Biden Approved the Extension of Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act

Last updated on January 6th, 2025 at 04:11 am

The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) praised this act which was first passed on June 17th 2020 and will now be in effect for at least ten years. The United States has imposed Global Magnitsky human rights sanctions on 12 persons who committed atrocity crimes against Uyghurs and other Turkic populations in compliance with the 2020 Act. Ten persons and two government agencies are the targets of these penalties.

Two important parts of legislation are part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which Congress adopted on December 18. Congress has for the first time passed international legislation that forbids the federal government from purchasing commodities made in the Uyghur region using forced labor. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act which has prohibited such imports into the US since 2022 is strengthened by this.

The most recent 2025 regulations broaden this prohibition to include products used by the Department of Defense worldwide which under SEC. 7208 prohibits the Department of Defense from utilizing federal funds to buy any solar energy goods manufactured in China including the Uyghur Region, if those products are known to be developed using forced labor.

UHRP endorsed a collective advocacy campaign in November that called for the reauthorization of human rights sanctions that protect the rights of Tibetans and Hong Kong residents. Canada’s move to sanction eight Chinese officials for their involvement in grave human rights violations against Uyghurs and other Turkic populations in East Turkistan was also commended by the UHRP last month.

UHRP executive director Omer Kanat said: “It’s a gift of hope for Uyghurs. Congressional leaders stand with the Uyghur people to dial up the pressure to end the atrocities in our homeland.  We thank the Republicans and Democrats who came together in the House and the Senate to re-authorise the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, to ensure that sanctions continue.”