By Terri Jo Neff |

The State of Arizona and all public entities within the state will be prohibited from contracting with any company which does not provide a written certification that the company does not, and will not, use or rely on the forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs in China.

Gov. Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2488 on Monday to help combat the forced labor practices of the People’s Republic of China.

Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The people, the majority of whom are Muslims, are recognized as native to the Xinjiang region in northwest China, but for the past several years the Chinese government has come under criticism for placing tens of thousands of Uyghers at a time into detention or “reeducation” camps.

A Congressional report published earlier this year states that the Chinese government has compelled as many of 1 million of the 12 million Uyghurs in the region to work in textile, apparel, agricultural, consumer electronics, and other labor-intensive industries. Refusal to comply with such government orders can result in surveillance, political indoctrination, even further restrictive detention.

According to a recent BBC report, the Uyghurs speak their own language which is similar to Turkish. They make up less than half of the Xinjiang population, and have been the target in recent years of mass migration by Han Chinese, the nation’s ethnic majority. The intent appears to be an orchestrated effort by the government to further dilute the minority population there.