US senators slam China's new Ethnic Unity Law, raise concerns over Tibetans, Uyghurs

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 29 (ANI): A bipartisan group of senior US senators has expressed strong concern over China's newly enacted Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, warning that the legislation threatens the cultural identity, religious freedom and fundamental rights of Tibetans, Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, according to the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

According to the CTA, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse addressed a joint letter to Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, urging Beijing to rescind or substantially revise the law before it comes into force on July 1.

The senators said they stand with the European Parliament in condemning the legislation and pledged to closely monitor its implementation and impact on ethnic minorities within and outside China.

The CTA reported that the senators raised particular concern over Article 63 of the law, which claims legal jurisdiction over organisations and individuals outside China accused of undermining "ethnic unity and progress".

They warned that any attempt by Chinese authorities to surveil, intimidate, or pressure individuals residing in the United States under this provision would amount to an unacceptable violation of US sovereignty.

According to the CTA, the lawmakers also criticised China's longstanding restrictions on religious freedom, saying policies introduced under the pretext of combating extremism and separatism have targeted Tibetan Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and other faith communities through restrictions on worship, forced ideological education, and pressure to abandon traditional beliefs.

The CTA further reported that the senators expressed deep concern over China's state-run boarding school system in Tibet, which they said has separated more than one million Tibetan children from their families, language and cultural heritage. They noted that implementation of the new law would be assessed against international standards protecting children's rights.

In the letter, the senators stated that the law seeks to erode the distinct identities of Tibetans, Uyghurs and other ethnic groups, adding that it appears inconsistent with China's Constitution, the 1984 Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law and the country's international human rights commitments.

According to the CTA, they also pledged to continue speaking out against violations of religious freedom and children's rights while pursuing legislative measures to hold the Chinese government accountable for actions taken under the new law. (ANI)

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