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Letter from Berkeley City Council Strongly Urges President Bush to Specifically Raise the Issue of Human Rights Abuses of Falun Gong Practitioners
(Clearwisdom.net)
President George W. Bush
Dear Mr. President:
It has been reported that you have invited Jiang Zemin, President of the
People's Republic of China, to your ranch in Crawford, Texas, during his visit
to the United States this October. The Berkeley City Council voted to express
its deep concern about this invitation, and to urge you to speak with President
Jiang specifically about the treatment accorded Falun Gong practitioners by his
government.
President Jiang Zemin is a leader whose power is based on violence and
tyranny. He supported the declaration of martial law during the 1989 student
demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, which led to the massacre of many innocent
people. A report from Amnesty International in May 2000 reveals that those who
try to seek justice for the victims, or even commemorate the anniversary of the
massacre, continue to be subjected to detention and harassment over a decade
later. In one instance, a man was sentenced to three years in a labor camp for
collecting signatures on a petition that called for an inquiry into the 1989
crackdown.
In addition to suppressing religious and ethnic groups such as Tibetans,
Buddhists, and Christians, President Jiang has waged a vicious campaign since
July 1999 to target and "eliminate" the Falun Gong meditation
practice. He has established an agency to oversee this persecution, known as the
"610 Office." By the end of 2001, more than 1000 people had reportedly
been tortured to death, and thousands are currently imprisoned in labor camps,
mental institutions, and detention centers where they are beaten and tortured.
Amnesty International awarded President Jiang the title "human rights
scoundrel of the year" in 2000.
The House of Representatives on July 24, 2002 unanimously passed House
Concurrent Resolution 188, which condemns the persecution of Falun Gong and
urges your administration to investigate allegations of Chinese government
interference with the lives of Falun Gong adherents on American soil.
Before you visited China earlier this year, you received a letter signed by
94 members of Congress asking you to raise the issue of Falun Gong with the
President of China. During your speech there, while you did mention human
rights, a creditable inclusion, you did not mention Falun Gong by name.
Your invitation to President Jiang in the context of continued Chinese human
rights violations is troubling. Should you go forward with this meeting, we
strongly urge you to specifically raise the issue of human rights abuses of
Falun Gong members during your discussions with President Jiang.
Posting date: 11/5/2002 |