New bill to sanction entities contributing Uyghurs’ plight in China

Two lawmakers have reintroduced a bill in the U.S. Congress to punish facilitators of human rights abuses against Uyghurs in China.

The bill, called the Sanctioning Supporters of Slave Labor Act, seeks to extend sanctions to foreign companies that do business with entities that contribute to human rights abuses against Uyghurs.

The bill would authorize U.S. government agencies to impose secondary sanctions on such companies or individuals.

Non-U.S. companies doing business with sanctioned entities would be prohibited from doing business with U.S. companies. Under the bill’s provisions, their assets in U.S. bank accounts would be frozen.

According to the office of Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, one of the two sponsors, the bill will hold companies accountable that profit from Uyghur forced labor.

The bill expands on an earlier law, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, which was passed in 2020.

“Further actions must be taken to hold accountable those individuals and entities benefiting from the forced labor of Uyghurs,” Rubio said in a statement. 

“Not only should China’s genocidal regime answer for the crimes they are committing but also the companies that profit from these atrocities.” 

China has come under international criticism for serious rights abuses against Uyghurs, including forced labor.

The U.S. has passed previous legislation to address these violations, including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act.

Some lawmakers accuse U.S. companies of aiding the Chinese Communist Party in human rights abuses, and major companies such as Nike and Coca-Cola have been criticized for lobbying Congress to weaken the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

The bill had initially been introduced in 2022, during the last congressional session, but wasn’t passed, so the lawmakers have re-introduced it.