Recognizing Persecution Of Falun Gong

Floor Speech

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I yield myself such time as I may consume.

It is a delight to work with my wonderful colleague from California, Ambassador WATSON. We greatly regret that she will be retiring from the halls of Congress, but we look forward to working with her in another capacity.

I am proud to rise, Mr. Speaker, as the author of this resolution, which addresses one of the most flagrant examples of systematic persecution against a particular group currently taking place. The Chinese Communist regime's obsessive and relentless hunting down of Falun Gong practitioners, which is a spiritual discipline based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, says a great deal about the insecurity and the paranoia of the current rulers in Beijing.

While this resolution gives a detailed accounting from authoritative international sources of the last 11 years of Beijing's bloody crackdown on Falun Gong, there are two particular areas, Mr. Speaker, which I would like to address in greater detail. First is the issue of the penetration of agents of an alien Communist regime right here inside the United States to wage a campaign of repression against U.S. citizens. And, second, is the issue of coercive organ transplants involving a ``bloody harvest'' from Falun Gong practitioners inside China.

How could one believe that diplomats of a foreign regime would collude with secret agents and thugs to suppress the constitutional right of our fellow citizens right here in America? Well, Mr. Speaker, clear evidence indicates that that is exactly what is happening with Chinese agents persecuting American Falun Gong practitioners in our own country.

Just ask Bill Fang, who was assaulted on the streets of Chicago back in 2001, as he was peacefully demonstrating in front of the Chinese consulate. That assault led to a criminal conviction in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Or, just ask Judy Chen, the proud mother of two United States Marines then serving in Iraq, who was manhandled in May of 2008 by thugs with reported Chinese regime ties while she was handing out Falun Gong literature in front of a public library in Flushing, New York.

It is high time for our State Department to get tough and to let the Chinese regime know that any of its staff members who engage in activities in the U.S. incompatible with their diplomatic status, including encouraging such illegal acts, are persona non grata in the United States.

On the issue of organ transplants, Mr. Speaker, it should be noted that this resolution cites the recommendation of the U.N. Committee on Torture, calling for an independent investigation ``into the claims that some Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to torture and used for organ transplants.''

I would like to further point out that expert testimony given before a subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee appears to corroborate the charges of coercive organ transplants in China. A hearing was held before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on September 29, 2006, entitled ``Falun Gong: Organ Harvesting and China's Ongoing War on Human Rights.'' Committee witness Kirk Allison, Ph.D. of the University of Minnesota testified: ``In my meeting with practitioners in June 2006, evidence included transcripts of queries to identified hospitals and physicians on organ availability. Falun Gong sources were characterized as being of high quality and often available in as short a time as a week, and in some cases with a guarantee of a backup organ should the first fail.''

The systematic killing of Falun Gong practitioners for their organs is almost too ghoulish to imagine. It seems incomprehensible that in the 21st century such barbaric acts could occur, a cruelty comparable to imperial Romans throwing Christian martyrs to be eaten by lions. The stark reality which this resolution addresses gives new meaning to the phrase ``butchers of Beijing.'' The Beijing regime of today engages in the barbaric repression of some of its own people simply because they seek to practice a peaceful spiritual discipline. Several hundred have reportedly died, and hundreds of thousands remain in detention in reeducation through labor camps. How can anyone seriously call these the actions of a responsible stakeholder? I strongly and enthusiastically urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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