Falun Gong Practitioners Invited to Testify to U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus (Photos)

By Minghui Reporter Li Jingfei

(Clearwisdom.net) On July 20, 2006, the seventh anniversary of launching of the persecution of Falun Gong, the Congressional Human Right Caucus held a briefing about Falun Gong in Rayburn Office Building. Three Falun Gong practitioners and a representative of Amnesty International were invited to testify about the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the past seven years. They discussed ways to stop the persecution. The Caucus asked for suggestions from practitioners on what Congress could do to help.

U.S. Congress briefing on Falun Gong.

Dr. Sherry Zhang, Spokesperson of Coalition to Investigate Persecution of Falun Gong in China	Mr. Erping Zhang, Falun Gong spokesperson
Mr. Charles Li, who experienced three years of persecution in CCP prison	Mr. Kumar, Director of Asia-Pacific, Amnesty International

Hans Hogrefe, Director of Human Right Caucus hosted the briefing. The briefing took the format of a hearing. Mr. Erping Zhang, Falun Gong spokesperson, Dr. Sherry Zhang, spokesperson for the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG), Mr. Charles Li, who experienced three years of persecution in CCP's prison and Mr. Kumar, Director of Asia-Pacific, Amnesty International testified.

Mr. Erping Zhang said, "Today is a special day. On the same day seven years ago, the Chinese regime launched a cruel systematic persecution of Falun Gong. On the same day two years ago, I gave an introduction to the situation of Falun Gong in China to Human Right Caucus. It is regretful there has hardly been any good news in the past two years. The brutal persecution is still going on. On some aspects, it is escalating."

Mr. Kumar said Amnesty International was very concerned with the persecution of non-violent Falun Gong practitioners since 1999. The situation was worrisome. Even though Amnesty International had requested the CCP to stop the persecution and release the Falun Gong practitioners detained for their non-violent belief, it is surprising that the CCP had taken no action. Instead, it continued to arrest and persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Some were thrown into mental hospitals. Some families were threatened and abused.

American citizen Mr. Charles Li recounted the physical and mental torture of Falun Gong practitioners based on his three years of personal experience in the CCP's prison.

Hogrefe asked practitioners for suggestions on how the American Congress could help during the briefing.

Mr. Zhang expressed the wish to work with the Congress on concrete measures including releasing all detained and imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners in China, helping practitioners tortured in jail get medical treatment overseas, helping Falun Gong orphans get to the U.S., identifying Chinese officials involved in violation of human rights and barring their entrance to the U.S., taking every opportunity to investigate and stop the crime of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.

Dr. Sherry Zhang, CIPFG spokesperson, introduced two powerful ways to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. Both are in progress.

One way is to break the CCP's control and censorship of information and safeguard freedom of information exchange between China and the world. The other is a complete investigation of Chinese forced labor camps, jails, hospitals and related facilities by the CIPFG. The CIPFG was established by the Falun Dafa Association and the Minghui website.

Dr. Zhang said, an internet freedom project was initiated by Falun Gong practitioners seven years ago. It has allowed unfiltered information to reach China, and uncensored information from China to reach the rest of the world. Thirty million internet users in China can browse CCP-blocked websites safely without restriction thanks to this technology. Freedom of information exchange will make the CCP's tricks to slander Falun Gong quit working and make the CCP's genocidal conduct lose efficacy.

Dr. Zhang said the mission of her coalition was to form a joint investigation group with international organizations, governments and media to collect evidence and make independent and direct investigation without intervention in China. The goal was to completely uncover the truth about the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong and stop the brutal persecution that has lasted seven years.

Dr. Zhang said they were encouraged to know that many government officials, attorneys, reporters in Hong Kong, North American, Australia and Europe have joined the coalition.

Mr. Erping Zhang said the world had witnessed Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful resistance to violence in the past seven years. "Every one of us faces a test when such a persecution is imposed on humanity. We will be judged by history on not only what we have done, but also on what we could have done. On seeing the evil, do we choose to ignore it and let it be, or expose the evil and support justice? Let's hope we all make the right choice for the sake of everyone."

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/7/21/133628.html

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