Letter to Honorable Antony Blinken, Secretary of State - Rubio, Coons Lead Senators in Urging Blinken to Protect Uyghurs and Other Minorities in Xinjiang

Letter

Dear Secretary Blinken:
We write with concern about the plight of Uyghurs living in the People's Republic of
China (PRC) and other Turkic or Muslim minorities living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
Region (XUAR) of the PRC, who have been, and continue to be, subjected to horrific atrocities
at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We respectfully urge you to ensure the
United States is taking all available measures to assist these persecuted people.
On January 19, 2021, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a long overdue formal
determination that the CCP was committing genocide and crimes against humanity against
predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in the XUAR.
We were pleased that you agreed with this determination, and during your confirmation hearing
before the Senate stated, "[f]orcing men, women, and children into concentration camps, trying
to in effect reeducate them to be adherents to the Chinese Communist Party -- all of that speaks to
an effort to commit genocide."
We now urge you to consider what further actions the United States might take following
the determination of genocide. One important step would be to assist those Uyghurs who have
managed to flee the PRC. Uyghurs are stranded around the world, in places where they are
vulnerable to refoulement, particularly when their travel documents expire. For example, the
PRC is pursuing an extradition treaty with Turkey, which they intend to use to target Uyghurs
under the flimsy pretense of combatting terrorism. Beijing ratified the treaty in December, and it
now awaits ratification in Ankara. Uyghurs have a well-founded fear of persecution if they are
forced to return to the PRC.
We recommend three courses of action. First, the State Department should fully utilize
the refugee admissions program. It is our understanding from the State Department's Report to
Congress on the Proposed Emergency Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for
Fiscal Year 2021 that Turkic Muslims are under consideration for Priority Two (P-2) status. We
encourage you to grant P-2 status to Uyghurs, as well as to other Turkic or Muslim minorities
living in the XUAR, which will enable them to bypass referral from other entities, such as the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, an embassy, or a nongovernmental
organization, to apply directly to the United States for resettlement, regardless of where they
2
currently live. Second, we urge you to coordinate with allies and partners, including Australia,
Canada, and European countries, to provide Uyghurs and members of other minority groups with
safe haven and engage diplomatically to ensure their protection. Third, we urge that you engage
countries that are already hosting a significant number of Uyghurs and members of the other
minority groups, including Turkey, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan, and encourage
them to protect these individuals. These countries, in particular, face significant pressure from
Beijing to deport Uyghurs to the PRC and may have deported Uyghurs in the past.
History will judge the United States and the free world by how we respond to the crisis in
Xinjiang. We must use all available tools to end the abuses against Uyghurs, ensure justice and
accountability for those responsible, and provide protection for those in need. We appreciate that
you have already raised the plight of the Uyghurs and other human rights concerns in your first
call with top Chinese diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and urge you to continue doing so. We stand ready
to assist you on this matter, which is both in the interest of our national security and the morally
right thing to do.
Thank you for your attention and we look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely