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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Uyghurs are a predominantly Muslim, |
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Turkic-speaking ethnic group with a population of approximately 11 |
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million in Xinjiang, a northwestern region of China; and |
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WHEREAS, Since 2017, China's government has forcibly |
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transferred more than one million Uyghurs to reeducation camps, and |
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experts estimate that there are over 1,000 camps throughout the |
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country, including hundreds in Xinjiang; the arbitrary detention of |
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Uyghurs follows a series of 2014 speeches delivered by China's |
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president, Xi Jinping, who advocated for the use of "dictatorship" |
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to fight the "toxicity of religious extremism"; and |
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WHEREAS, Many former detainees who fled China have spoken out |
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about the camps' harsh conditions; they report being forced to |
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renounce Islam and to pledge loyalty to the Chinese Communist |
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Party, as well as being subjected to strict surveillance, torture, |
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sexual abuse, and compulsory sterilization; in addition, an |
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international tribunal concluded that the Chinese government has |
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harvested the organs of some detainees against their will; and |
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WHEREAS, Thousands of Uyghurs have been involuntarily sent to |
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work in the factories of large, multinational corporations; in June |
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2020, Congress passed legislation that requires U.S. businesses |
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involved with Xinjiang to ensure that their activities do not |
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contribute to human rights violations; and |
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WHEREAS, In January 2021, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike |
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Pompeo declared that China is committing crimes against humanity |
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and genocide against Uyghurs, and current U.S. Secretary of State |
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Antony Blinken later affirmed this declaration; subsequently, the |
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Canadian and Dutch parliaments passed nonbinding motions to use the |
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term "genocide" in reference to China's actions against Uyghurs; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The atrocities committed by China's government have |
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infringed on the rights of countless people, and any past, present, |
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or future efforts to support the Uyghur genocide should be |
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condemned; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby strongly condemn the actions of president Xi |
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Jinping and the Chinese government, recognize the Chinese treatment |
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of Uyghurs as genocide, and urge all multinational corporations to |
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stop all use of forced labor in their factories and facilities. |