S. 288 — Southern Mongolian Human Rights Policy Act

This section states congressional findings on the demographic, cultural, linguistic, religious, economic, and environmental challenges facing ethnic Mongolians (approximately 6 million, with two-thirds in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region where they comprise 18% of the population) due to policies of the People's Republic of China, including (1) replacement of Mongolian-language instruction with Chinese in schools starting in 2020 and exclusive use on exams by 2025 (high school) and 2028 (college); (2) suppression of Mongolian identity through patriotic education campaigns, protests involving up to 300,000 students and 8,000-10,000 arrests; (3) government control of the Chinggis Khan Mausoleum; (4) interference with Tibetan Buddhist practices and global Mongol affiliations; (5) forced resettlement of over 246,000 nomadic households ending traditional pastoralism; (6) environmental degradation from mining (e.g., Bayan Obo rare earth mine); and (7) detention and imprisonment of activists such as Hada (15-year sentence in 1996 plus additional four years and home confinement until 2020 disappearance), his wife Xinna (three-year suspended sentence in 2011), and others including Yanjindulam, Ashidaa, Huhbulag, and Almaz.

This section declares it to be the policy of the United States (1) to support and promote human rights of Southern Mongolians in the People's Republic of China, including freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief, and protections against arbitrary detention, discrimination, and other abuses; (2) to support Southern Mongolians' aspirations to safeguard their cultural and linguistic heritage—including use and promotion of their language—and to protect their traditional pastoralist way of life; and (3) to press China to allow Southern Mongolians the autonomy promised to them.

This section states the sense of Congress that the United States supports the liberty and cultural, linguistic, and traditional aspirations of Southern Mongolians (i.e., residents of China's Inner Mongolia region) against forced assimilation by the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Chinese Communist Party. The section further states that (1) the President should condemn human rights abuses against Southern Mongolians and call for them to exercise guaranteed autonomy, including education in their language; (2) the Secretary of State should work with allies and multilaterals to advocate for their rights, urge the UN Human Rights Council to prioritize their situation in PRC reviews (including via Universal Periodic Review), promote their language and religious freedoms, collaborate with UNESCO on Mongolian cultural heritage sites, and coordinate international sanctions and visa restrictions; (3) U.S. companies and individuals in PRC-designated Mongolian autonomous areas should avoid contributing to human rights violations, undermining autonomy, or causing environmental degradation or nomad resettlement; and (4) the U.S. Ambassador to the PRC should meet expeditiously with dissident Hada and his family, as well as other Southern Mongolian activists, writers, and lawyers in prison, detention, or home confinement.

This section directs the Secretary of State to consider establishing an Inner Mongolian team within the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to monitor political, economic, and social developments in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and other areas designated as autonomous for Mongolians, including reporting on human rights issues and access for U.S. government officials, journalists, nongovernmental organizations, and the Southern Mongolian diaspora. The section further directs the Secretary to ensure Department of State proficiency in the Mongolian language and sufficient embassy resources to hire locally employed staff proficient in Mongolian, as appropriate, and requires a report to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on such staffing within 180 days of enactment.

This section directs the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, consistent with existing duties under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, to assist the Secretary of State in assessing the impact of restrictions on Tibetan Buddhism by the People's Republic of China on the religious freedom of (1) non-Tibetan practitioners in China and (2) practitioners outside China, including their ability to travel to and share information with those inside China, for human rights reports. It further requires the Secretary, with such assistance, to ensure the annual report on international religious freedom assesses those impacts as appropriate.

This section requires the President, not later than 180 days after enactment and annually thereafter, to submit to the appropriate congressional committees (i.e., specified Senate and House committees) an unclassified report—potentially with a classified annex—identifying each foreign person (i.e., non-U.S. person), including any official of the People's Republic of China government, responsible for gross human rights violations against Southern Mongolians in China, including torture; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; prolonged or arbitrary detention; causing disappearances; other flagrant denials of the right to life, liberty, or security of persons; or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. The section further directs the President to impose sanctions on each identified person under (1) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, (2) Section 7031(c)(1)(A) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (i.e., visa restrictions on human rights abusers), or (3) INA §212(a)(2)(G) (i.e., inadmissibility for certain foreign government officials). This section, and any sanctions imposed pursuant to it, terminates five years after enactment.

This section directs the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media, through the Voice of America (VOA), to establish a Mongolian-language broadcasting service for audiences in Mongolia, China, and Russia not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act; requires a report on implementation—including programming details and broadcast hours—to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and House Committee on Foreign Affairs not later than 270 days after enactment; and authorizes $2 million to VOA for each of FY2025 and FY2026.

This section states the sense of Congress that (1) the Smithsonian Institution should fund activities through its World Cultures Center and other programs to preserve cultures of Southern Mongolians, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Hong Kongers endangered by repressive policies of the People's Republic of China (PRC), including research, exhibitions, and education; and (2) the Director of the Institute for Museum and Library Sciences should establish a grant program, or use an existing one, to support U.S. diaspora communities' efforts to preserve such cultural heritage. It further requires (1) the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to submit a report to the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Committee on House Administration within 180 days of enactment detailing plans to preserve such cultures; and (2) the IMLS Director to submit a report to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce within 180 days assessing the feasibility of such a grant program, including diaspora community engagement.

This section declares it the policy of the United States to support the right of Southern Mongolians (i.e., ethnic Mongolians in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) to make autonomous decisions regarding their economic development—including maintaining traditional livelihoods such as pastoralism, as well as cultural preservation, environmental sustainability, and resource extraction—in areas designated as autonomous for Southern Mongolians in the People's Republic of China. It directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. executive director of each international financial institution to use the U.S. voice and vote to support financing for projects in such areas if the projects (1) do not incentivize migration or settlement of non-Mongolians or facilitate transfer of land and natural resources to non-Mongolians, (2) are based on a thorough needs assessment, (3) foster self-sufficiency of Southern Mongolians, (4) respect Mongolian culture, traditions, and traditional livelihoods, and (5) are subject to effective monitoring.