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US Congressman Todd Akin: I Believe That China's [Human Rights] Abuses Need to Be Met Head On
(Clearwisdom.net) On November 4, 2003, US Congressman
Todd Akin from Missouri wrote in an email to Falun Gong practitioner:
"Thank you for contacting me regarding China's human rights
abuses. "
"China's human rights record is atrocious. Its Communist
leadership has, over more than five decades, fostered a policy of political and
religious persecution, state-induced famines, false arrests and forced
abortions. China's persecution of religion including Christians, Tibetan
Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners is one of the most outrageous aspects of
its longtime assault on human dignity."
"Our Declaration of Independence states that human rights
come to us from the Creator, that they are self-evident and that they for all
men. Based on this principle I believe that it is the responsibility of the
United States to stand for freedom for all people and to pursue policies to help
everyone enjoy their God-given liberty. "
"I support economic openness with China in part because by
engaging in trade with the world's most populous nation, we will be able to
inject our American ideals into its culture and government and thereby bring
more freedom to that country. "
"However, I also believe that China's abuses need to be met
head on. To that I end I recently sent a letter to the Chinese Ambassador Yang
Jiechi, reminding him of China's dismal human rights record, admonishing him to
encourage his government to respect basic human rights and informing him of my
resistance to his efforts to discourage me from aiding Falun Gong practitioners
and other victims of Chinese tyranny. I also have co-signed my colleague
Representative Anna Eshoo's letter to Chinese Ambassador Yang Jiechi in an
attempt to secure the release of Chinese political prisoner, Dr. Charles Li. "
......
"Be assured that I will continue to encourage both the
Congress and the Bush Administration to advocate on behalf of the millions of
oppressed people on China. Thank you again for sharing your concerns with me. If
I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me. " |