Senate passes Uyghur rights bill News
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Senate passes Uyghur rights bill

The U.S. Senate passed a bill on Thursday in support of the Uyghur Muslim minority in China.

The bill would require the president to make a report to Congress regarding China’s crackdown on the Uyghurs and other minorities in the region. The report would identify persons responsible for the crackdown, whether they are officials with the Chinese government or not, and subject them to sanctions, including the freezing of U.S. assets and denial of visas. The bill was sponsored by a bipartisan group of fifty Senators and passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

An amended version of the bill passed the House last December by a vote of 407-1. The Chinese government issued a statement following passage of the House bill declaring that the legislation “wantonly smeared China’s counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts.” The Senate bill is expected to provoke similar ire.