CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT
Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org
https://campaignforuyghurs.org/
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) welcomes the Senate Foreign Relations Committee‘s passage of the Uyghur Policy Act of 2026, led by Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). This legislation promotes accountability for China’s ongoing Uyghur genocide, invests in cultural preservation, ignites international efforts, and gives the State Department the tools to implement meaningful measures.
Despite evolving tactics and methods to bury the truth, recent research confirms Beijing’s policies of oppression continue unabated, as does its growing and increasingly sophisticated transnational repression. The Uyghur Policy Act, passed twice by the House, represents a significant step forward in strengthening U.S. efforts to counter the CCP’s systematic repression to erase Uyghur identity and civilization, while confronting the forced labor system that underpins Beijing’s broader ambitions for economic and political dominance.
The Uyghur Policy Act states that the People’s Republic of China should immediately cease its government-sponsored crackdowns, mass imprisonments, and transnational repression, while granting the unconditional release of all individuals detained for their ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic identities, including Dr. Gulshan Abbas. The act also directs the U.S. Secretary of State to prioritize Uyghur support in diplomatic and foreign aid efforts, regularly engage with Muslim-majority nations to amplify advocacy, and train Foreign Service Officers in the Uyghur language. Finally, it explicitly instructs U.S. officials at international organizations to aggressively combat China’s attempts to censor or block Uyghur human rights issues from being considered in global forums.
“The Chinese Communist Party continues to inflict genocide against the Uyghur people. This is a recognized fact. The Uyghur Policy Act establishes a comprehensive, concrete response that would make a difference,” said Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs. “The timing is especially relevant. Just this week, Beijing released a new white paper portraying itself as a champion of justice and global governance. Yet it systematically violates fundamental human rights and imprisons innocent people to silence critical voices. The world should judge Beijing not by its white papers or propaganda, but by its actions.”
CFU urges Congress to swiftly pass this legislation and once again lead in confronting the CCP’s violent oppression, the use of forced labor, and its brazen campaign of transnational repression that extends even to the harassment of American citizens on U.S. soil.
