U.S. Congressman Smith: I call on the administration to step up its efforts to speak up for the Falun Gong and out against the actions of the Chinese government immediately
(Clearwisdom.net) October 4, 2004 Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge passage of H. Con. Res. 304,
expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of the People's Republic of
China should cease its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in the United
States and in China. Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, I commend you for introducing
this legislation and for speaking out against human rights abuses throughout the
world.
Members of Congress need to be aware of the brutal suppression of human
rights and religious freedoms being carried out by the People's Republic of
China. From forced abortion and labor camps, to the imprisonment and sometimes
even execution of brave Chinese who dare to stand up for their faith or
political beliefs, Hu Jintao's regime, like that of Jiang Zemin before, is one
of the worst violators of human rights in the world.
While Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, and Muslim Uighurs are all being
persecuted for the faith, the suffering of peaceful Falun Gong practitioners has
been especially intense. In 1999, China's dictators launched a brutal campaign
to completely eradicate Falun Gong from their country through whatever means
necessary, claiming that Falun Gong was a threat to "social order" in China. The
reason behind this campaign of brutality is clear: by the mid to late 1990s, the
number of Falun Gong practitioners began to exceed the number of members of the
Communist Party. Like all dictators and totalitarian terror systems, the PRC
fears and hates what it cannot control. So it sought to destroy and intimidate
those who practice Falun Gong. I would also note that the regime has labeled as
"cults" and is now oppressing other groups with followings comparable to that of
the Falun Gong, such as the Xiang Gong, Guo Gong, and Zhong Gong qigong groups. Falun Gong is not a religion, per se, but rather more like a philosophy.
Based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, Falun Gong
uses a series of five physical and mental exercises to assist its members to
purify themselves spiritually and peacefully resolve conflicts. Whatever one may
say about the merits of their beliefs, the evidence is very clear that Falun
Gong practitioners are peaceful individuals who want to be left alone to
practice their beliefs as they see fit.
To carry out the task of smashing those who practice Falun Gong, the Beijing
dictatorship created "610 Offices" throughout China to oversee and direct the
persecution of Falun Gong through brainwashing, torture, and murder.
The State Department Human Rights Report for 2003 has several pages
documenting the plight of the Falun Gong. We know at least 250 Falun Gong
members have died as a result of torture thus far. For instance, in only a
three-month period from June to August last year, more than 50 Falun Gong died
in custody, many from torture in detention camps. Other estimates place the
total body count higher. Bodies of the tortured victims are often cremated
immediately to conceal evidence of torture. The report indicated that Falun Gong
adherents sent to mental health institutions have been administered psychiatric
drugs and electric shock treatments by Chinese authorities.
Several thousand Falun Gong practitioners--estimated at 125,000 or
higher--are held in labor camps, prisons, and mental hospitals, where they are
forced to endure torture brainwashing sessions. For example, in December 2003,
Liu Chengjun, sentenced to 19 years in prison in March 2002 for involvement in
illegal Falun Gong television broadcasts, was reportedly beaten to death by
police in Jilin City Prison.
The government continues to find new ways to crack down on Falun Gong. Over
the past year, the Government initiated a comprehensive effort to round up
practitioners not already in custody and sanctioned the use of high-pressure
tactics and mandatory anti-Falun Gong study sessions to force practitioners to
renounce Falun Gong. Even practitioners who had not protested or made other
public demonstrations of belief reportedly were forced to attend anti-Falun Gong
classes or were sent directly to reeducation-through-labor camps, where in some
cases, beatings and torture reportedly were used to force them to recant. These
tactics reportedly resulted in large number of practitioners signing pledges to
renounce the movement.
At the National People's Congress session in March, Premier Wen Jiabao's
Government Work Report emphasized that the Government would "expand and deepen
its battle against cults," including Falun Gong. Thousands of individuals were
still undergoing criminal, administrative, and extrajudicial punishment for
engaging in Falun Gong practices, admitting that they adhered to the teachings
of Falun Gong, or refusing to criticize the organization or its founder.
During April to June 2003, the Government launched fresh accusations that
Falun Gong practitioners were disrupting SARS-prevention efforts. State-run
media claimed that, beginning in April, Falun Gong followers "incited public
panic" and otherwise "sabotaged" anti-SARS efforts in many provinces by
preaching that belief in Falun Gong will prevent persons from contracting SARS.
Authorities detained hundreds of Falun Gong adherents on such charges, including
69 in Jiangsu Province during May and 180 in Hebei Province during June.
But Beijing is not confining its disgusting torture and brainwashing campaign
to its own people. Chinese-American citizens and permanent residents are also
victims. One American citizen, Dr. Charles Li, was arrested January 22, 2003 in
China upon his arrival at an airport. A Falun Gong practitioner, the Chinese
government alleges he attempted to sabotage television and radio equipment, even
though he had just arrived in the country. Dr. Li has gone on continual hunger
strikes to protest his arrest but been subject to forced feedings. There are
reports that he is being subjected to brainwashing and anti-Falun Gong
propaganda. At least 37 other Falun Gong practitioners who have family members
that are residing in the U.S. are also in prison in China. Authorities also
detained foreign Falun Gong practitioners from other countries. For example, in
January 2003, two Australian citizens were deported for engaging in Falun Gong
activities in Sichuan Province.
As my colleagues know, a sizeable number of Falun Gong practitioners reside
here in the United States. They attempt to raise awareness about the horrors
their fellow believers are subject to through meeting with government officials
and through holding peaceful protests. Just this past August, Falun Gong members
gathered on the Mall to pass out literature and inform Americans of the great
suffering those in their faith are enduring. When Hu Jintao and other state
leaders responsible for this purge are visiting foreign countries, Falun Gong
members travel overseas to protest and raise awareness of the brutal
persecution.
In response, China's persecution against the Falun Gong has moved outside of
China's own borders. Large numbers of Falun Gong in the United States have
reported to have been harassed. The FBI is currently investigating beatings of
Falun Gong practitioners in Atlanta and Chicago. On June 23, 2003, Falun Gong
practitioners in New York were harassed and physically violated by Chinese
nationals associated with the consulate. Charges have been filed with the
authorities. Li Li and some of her friends were involved with this incident.
Persecution of Falun Gong in China is horrific enough itself. The fact that
China is now exporting its repression to weaker foreign nations under the guise
of ''safety'' and ''public order'' is even worse. The cancer of China's
repression is spreading all over the world. The PRC is not content to beat and
torture and silence those inside its own borders. Now it is seeking to bully
other nations into doing its bidding. When will this country wake up and stand
up to this kind of nonsense?
I call upon all members of this body to support H. Con. Res. 304. I call on
the administration to step up its efforts to speak up for the Falun Gong and out
against the actions of the Chinese government immediately.
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