Live up to our values

In a whirlwind news week involving blockbuster impeachment hearings and a Democratic debate, The New York Times' publication of the Community Party of China's (CPC) internal documents was left by the wayside. Party documents regarding China's brutal government-sponsored crackdown of ethnic minorities in China's interior Xinjian region are shocking. Austin Ramzy and Chris Buckley detail the plight of college students returning home to find their families have vanished and veiled threats from party officials to keep their mouths shut. Other reports out of Xinjiang have highlighted worrisome facts, including over a million Uighurs in concentration camps, organ harvesting, forced quartering of communists in Uighur homes and massive surveillance.

As Americans, we understand that the role of the United States as a global leader requires us to lead by example on all issues, especially those of human rights, diplomacy and international engagement. As history has shown, when the United States leads, the world follows. As history has also unfortunately shown, when we step back, when America stands silent as atrocities are committed, the world also remains silent. We saw this in Rwanda, we saw this in Darfur and unfortunately, we are seeing this again in China and Burma. As people of conscience, we cannot allow this to happen.

Recently, the Senate passed the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019 in a bipartisan manner, and both Senators Durbin and Duckworth voted for the bill. I thank the senators for their votes, and I ask members of Illinois' congressional delegation to encourage Speaker Pelosi to bring the bill to the House floor.

Standing up for what's right is our responsibility as a people of conscience. Let's live up to our values.

Omer A. Rehman

Aurora