Thomas R. Suozzi: “I thank Mr. Sires for yielding me this time. I rise in strong support of the bipartisan Senate bill 178, which holds the…”

“I thank Mr. Sires for yielding me this time. I rise in strong support of the bipartisan Senate bill 178, which holds the Chinese Government accountable for their truly horrific treatment--let me say that again--truly horrific treatment of the Uighur Muslim minorities, including the mass internment of over 1 million people who are subjected to systemized brainwashing, sexual abuse, and forced labor in western China. I want to start by thanking Chairman Engel and Subcommittee Chairman Sherman for bringing attention to this issue and supporting this legislation to penalize China for its egregious human rights violations against the Uighurs. I am proud to have worked with Representative Chris Smith from New Jersey and Senator Marco Rubio from Florida to help write part of this truly bipartisan legislation. Mr. Speaker, Uighur families are prohibited from practicing their Muslim faith. They are often separated from their family members and prohibited from reading the Koran, making their daily prayers, and in some instances are forced to eat pork even during Ramadan, which, of course, violates their religion. The so-called reeducation camps in China where Uighurs are forced to work in food, textile, or manufacturing jobs in or near the mass internment camps are, of course, repugnant to our values and violate human rights. The brutal religious-based persecution of the Uighurs in China is alarming, but it is not new.…”