A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act, a legislative proposal that aims to address human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China. The bill expands existing sanctions authorities, imposes mandatory visa bans on individuals involved in forced sterilizations and population control campaigns, restricts U.S. government contracts linked to forced labor, and provides assistance to survivors of torture, forced sterilization, rape, and arbitrary detention.
The legislation also directs U.S. agencies to help preserve cultural heritage threatened by Chinese government 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.
Senator Dan Sullivan, Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), said:
“The evidence is clear. The Chinese Communist Party has waged a deliberate and systematic campaign to destroy the Uyghur 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.”
Representative Chris Smith, Co-Chair of the CECC, stated:
“Genocide is not a relic of the past—it is happening now, on our watch. The CCP’s 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.”
Senator Jeff Merkley, Former Chair of the CECC, said:
“As long as the People’s 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 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act by expanding sanctions and delivering new tools to hold the Chinese government accountable for its horrifying surveillance regime, mass imprisonment, torture, and so-called ‘re-education camps’ inflicted on Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities. We must swiftly pass this legislation to stand up to China’s ongoing campaign of repression.”
Representative Tom Suozzi, CECC Commissioner & Cochair House Uyghur Caucus said:
“The 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’m committed to making this legislation a top priority for this Congress.”
Representative John Moolenaar Chair House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said:
"The CCP’s 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 survivorsand pushes back againstthe CCP’s propaganda machine.If we truly believein human dignity then accountability must be foundationof our policy toward China."
Key provisions include broadening existing sanctions under previous laws such as covering crimes like forced organ harvesting; authorizing medical/psychological services for survivors living outside China; promoting cultural preservation; prohibiting procurement from entities linkedto atrocity crimes; supporting investigations/documentation for future prosecutions;and countering propaganda that denies genocide.
CECC Commissioners indicated they will continue working across party lines on measures that promote American interests while responding tothe global challenges posed bythe Chinese Communist Party.
The full textofth eUy gh ur Ge noc ide Ac co un ta bi li ty an dS an ct io ns Ac t can be found online.
