US lawmakers press China on Uyghur prisoners during Trump visit
May 16, 2026
Munich [Germany], May 16 : The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has welcomed the unanimous passage of resolutions in both chambers of the US Congress calling on China to release political prisoners, intensifying pressure on Beijing over its treatment of Uyghurs and other detained activists.
In a press release, WUC stated that the resolutions were approved on May 14 during US President Donald Trump's visit to China and specifically urged the Chinese government to free several prisoners, including Uyghur doctor Gulshan Abbas, media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai, Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and Gao's wife Pangyu.
According to the WUC, Abbas has become a symbol of China's repression of Uyghurs, with rights groups alleging she was detained in retaliation for the activism of her sister, Uyghur campaigner Rushan Abbas.
The Senate resolution received bipartisan backing and was introduced by Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Ted Cruz. A parallel resolution was also unanimously adopted in the House of Representatives, led by Representative Chris Smith, a long-time critic of Beijing's policies in Xinjiang, which Uyghurs refer to as East Turkistan.
Smith previously introduced the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act in 2025, aimed at expanding sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against Chinese officials accused of rights abuses.
WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun said coordinated international action was necessary to challenge China's policies toward Uyghurs.
"Highlighting individual cases is crucial as it offers hope to families of victims," Alawdun said, adding that Dr Abbas' case had become "emblematic" of what the organisation describes as an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs.
The United States formally declared in 2021 that China's actions against Uyghurs constituted genocide. Washington also enacted the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, restricting imports linked to forced labour in Xinjiang supply chains.
The WUC said conditions for Uyghurs had not significantly improved, alleging continued mass detentions, forced labour transfers, destruction of religious and cultural sites, suppression of the Uyghur language and intimidation of diaspora activists abroad.
