WASHINGTON - Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to sanction Chinese government officials responsible for internment camps in the region of Xinjiang, where up to 2 million ethnic Muslims have been forcibly detained.

The legislation, titled the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, condemns the Chinese Communist Party for the detention centers and recommends a tougher response to the human rights abuses suffered by Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities in the region. It passed with a vote of 413-1.

Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie was the sole opponent. "Beijing's barbarous actions targeting the Uyghur people are an outrage to the collective conscious of the world," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote Wednesday. "This House of Representatives, in a very strong bipartisan way, we are sending a message to the persecuted that they are not forgotten. We're saying to the president of China: you may tell these people that they are forgotten, but they aren't.

" The Senate approved the bill two weeks ago. Now, it will go to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature. On Tuesday, he did not say whether he will sign it, telling reporters he is "taking a look at it very strongly." The White House declined to comment when asked about the legislation Wednesday.