WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US House of Representatives approved a measure urging
the Chinese government to immediately stop hostile actions against the Falun
Gong spiritual group both in China and the United States.
The measure urges Beijing to "immediately stop interfering in the exercise of
religious and political freedoms within the United States, such as the right to
practice Falun Gong."
It also wants the Chinese government to "cease using the diplomatic missions
in the United States to spread falsehoods about the nature of Falun Gong," and
to "release from detention all prisoners of conscience, including practitioners
of Falun Gong," incarcerated in China.
China should "immediately end the harassment, detention, physical abuse, and
imprisonment of individuals who are exercising their legitimate rights to
freedom of religion, including the practices of Falun Gong, freedom of
expression, and freedom of association, as stated in the Constitution of the
People's Republic of China," according to the measure.
It also wants Beijing to "demonstrate its willingness to abide by
international standards of freedom of belief, expression, and association by
ceasing to restrict those freedoms" in China.
The House also wants President George W. Bush to issue "a formal protest" to
the Chinese Foreign Ministry "in response to the repeated violations by the
Chinese Government of basic human rights" in China.
And the legislators want US Attorney General John Ashcroft to "investigate
reports that Chinese consular officials in the United States have committed
illegal acts while attempting to intimidate or inappropriately influence Falun
Gong practitioners or local elected officials."
[...]
Welcome Note...
Yearly Archive
Printer Version