FILE PHOTO: Suspected Uyghurs are transported back to a detention facility in the town of Songkhla in southern Thailand after visiting women and children at a separate shelter March 26, 2014.(REUTERS)

The proposed Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act seeks to offer additional support to the 12 million Uyghurs living in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China

A bipartisan group of twelve US House representatives has introduced a bill aimed at making it easier for Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities fleeing persecution in China to seek asylum in the United States, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).

According to RFA, the proposed Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act seeks to offer additional support to the 12 million Uyghurs living in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, who are enduring what the US government has termed a "genocide".

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat from northern Virginia, is one of the bill's co-sponsors. His district is home to a significant Uyghur community, and he expressed his concerns about the ongoing oppression, as reported by RFA.

He highlighted, "The brutal persecution of Uyghurs by the Chinese government is a human rights crisis. I have personally heard from Uyghur constituents in my district about their deep concerns for their relatives attempting to flee atrocities. I am proud to lead this bipartisan initiative to provide those enduring unthinkable oppression with a pathway to expedited refugee status and asylum."

Mar 27, 2025, Hindustan Times