Olympia City Council Calls for Investigation: Arrest and Beating of Western Falun Gong Practitioners Visiting Beijing is Unacceptable

(Clearwisdom.net)

The mayor of Olympia City, Washington has written to the US Senators, Congressmen, State Senators and Representative to call for an investigation into the incident whereby Western Falun Gong practitioners were arrested and beaten in Beijing, China during February 12 to 18, 2002. The letter expresses that these acts of harassment are unacceptable.

Below is the text of the letter:

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Dear US Senator/Congressman/State Senator/Representative:

An Olympia resident brought to the attention of the Olympia City Council her recent, unfortunate experience while visiting Beijing, China.

Ms.(name of practitioner) is a practitioner of Falun Dafa. This is a belief system based on traditional Chinese religions and martial arts. During the 1990s, membership grew and the Chinese government outlawed the belief system and labeled it an evil [X] threatening social order and communist rule.

Ms. (name of practitioner) sent the Council a letter informing us of the explicit, alarming accounts of Falun Dafa practitioners being arrested and beaten. She also detailed her personal experiences of intimidation by Chinese authorities, eventual abduction and subsequent interrogation that lasted thirty hours.

The Olympia City Council finds these acts of harassment to be unacceptable. Our government is founded on the belief that all have the right to voice their opinions. Actions such as the ones taken against Ms. (name of practitioner) denying her the basic human right to freedom of expression should be rooted out and exposed for their reprehensible attributes of ignorance and intolerance.

The Olympia City Council encourages you to investigate the events of February 12-18, 2002 and inform the authorities responsible that such actions will not be tolerated.

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Sincerely,

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The Mayor of Olympia City, Washington

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