A new bipartisan bill introduced in the United States Senate would require the State Department to formally examine whether the Chinese government’s actions in Tibet amount to genocide or crimes against humanity.
The Tibet Atrocities Determination Act, introduced on April 29, 2026, by Senators Rick Scott and Jeff Merkley, directs the US Secretary of State to investigate China’s policies and actions against Tibetans and submit a determination to Congress within one year of the bill becoming law. The legislation was introduced on April 29, a date observed by the Tibetan Youth Congress as Tibetan Martyrs’ Day.
According to the bill text, the Secretary of State would be required to determine whether acts carried out by officials or agents of the People’s Republic of China against Tibetans in Tibet constitute “ongoing genocide against the Tibetan people” or “crimes against humanity.” The bill has been introduced as S. 4432 in the 119th Congress and referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
The proposed legislation specifically calls for the State Department to consider evidence of systematic killings, torture, psychological harm, forced indoctrination, forced displacement, mass detention, deprivation of basic needs, coercive birth prevention measures, and the forced transfer of Tibetan children, including through China’s colonial boarding school system.
Senator Scott said the Chinese government has engaged in “systematic killings, torture, forced sterilization, forced displacement, government sanctioned kidnapping, and a myriad of other crimes against humanity” in its oppression of Tibetans. Senator Merkley said the United States “can’t stand silent” in the face of China’s assault on Tibetans, including cultural erasure, child separation, surveillance, imprisonment, and torture.
The bill would also require the State Department to submit a written report explaining the evidence behind its determination. This report would review Chinese government actions aimed at sinicizing Tibetan Buddhism and repressing Tibetan language and culture, while also drawing on State Department findings and credible third-party analyses.
Importantly, the legislation calls for consultation with experts in Tibetan culture, religion, language, and internationally recognized human rights, as well as non-governmental organizations, Tibetan advocacy groups, and members of the Tibetan diaspora. It further requires recommendations for US policy responses, including possible sanctions, visa restrictions, and diplomatic actions.
The International Campaign for Tibet welcomed the bill, saying it represents another step toward ending China’s impunity in Tibet. ICT President Tencho Gyatso said China has long been “accustomed to hiding its abuses in Tibet and discrediting its victims,” and urged the US Secretary of State to thoroughly investigate China’s actions if the bill becomes law.
The bill comes amid growing international concern over China’s policies in Tibet, including restrictions on religious freedom, political repression, surveillance, arbitrary detention, and the forced assimilation of Tibetan children through state-run boarding schools. Human rights groups and Tibetan advocacy organizations have repeatedly warned that Beijing’s policies are designed not only to control Tibetans politically, but also to weaken Tibetan language, religion, and identity across generations.
For Tibetans, the significance of the bill lies not only in its legal language but also in its recognition of a long-standing historical reality. Since China’s invasion and occupation of Tibet, Tibetans have faced decades of repression, including the destruction of monasteries, suppression of religious practice, imprisonment of political prisoners, and systematic attempts to bring Tibetan Buddhism, education, and cultural life under Chinese Communist Party control.
If passed, the Tibet Atrocities Determination Act could mark a major shift in US policy by compelling the State Department to make a formal public assessment of China’s actions in Tibet. Such a determination would strengthen calls for international accountability and could open the door to stronger policy responses against Chinese officials responsible for abuses.
For decades, Tibetans have called on the international community to recognize the scale and seriousness of China’s repression in Tibet. This bill, if enacted, would force one of the world’s most powerful governments to confront a central question: whether China’s policies in Tibet constitute not only repression, but atrocity crimes under international law.
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