Uyghurs welcome key laws passed in US defense bill

The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act has been extended for 5 years.
American Uyghur activists welcomed the inclusion of major laws targeting Uyghur repression in China in the 2025 U.S. defense spending bill, including legislation requiring the federal government to monitor rights violations in East Turkistan (Xinjiang) and punish involved Chinese officials.
The U.S. Congress passed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act on December 18, and President Joe Biden signed it on December 22. The law authorizes $895 billion in defense spending for 2025 and contains numerous other bills, with the final document spanning 1,813 pages.
Among these laws is the 2024 Uyghur Human Rights Policy Reauthorization Act, co-sponsored by Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, and Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, which renews the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.
The law, passed in 2020 during President Donald Trump's first administration, was set to "expire" in 2025 if not renewed, but will now extend until 2030.
The law allows for sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for what the U.S. government has declared a "genocide" against Uyghurs in East Turkistan (Xinjiang).
Omer Kanat, Executive Director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project, described the bill's inclusion as a "ray of hope for Uyghurs."
"Congressional leaders stand with the Uyghur people to increase pressure to end the atrocities in our homeland," he said in a statement. "We thank Republicans and Democrats who came together in the House and Senate to ensure sanctions continue."
The 2025 defense package also includes legislation restricting U.S. military use of federal funds "to purchase any solar energy products manufactured in the Uyghur region or elsewhere in China known to be produced using forced labor."
Under the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, importing such products into the United States is effectively banned, but the new provision prevents the Defense Department from obtaining such items for U.S. military use anywhere else in the world.
The legislation also requires the Pentagon to prepare a report on whether it purchases seafood caught using forced labor in China, detailing measures in place to prevent this.