Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Alaska’s U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan today led bipartisan legislation that elevates and affirms the human rights of Southern Mongolians in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Southern Mongolian Human Rights Policy Act would make it U.S. policy to advocate for preserving the culture and language of the ethnic Mongolians inside China whose rights are being undermined by the Chinese government.
“As Beijing continues to repress the rights and cultures of ethnic minorities, America must be unwavering in its support of those fighting for their fundamental freedoms,” dijo Merkley.“The Southern Mongolian Human Rights Policy Act sends an unequivocal message: the United States will not stand for the Chinese government’s efforts to erase Mongolian language, culture, and identity. Our bill makes clear that maintaining the status quo for human rights—in Southern Mongolia and across China—is unacceptable.”
“The Chinese Communist Party not only has nefarious designs on America’s global interests and our critical industries, it has also worked to undermine internationally recognized human rights across the globe, including in Southern Mongolia,” Sullivan said. “The plight of the Southern Mongolian people, who were promised autonomy, is similar to the plight of other ethnic and religious minorities in China who are forced into “reeducation” camps, denied religious rights and the right to speak in their own language, forcibly removed from their homes, and forced to engage in slave labor. In Congress, we have appropriately focused on the mistreatment of other ethnic groups in China, including the Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Christians. I’m pleased to join Senator Merkley in turning the Senate’s attention to the appalling treatment of the people of Southern Mongolia. They have been overlooked for too long.”
Merkley has worked tirelessly to shine a light on human rights struggles in the PRC, which oppresses Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, Tibetans, dissidents, and others in addition to Southern Mongolians. As a past Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Merkley led a hearing titled, ‘Growing Constraints on Language and Ethnic Identity in Today’s China’ which featured the stories of Southern Mongolians facing PRC oppression. He is the author of two bipartisan pieces of legislation aimed at protecting the human rights of ethnic minorities in China that were signed into law: the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act.
The full text of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Policy Act can be found by clicking aquí.
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