Message from Senator Bob Casey, Jr. on Uyghurs of China who are masss detained

Dear Dr. Siddiqui:
 
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the Chinese Government's detention and persecution of the Uyghur ethnic minority in Xinjiang Province. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue.
 
For several years, China has pursued a crackdown on Uyghurs and other predominately Muslim people living in Northwestern China. As part of this crackdown the Chinese government has imprisoned anywhere from 1 million to 2 million people in internment camps that the government has dubbed "re-education facilities" and has used artificial intelligence and increased policing to surveil citizens, both in public and within their homes. The Chinese government asserts that mass detention of its own citizens is necessary to maintain peace and combat radicalization, contrary to reports from humanitarian agencies of torture, harassment and rampant abuse.
 
I condemn the Chinese government's actions in Xinjiang Province, and firmly believe that the United States must take a strong and unequivocal stand against these gross human rights violations. I was one of the first Senators to call for the end of American foreign assistance to China, with the exception of support for programs that promote democracy and human rights in Tibet. Similarly, the United States must direct resources to combat the intimidation, harassment and abuse of Uyghurs, both within China and living abroad.
 
I am proud to cosponsor S. 178, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019, introduced by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida on January 17, 2019. This bill would direct the State Department, the Director of National Intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigations to report to Congress on the scope of China's crackdown in Xinjiang Province, the extent of the propaganda machine to cover-up the mass detainments and documentation of China's harassment or threats against Uyghurs and Chinese nationals currently residing in the United States. This bill also calls on the State Department to consider the creation of a database on missing Uyghurs in China and a formal position within the State Department to oversee U.S. foreign policy regarding Xinjiang province and the treatment of Uyghurs. 
 
Please be assured that I will continue to speak out against China's abuses against the Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minorities and support legislation that holds China accountable for its human rights violations. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
 
Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator

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