Letter from US Congressman in North Carolina Expresses Concern over Repression of Human Rights of Falun Gong Practitioners in China

(Clearwisdom.net) US Congressman David Price in North Carolina wrote to a Dafa practitioner to express his concern about the repression of religious expression and other human rights in China, including Falun Gong. Here is the text:

April 10, 2002

Dear (name withheld):

Thank you for contacting me regarding the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and the letter to President Bush initiated by Representatives Gilman and Brown. I am pleased to inform you that I signed the letter sent to President Bush prior to his recent visit to China.

Like you, I am concerned about the repression of religious expression and other human rights in China, including Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a practice that combines meditation and exercise with a doctrine loosely rooted in Buddhist and Taoist teaching. Following a peaceful protest in Beijing of about 10,000 practitioners in April 1999, the ruling Communist Party banned the practice of Falun Gong. Over the past few years, violence against Falun Gong practitioners has become systematic. Thousands of Chinese citizens suffer torture and maltreatment in China's prisons and labor camps for their practice of Falun Gong.

As you know, while in China President Bush spoke at Tsinghua University. His speech, which emphasized religious freedom and human rights, was carried live on Chinese television. Unfortunately, Chinese authorities censored the printed text. I regret that the Chinese government chose to exercise censorship, despite the fact that President Bush's speech did not specifically mention the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.

It may also interest you to know that, just prior to the trip, over 40 Western practitioners of Falun Gong were detained by police in Beijing while peacefully protesting in Tiananmen Square on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Five people from North Carolina were among that number. Fortunately, within a few hours, the detainees were escorted to the airport and sent home,

I appreciate the benefit of your views in this matter, and I will continue doing all I can to expand religious freedom and human rights in China.

Sincerely,

DAVID PRICE

Member of Congress

Chinese version available at http://minghui.cc/mh/articles/2002/5/7/29697.html

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