US Legislators Show Support for Religious Freedom, Condemn Persecution of Falun Dafa

Kitty Wang
By Kitty Wang
May 13, 2019US News
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May 13 this year is the 20th anniversary of World Falun Dafa Day. In the United States, many elected officials showed support for Falun Dafa practitioners’ right to freedom of belief, and condemned the CCP’s brutal persecution of the practice, also known as Falun Gong, over the last two decades.

U.S. Congressman Hon. Jim McGovern said, “We remain deeply concerned about the Chinese government’s treatment of those who practice Falun Gong and we’re gonna continue to speak out.”

“It’s another one of those human rights that’s not respected by the government in Beijing,” said Hon. Gerry Connolly, U.S. Congressman. “And I hope the United States’ government will continue to press the Chinese on their human rights observance—or lack thereof—including, especially, the rights of Falun Gong observers.”

Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Tenzin Dorjee said, “We are very much concerned about the Falun Gong and other minorities’ religious freedom conditions. So we speak for everybody who are suffering under the religious freedom violations.”

On May 13, 1992, Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, was first taught to the public by Master Li Hongzhi in China. Since then, it has spread to more than 100 countries and regions around the world, and is practiced by hundreds of millions of people. It is only suppressed in China, by the communist regime.

“Why are they [the CCP] so afraid of a group of people who are committed to peace, reconciliation, peace of mind?” Hon. Chris Smith, U.S. Congressman asked. “I mean they could learn something from the Falun Gong practitioners. But to the twentieth anniversary of those who are persevering, the Falun Gong and other people of faith, will be free some day in China. Hold to account those who torture, persecute, discriminate, commit you very very serious human rights abuses, and say you can’t do business here and you can’t get a visa. That’s what the Magnitsky [Act] empowers our government to do.”

The United States is built on freedom of belief. In the past two decades, both the U.S. House and Senate passed many resolutions supporting Falun Gong practitioners’ basic rights and calling on the CCP to immediately stop their persecution.

“It’s important to recognize the persecution of these individuals for their religious beliefs, because this is one of the most basic human rights: the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion and the freedom of association,” said Hon. John Cornyn, U.S. Senator. “And the only way that governments like the Chinese government can oppress their people and deny them the human rights is by denying their humanity. So we need to celebrate that here, and to encourage and put pressure on the Chinese government to make those basic freedoms available to all of their people.”

Hon. Sheila Jackson Lee, a U.S. Congresswoman said, “We wish peace and we wish freedom, and the respect for religious freedom all over the world, and for the Falun Gong. “

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