(Clearwisdom.net) Renowned human rights lawyer Mr. Gao Zhisheng, known by some as "China's conscience," recently sent a 9-page letter with first hand information, statistics and evidence to the US Congress, expressing his deep concerns over the Beijing Olympics. The letter stated that human rights in China have deteriorated even more as the Olympic Games have drawn near. In the letter, Mr. Gao talked about the persecution of Falun Gong in detail and called upon US Congress to pay more attention to this human rights disaster.

David Kilgour (left), former Secretary of State of Canada (Asia Pacific), former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada; Keith Ware (middle), representative of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG) in Washington D.C.; and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (right), ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, at the press conference

On September 20, 2007, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, ranking member of Foreign Affairs Committee and David Kilgour, former Secretary of State of Canada, Asia Pacific, and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada, attended the press conference discussion of "Beijing Olympics and China's Human Rights" by Mr. Gao, held in the Rayburn House Office Building. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament, founder of the European Democracy Initiative, joined the press conference via telephone.

Persecution of Falun Gong is a Human Rights Disaster

In the 9-page letter, Mr. Gao included detailed first hand information, statistics and evidence of the persecution of Falun Gong.

Mr. Gao stated, "Hundreds of thousands of practitioners have been sent to labor camps. Millions were illegally detained in the countless brainwashing camps established in every corner in China by the notorious 610 Office, an agency founded to lead the persecution of Falun Gong. Such brainwashing camps require even simpler entrance procedures, while the methods used to 'educate' the practitioners are shockingly cruel. Tens of millions have been persecuted in various forms. A large number of children have been expelled from school only because their parents practice Falun Gong. Some of the children were left unattended or even homeless after their parents were arrested. (Since last August my daughter has met many such children who lingered at the gate of her school. The children, though homeless, came up to my daughter to express their condolence and support. Our hearts ached for these children.)"

"As for proof of this persecution, I'd like to recommend the investigative report I composed myself. The report recorded legally acceptable evidence that I collected as an attorney. One of the cases in the report involves 28-year-old Liu Boyang, a medical degree holder, and his mother, who were both Falun Gong practitioners. The mother and son were tortured to death less than ten days apart in the same building. The last nights before their deaths, the two could hear each other's painful cries during the torture. Before the cries died with them, the police never stopped torturing them."

He emphasized, "The eight year-long suppression of Falun Gong is so far the most long-lasting and the most serious humanity disaster in China and in the world. This is why I am emphasizing it early in this letter."

Questions by Mr. Gao Zhisheng

In the letter, Mr. Gao Zhisheng asked:

"Are the eight year-long persecution of Falun Gong and the crimes against humanity committed by the Chinese Communist Party only problems for the victims? Or are they problems for mankind?

"Are the CCP's [Chinese Communist Party] genocide and crimes against humanity a threat only to the victims, or to the moral values the entire human society?

"Is mankind capable of dealing with such state-run crimes against humanity?"

The Tragedies of Human Rights Violations are Everywhere in China

Mr. Gao pointed out in the letter, "The CCP's continuous suppression of Christian family churches is comparable to the shocking persecution of Falun Gong." He also listed the evidence of brutal persecution of people's freedom and rights, furious suppression of the rights defense movement, evil conduct of stealing people's private property, the environmental disaster, extremely unjust legal system, and other problems in China.

Mr. Gao said, "My dear ladies and gentlemen, writing this letter is a heavy thing. If these crimes only happened once or several times, I believe each one of you would be as angry as I am. In today's China, these inhuman tragedies have become a common situation that is happening all over the country. Many people have become used to it, and are indifferent. The reason the CCP can sustain its power is by purposely attacking our conscience with violence, and numbing our conscience with lies. It is eroding our virtue on a daily basis, to expand passive support from people's helpless minds. It lowered a portion of people's moral bottom line to defend its violence, so that its power is stabilized. Today, the CCP is expanding its moral corruption strategy to the whole world. If the Olympics are held by the CCP, it will mean the success of the CCP's global moral corruption."

The Fact That the Olympics Will be Held by the CCP Hurts My Heart and Conscience

Mr. Gao pointed out, "The Chinese communist regime treated the application and hosting of the Olympic Games exactly as an important political task. Everything related to the Olympics is regarded as a political issue. Liu Qi, China's key person in charge of these Olympics, himself said that it is a "supreme political task" to ensure that every need of the Olympic Games is met. This is a simple and commonly recognized fact in China."

"It is plain as day to all Chinese people that with successes in hosting the Olympic Games, the communist regime is trying to achieve two goals. First, it tries to prove to Chinese people that the world is still acknowledging the Party as a legal government despite all the tyranny and all the horrible crimes against humanity that the Party has committed during the past decades at a cost of at least 80 million Chinese lives. Second, it wants to prove to the world that the Party still has the power over China and still enjoys people's full support."

He said, "As a Chinese I cherish profound love for my homeland and our suffering people. I also long to see the day when the Olympic Games will be held in China. But when I remember the social environment of China, and how the Olympic Games will be used here, my conscience and sense of justice make my heart ache. As you know, today in China those who connect the Olympics with human rights are immediately hunted down by the communist regime and its gang as 'the enemies of the state', 'the sinners of the people', and 'the destroyers of social harmony'."

He emphasized, "We don't support or pretend to support the use of the Olympic Games as a political tool. Nor can we support or pretend to support the Olympic Games having no consideration for human conscience, justice and morality."

Politicians Support Mr. Gao Zhisheng

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, David Kilgour, former Secretary of State for Canada, Asia Pacific and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada, and Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament, supported Mr. Gao at the press conference.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said, "There are few in the world more acutely aware of Beijing's severe shortcomings in the area of human rights than the famed human rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Mr. Gao Zhisheng."

"The regime in Beijing, rather than seeing the approach of the Olympics as a time for greater openness, sees it as a mandate for further control and repression of the Chinese people."

She said, "I have joined my colleague, Mr. Rohrabacher, and others in the House in expressing our concerns over participation in the 'Genocide Olympics' by co-sponsoring House Resolution 610 which expresses 'the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Government should take immediate steps to boycott the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in August 2008 unless the Chinese regime stops engaging in serious human rights abuses against its citizens.'"

Calling Upon President Bush

Mr. Gao called in his letter, "When I finished this letter, I heard that President Bush decided to join the Olympics next year. Pardon my manner here, I want to shout out, Mr. President, what are you doing? Have you looked at how President Reagan handled the 1988 Seoul Olympics? I want to remind my friends here as well. I hope my friends in the Congress, both the Senate and the House, can establish merit for human civilization like during the 1988 Seoul Olympics."

He continued, "Those struggling in the CCP prisons, those crying under torture, those roaming around to avoid mistreatment need your help. When you light a candle, when you dress up, holding your cocktail or drink, I hope you will think of those suffering people. May God bless America, may God give each person justice, responsibility, and firm determination. May the light of freedom shine upon China proper, letting evil have no place to hide, and may the mistreated no longer be in pain."