Letter from Six Members of the Minnesota State Senate to the Governor of Minnesota

(Clearwisdom.net)

March 27, 2002

Governor Jesse Ventura

130 State Capitol

75 Constitution Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55155

Dear Governor Ventura,

Minnesotans have traditionally been leaders in standing up for human rights. In our increasingly interconnected world, we know we cannot separate human rights from our business and government affairs, whether they are local, national or worldwide. We call your attention to a particular human rights issue in China that affects Minnesotans directly and indirectly, the persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong is an individual practice that teaches truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. Numerous Minnesotans and millions in more than 50 countries take part in its 5 gentle, meditative exercises and endeavor to live by these principles. Many believe they become healthier people and better citizens as a result of this practice.

The practice became so popular in China that the government, illogically, made it illegal in 1999 and set about to eliminate it.

We have particular concerns about the extra-constitutional government agency in China, the "610 Office." The "610 Office," whose business is terror, was created at President Jiang Zemin's direction and has the authority to command any part of the government in order to carry out the persecution of Falun Gong.

The "610 Office" had developed a three-pronged strategy in the attempt to eradicate Falun Gong: detention and torture; brainwashing; and propaganda. As a result, over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested; tens of thousands have been thrown into labor camps without trial; at least 1,000 healthy practitioners have been put into mental hospitals and have suffered illegal psychiatric abuse; women are often raped, and forced to endure various forms of sexual torture and humiliation. Millions of practitioners have been pressured, threatened, and forced to go through brainwashing programs from which they release public renouncements of their beliefs and turn in their fellow practitioners. As of March 20, 381 people are confirmed to have died as a result of torture, but inside government sources put the death toll at well over 1,600. The dead range in age from 7 months to people in their 70's.

This persecution campaign has reached across the world, even to Minnesota. The mother of a University of Minnesota student, Cheng Wan, is serving a 3-year sentence in a slave labor camp in China for possessing a flyer promoting Falun Gong. The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul proclaimed May 7-13, 2001 as "Falun Dafa Week" in their respective cities. Their offices later received packages of slanderous materials from Chinese government representatives in the United States. Chinese people in Minnesota, a growing and well-educated population, also receive false information through the Chinese-language newspapers and Television networks, which are largely owned or controlled by the Chinese government.

During your trip to Beijing and Shanghai in June, we respectfully request you to bring up this persecution campaign to officials you meet. Please tell them that the people in our state know Falun Gong is positive and that the persecution of Falun Gong is wrong and must be stopped.

Sincerely,

(signed by 6 members of the Minnesota State Senate)

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