
According to CBN News, the Trump administration will sign the “Uyghur Human Rights Policy Acts” this upcoming week – legislation that was passed through both houses of the usually contentious Congress.
The passage of the “Uyghur Human Rights Policy Acts” is the first legislation passed by any nation that has addressed Uyghur’s political, economic, social and religious rights and persecution by China’s communist party. The significance of the new act is the ability to impose Magnitsky sanctions against Chinese officials who have been responsible for persecuting religious and ethnic minorities in China.
The Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (Magnitsky Act) authorizes the US government to sanction individuals who perpetrate human rights offenders, freeze their assets, and can ban individuals from entering the US.
Uyghurs are an ethnic minority in China that practice Islam and in recent years (since approximately Spring of 2017), China’s communist regime has been forcing Uyghurs to denounce their religious practices and adopt more non-traditional way of life. According to CBN, more than 3 million Uyghurs are being detained against their will.