Peters Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation to Help Combat Human Rights Abuses

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, reintroduced bipartisan legislation to help American businesses combat human rights abuses. The Combating Human Rights Abuses Act – which Peters reintroduced with Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) – would direct the Commerce Department to help educate U.S. exporters that are, or are considering, exporting goods to foreign jurisdictions where significant human rights abuses have occurred, including the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.

The bill would also direct the Commerce Department to offer guidance to U.S. exporters to help them avoid doing business with foreign entities that may be implicated in forced labor or human rights violations. The bipartisan legislation has earned the support of the Uyghur Human Rights Project and the AFL-CIO.

“Human rights abuses like those committed in China, Russia, and other countries cannot be tolerated and must be condemned,” said Senator Peters. “That’s why I’m reintroducing this bipartisan and commonsense legislation that would provide American businesses with the information and transparency they need to justly export goods and avoid business dealings with foreign entities that may be involved in these atrocities.”

“Authoritarian regimes like China and Russia commit horrific human rights abuses against their own citizens, which small businesses in Wyoming strongly condemn. This commonsense legislation equips businesses with the information they need to make sure their products are not made with slave labor,” said Senator Lummis. “I am proud to partner with Senator Peters on this bill that would give Wyoming businesses the information they need to protect workers abroad.”

“There is no room for half-measures to stop corporate complicity in the atrocity crimes against Uyghurs,” said Omer Kanat, Executive Director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project. “UHRP strongly endorses this Congressional action. It’s past time to end profits tied to entities that are using Uyghur forced labor, and tech companies that provide the 24-7 surveillance state enforcing the ongoing genocide of the Uyghur people.”

Putin’s illegal war against Ukraine has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, and the United Nations Human Rights Council has found that Russian forces have committed war crimes against Ukrainian citizens. Russian authorities have also restricted their own citizens’ freedoms including cracking down on anti-war protests and restricting the media.

The government of the People’s Republic of China has perpetrated egregious human rights abuses—including in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region—against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups. The Chinese government’s actions have encompassed mass detention in internment camps, the use of forced labor, and other atrocities. This has led the U.S. State Department to determine that the People’s Republic of China, “under the direction and control” of the Chinese Communist Party, “has committed genocide against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”

The U.S. Department of Commerce provides valuable assistance to help U.S. businesses and exporters increase sales and tap into new markets, such as through export counseling provided by the U.S. Commercial Service. Peters’ bipartisan bill would build on existing human rights training for Department staff by ensuring its workforce is specifically informed about emerging trends and issues with respect to human rights abuses occurring around the world, such as the situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

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