All About the Falun Gong Protection Act
Last June, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, with 18 co-sponsors, introduced the H.R.4132 (now S.R. 4914)—Falun Gong Protection Act—which would call for an immediate end of the Chinese communist parties persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that originated in China the 1990s and is based in Buddhist and Taoist tradition. It would also sanction those involved in forced organ harvesting and other forms of torture against prisoners of faith.
Since 1999, the Chinese communist party has been illegally kidnapping, detaining, and torturing thousands of believers, even selling their organs for transplant through state hospitals. Untold numbers have died in police custody, and the persecution continues to this day.
The bill passed the house on June 25, 2024. Now it is in the Senate, after which, once signed by the President, will become law. The is the first U.S. bill to address the issue of Beijing’s crackdown on Falun Gong.
The bill propose the following actions:
(1) avoid any cooperation with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the organ transplantation field while the Chinese Communist Party remains in power;
(2) take appropriate measures, including using relevant sanctions authorities, to coerce the Chinese Communist Party to end any state-sponsored organ harvesting campaign; and
(3) work with allies, partners, and multilateral institutions to highlight China’s persecution of Falun Gong and coordinate closely with the international community on targeted sanctions and visa restrictions.
Sanctioned individuals would be banned from enter the United States or do business in the country. Current visas would be revoked and individuals may face a $250,000 civil fine and a criminal penalty of $1 million and 20 years in prison.
With the persecution having entered its 25th year, such legislation is much needed and long overdue. Friends of Falun Gong commends all who were instrumental in moving this legislation forward, and gives thanks all those who have supported it. If enacted, this bill has the power to deeply deter perpetrators of the persecution, and bring forth justice to the victims and their families.