California: City of Pomona Passes Resolution Declaring Opposition to the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in China

(Clearwisdom.net) On June 18, 2007, The Mayor and the Council Members of the City of Pomona, California, unanimously passed Resolution No. 2007-73. The resolution condemns the CCP's atrocities of the persecution of Falun Gong and organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. The resolution states: "the United States should use every appropriate public and private forum to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners including Dongwei Bu, the family member of a California resident, and put an end to the practices of torture and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment against them and other prisoners of conscience." The resolution also stated "the United States Government should investigate allegations of illegal activities in the United States of the Government of the People's Republic of China and its representatives and agents, including allegations of unlawful harassment of United States citizens and residents who practice Falun Gong and of officials of state and local governments in the United States who support Falun Gong, and should take appropriate action, including but not limited to enforcement of the immigration laws, against any such representatives or agents who engage in such illegal activities." Below is the text of the resolution.

Resolution No. 2007-73

A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Pomona Declaring Opposition to the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in the People's Republic of China

Whereas, Falun Gong is a peaceful and nonviolent form of personal belief and practice with tens of millions of adherents in China, the United States and over 80 countries around the world; and

Whereas, the Government of the People's Republic of China has forbidden Falun Gong practitioners from practicing their beliefs and cruelly persecuted them; and

Whereas, this prohibition and persecution violates China's own constitution as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and

Whereas, hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens from all over China have been jailed for refusing to give up their practice of Falun Gong and for appealing to the government for protection of their constitutional rights; and

Whereas, there are many credible reports of torture and other types of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment of detained Falun Gong practitioners; and

Whereas, other Falun Gong members have been sentenced to labor camps, apparently under administrative procedures allowing such sentences without trial; and

Whereas, large numbers of female Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to systematic sexual humiliation and abuse, including rape and gang rape; and

Whereas, large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners in China have lost their jobs, and students have been expelled from schools for refusing to give up their beliefs; and

Whereas, credible evidence shows that at least 36 concentration camps in China are currently harvesting organs of Falun Gong practitioners for profit while they are still alive; and

Whereas, a Falun Gong practitioner Dongwei Bu, who is an employee of an American aid organization, and the husband of California resident Hongwei Lou, was sentenced to two and one-half years forced labor and is still in labor camp because of his beliefs in Falun Gong; and

Whereas, the brutal crackdown by the Chinese Government on Falun Gong is in direct violation of the fundamental human rights to freedom of personal belief and practice, expression and assembly;

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the City Council of the City of Pomona as follows:

Section 1. That the City Council of the City of Pomona believes that the Government of the People's Republic of China should stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners; and

Section 2. That the United States should use every appropriate public and private forum to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to release from detention all Falun Gong practitioners including Dongwei Bu, the family member of a California resident, and put an end to the practices of torture and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment against them and other prisoners of conscience; and

Section 3. That the United States Government should investigate allegations of illegal activities in the United States of the Government of the People's Republic of China and its representatives and agents, including allegations of unlawful harassment of United States citizens and residents who practice Falun Gong and of officials of state and local governments in the United States who support Falun Gong, and should take appropriate action, including but not limited to enforcement of the immigration laws, against any such representatives or agents who engage in such illegal activities; and

Section 4. That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Falun Gong practitioners in the City of Pomona.

Section 5. The City Clerk shall attest and certify to the approval and adoption of this resolution and it shall become effective immediately upon its approval.

Approved and Adopted This 18^th Day of June, 2007.

Attest: Marie Michel Macias, City Clerk

City of Pomona: Norma J. Torres, Mayor

Approved as to Form: Arnold Alvarez-Glasman, City Attorney

State of California

County of Los Angeles

City of Pomona

I, Marie Michel Macias, City Clerk of the City of Pomona do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Pomona held on the 18^th day of June 2007 by the following vote:

Ayes: Councilmembers: Hunter, Rodriguez, Carrizosa, Lantz, Rothman, Atchley, Torres

Noes: Councilmembers: None

Absent: Councilmembers: None

Abstain: Councilmembers: None

Marie Michel Marcias, City Clerk

This document is a full, true and correct copy of the original on file in the Pomona City Clerks Office

Attest: City of Pomona City Clerk

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