

UHRP Celebrates Historic Uyghur Bill Signed into Law, December 23, 2021

UHRP Supports U.S. Bill to Create Special Coordinator to Address Uyghur Crisis, September 30, 2021

UHRP welcomes Senate legislation to support safe haven for Uyghurs abroad, April 13, 2021

UHRP welcomes bill to provide Uyghurs safe haven, March 9, 2021

UHRP urges worldwide action in the wake of genocide finding, January 21, 2021

UHRP praises further Congressional action against Uyghur forced labor, October 1, 2020

In Historic First, Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act Becomes Law, June 17, 2020