The Chinese government under Xi Jinping placed an estimated one million Uyghurs in concentration camps, subjecting them to forced labor and other horrific abuses. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has also destroyed or modified mosques all as part of a “sinicization” policy to assimilate by force or to eliminate perceived non-CCP influences and ethnic minority communities. U.S. government responses have included sanctions; legislation, such as the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act; and the determination that the CCP is committing “genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”

On this episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, Chair Vicky Hartzler speaks with Jewher Ilham, a Uyghur advocate, author, and filmmaker, and Adrian Zenz, Senior Fellow and Director in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

Congress Should Ban Lobbying by Countries that Violate FoRB

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the U.S. government to publicly identify and admonish foreign governments that violate religious freedom. Several USCIRF-recommended Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs) engage in lobbying, public diplomacy campaigns, and media outreach to mislead the U.S. Congress regarding their restrictions on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).

“Every day, we hear heartbreaking stories of religious minorities suffering horrendous persecution perpetrated or tolerated by foreign governments who then distort their records in the halls of Congress,” said USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler. “The U.S. Congress should prohibit any person from receiving compensation for lobbying on behalf of foreign governments of countries that the United States has designated as CPCs.”

Last month, Nigeria’s government signed a $9.0 million contract to lobby the U.S. government after President Donald J. Trump designated it as a CPC in October 2025. Saudi Arabia continues to use public relations firms to conceal its systematic targeting and execution of Shi’a Muslims, including those who were minors when their alleged crimes occurred. In January, India hired a public relations firm to advance its interests while downplaying violent mob attacks, illegitimate arrests, and the destruction of houses of worship for Christians, Muslims, and other religious minorities. 

“Rather than working to meet their obligations under international law, CPC designated governments are trying to misconstrue religious freedom violations in their countries,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Asif Mahmood. “Congress should introduce legislation that sufficiently restricts the efforts of foreign, CPC designated governments to pay lobbyists to conceal their particularly severe religious persecution.”

The full list of CPC, SWL, and EPC recommendations are made in USCIRF’s 2025 Annual Report. All previous USCIRF annual reports, including the latest version, can be found here. 

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].