Over 900 lawmakers protest Chinese persecution of Falun Gong
"Millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China have been arbitrarily arrested and jailed [...] and many have been tortured and even killed.”
By SARAH BEN-NUNUpdated: DECEMBER 14, 2020 07:18Members of Falun Gong or Falun Dafa, a Chinese religious spiritual practice, march to the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York City, US, May 16, 2019. (photo credit: REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON)
Some 921 lawmakers and political figures ranging across 35 countries signed a statement condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong to mark Human Rights Day on December 10.While the signatures were first gathered in June 2020, the "systematic and brutal campaign to ‘eradicate’ the spiritual discipline of Falun Gong” in China has been occurring since 1999, according to the statement. This is the first time a such wide array of world leaders are united in calling for the end of the religious persecution of Falun Gong."Since July 1999," reads the statement, "millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China have been arbitrarily arrested and jailed without due process and many have been tortured and even killed.”Falun Gong is an eastern religion that takes from the same roots as traditional Chinese religious beliefs. It started to gain popularity in the 1990's. When the movement grew to an alarming rate, the Chinese government began to slander it in the media and press.This tension culminated in a massive protest in Beijing in 1999, a critical ten years after the Tienanmen Square protests. The very next day the religion was banned. Thousands were jailed following the protest.Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) is one of the signatories.A number of Israeli politicians have signed on to the list, including former MP and Israeli Minister Moshe Feiglin, Former MK and Vice Chairman of Israeli Knesset Yehuda Glick, among others."The persecution of minorities in China is among the worst crime against human rights the world has ever seen. It has been described as a genocide by some international observers and judicial authorities," noted Ann-Sofie Alm, a Swedish Member of Parliament.The statement also highlights previous attempts by the international community to put pressure on the Chinese government to cease persecution.“Together they [the signatories] send a clear message of solidarity to those suffering in China and an unmistakable rejection of the Chinese regime’s campaign to wipe out a peaceful faith practiced by tens of millions in China, and around the world," said Levi Browde, Executive Director of the Falun Dafa Information Center.
