Lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives formed a Uyghur Caucus on Thursday to highlight the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s abuse of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.<\/p>\n
The caucus led by Reps. Tom Suozzi and Chris Smith also will support legislation aimed at addressing the human rights abuses, including the detention of about 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a vast network of internment camps, torture of inmates, sexual assaults, forced sterilization of women, and the use of forced Uyghur labor, and efforts to eradicate Uyghur culture and religion.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut simply, we\u2019re talking about the largest coordinated human rights abuse campaign of the 21st century being perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party,\u201d Suozzi said in a statement. \u201cNot only as Members of Congress, but as human beings we have a responsibility to uphold the values of fundamental human dignity and religious freedom abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith, a veteran lawmaker who for decades has criticized Beijing over its human rights record, said the U.S. must speak out on egregious abuses being perpetrated against the Uyghurs and others in northwestern China, which have been well-documented by rights organizations, international media, and the United Nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe United States cannot be silent as [Chinese President] Xi Jinping tortures and seeks to eradicate an entire population,\u201d he said in the statement. \u201cIn solidarity with the oppressed, the Uyghur Caucus will call attention to the Communist Chinese government\u2019s atrocious human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and work to end one of the world\u2019s worst human rights tragedies.\u201d
There was no immediate response from the Chinese government to the announcement about the Uygur Caucus.<\/p>\n
Rushan Abbas, executive director of the Washington-based Campaign for Uyghurs, hailed the creation of the caucus.<\/p>\n
\u201cDay after day, we are faced with new horrors coming out of East Turkistan,\u201d she said in a statement on Thursday, using the name for the XUAR that Uyghurs prefer. \u201cThese atrocities, this genocide, require a response that is proportional to its depravity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this caucus, we now have a way to organize our allies in the United States and turn activism into concrete policy actions that address this unspeakable crime,\u201d Abbas said. \u201cTogether, we will see this genocide ended, and those responsible brought to justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Germany-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) also welcomed the development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is such a welcomed initiative, and it comes at an opportune time when Uyghurs most need strong allies to restore their freedoms, and end the Uyghur genocide,\u201d said WUC president Dolkun Isa in a statement.<\/p>\n
The Uyghur Caucus joins other such caucuses \u2014 groups where U.S. lawmakers meet to pursue common legislative objectives \u2014 focusing on ethnic minorities or people living in territories that are repressed or targeted by China.<\/p>\n
A bipartisan Congressional Taiwan Caucus set up in April 2002 has 139 members and is focused on enhancing and strengthening U.S.-Taiwan relations and ensuring that Taiwan remains democratic. Its counterpart in the Senate was established in September 2003 and has 24 members.<\/p>\n
Smith created a Congressional Hong Kong Caucus in September 2014 to monitor China\u2019s actions in the territory where at the time pro-democracy activists held massive street demonstrations clamoring for free elections.<\/p>\n
Two former Congressmen formed a Congressional Tibet Caucus in 2009 to draw attention to the Chinese government\u2019s policies there and to mobilize support for the Dalai Lama, Tibetans\u2019 exiled spiritual leader.<\/p>\n
Neither of those groups appear to be active, but the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, formerly known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, now takes up rights issues concerning Uyghurs in the XUAR, Hong Kong, and Tibet.<\/p>\n
The 17-member bipartisan, bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (ECCC), an independent agency of the U.S. government, also monitors human rights and rule of law developments in China.<\/p>\n \n \n
\r\nThis content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia<\/a> and was authored by By Roseanne Gerin.
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