Chairman Brown and Cochairman Smith Urge the Chinese Government to End Human Rights Abuses Against Falun Gong
Congressional-Executive Commission on China
July 21, 2014
(Washington DC)—Given the 15th anniversary of the crackdown on the Falun Gong in China, the Chairman and Cochairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) today urged the Chinese government to end its campaign of suppression against Falun Gong practitioners.
“The 15-year campaign to suppress Falun Gong in China has been one of the harshest campaigns against a group of believers in modern times,” said Senator Sherrod Brown, CECC Chairman. “Falun Gong practitioners face arbitrary detention, torture, psychiatric abuse, and sometimes death simply for practicing their beliefs. We believe a diversity of opinions and faith traditions is a strength to be protected, but China responds to such diversity as a threat to be suppressed. China must address the concerns of Falun Gong practitioners; questions of freedom of belief, expression, and assembly; and release all political and religious prisoners. The sooner China begins to protect fundamental freedoms, the better off its people and China will be.”
“The systematic torture and attempted eradication of the Falun Gong will be seen as one of the great shames of Chinese history,” said Representative Christopher Smith, CECC Cochairman. “Chinese officials must understand there are consequences to the arbitrary detention, torture, psychiatric experimentation, and organ harvesting experienced by Falun Gong practitioners. These are gross violations of human rights condemned by the world community and by the world community Chinese officials must be held accountable. We must continue to speak out, publicly and unashamedly, about ending the black jails, ending the torture, ending the forced abortions and sterilizations, and ending the persecution of Falun Gong. The 15th year of persecution must be the last.”