Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission Passes Resolution Regarding Jiang's Visit

Peace and Justice Commission
Resolution Regarding Falun Gong and President Bush's
Planned October Visit with Chinese President Jiang Zemin
Passed at the Berkeley City Council on October 22, 2002

WHEREAS, in accordance with Berkeley Municipal Code section 3.68.070.A, it is the function of the Peace and Justice Commission to "advise the Berkeley City Council and the Berkeley Unified School Board on all matters relating to the City of Berkeley's role in issues of peace and social justice, including ... support for human rights and self-determination throughout the world"; and

WHEREAS, section 3.68.030 of the Berkeley Municipal Code defines "peace and justice" as "the goal of creating a world community in which the relations between people are based on equality, respect for human rights, and the abhorrence of exploitation and all forms of oppression"; and

WHEREAS, section 3.68.070 (H) of the Berkeley Municipal Code say the Peace and Justice Commission shall "[a]ct as a liaison between community groups organizing around issues of peace and social justice and City government"; and

WHEREAS, Berkeley residents who are Falun Gong members have reported to the Peace and Justice Commission about actions by the Chinese government taken against them and other Falun Gong practitioners living in the United States, including arrest and beating of a Berkeley resident when he visited China, and the naming of Berkeley residents on a list used to interfere with their freedom of international travel ; and

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WHEREAS, President Jiang Zemin is reportedly responsible for suppression of religious and ethnic groups such as Tibetans, Buddhists, and Christians; and for a vicious campaign since July 1999 to targeting practitioners of the Falun Gong meditation practice ; and

WHEREAS, Falun Gong is a practice for improving the body, mind, and spirit through exercise, meditation, and teachings that are rooted in ancient Chinese culture ; and

WHEREAS, Falun Gong practitioners have peacefully appealed to the Chinese government for over three years, but have been met with incarceration and torture in return, resulting in at least 200 confirmed deaths, and thousands being put into labor camps.?In February 2002, the Chinese police in Tiananmen Square beat a Berkeley resident for peacefully appealing for civil rights for Falun Gong practitioners ; and

WHEREAS, Falun Gong supporters allege that on March 5, 2002 President Jiang Zemin ordered police to shoot Falun Gong practitioners who were caught distributing flyers, banners or posters ; and

WHEREAS, in June 2002, Berkeley residents who are Falun Gong practitioners were apparently put on a blacklist and barred from entry to Iceland as the practitioners sought to appeal directly to the President of China during his visit to Iceland ; and

WHEREAS, Amnesty International named President Jiang Zemin a "human rights scoundrel" in 2001?due to the worsening human rights situation in China; and

WHEREAS, on July 24, 2002, the United States Congress unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 188 , condemning the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and calling on the United States government to use every appropriate public and private forum to urge the government of the People's Republic of China to end such persecution; and

WHEREAS, the City of Berkeley has sent letters to the head of its "sister city," the Haidian District in Beijing, and to other Chinese officials (Attachment B) regarding the persecution of the Falun Gong; and

WHEREAS, prior to President Bush's visit to China in February, 2002, 94 members of Congress sent a letter to him asking him to raise specifically the issue of the treatment of Falun Gong in China , but he made no such mention during his public speech there ; and

WHEREAS, President Bush has extended an invitation to President Jiang Zemin to visit his ranch in Crawford, Texas during President Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States this October ;

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Council of the City of Berkeley send this resolution and the attached letter (Attachment A) to President George W. Bush expressing concern regarding inviting Jiang Zemin, President of the People's Republic of China, to visit the United States and President Bush's Crawford ranch, and asking the President Bush to specifically raise the issue of human rights abuses against Falun Gong members in his discussions with President Jiang Zemin, with copies to Berkeley's Members of Congress and the U.S. Secretary of State.

Peace and Justice Commission
Resolution Regarding Falun Gong and President Bush's
Planned October Visit with Chinese President Ziang Zemin
ATTACHMENT A

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500



Dear Mr. President:

It has been reported that you have invited Jiang Zemin, President of the People's Republic of China, to your ranch in Crawford, Texas, during his visit to the United States this October. The Berkeley City Council voted on [date] to express its deep concern about this invitation, and to urge you to speak with President Jiang specifically about the treatment accorded Falun Gong practitioners by his government.

President Jiang Zemin is a leader whose power is based on violence and tyranny. He supported the declaration of martial law during the 1989 student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, which led to the massacre of many innocent people. A report from Amnesty International in May 2000 reveals that those who try to seek justice for the victims, or even commemorate the anniversary of the massacre, continue to be subjected to detention and harassment over a decade later. In one instance, a man was sentenced to three years in a labor camp for collecting signatures on a petition that called for an inquiry into the 1989 crackdown.

In addition to suppressing religious and ethnic groups such as Tibetans, Buddhists, and Christians, President Jiang has waged a vicious campaign since July 1999 to target and "eliminate" the Falun Gong meditation practice. He has established an agency to oversee this persecution, known as the "610 Office." By the end of 2001, more than 1000 people had reportedly been tortured to death, and thousands are currently imprisoned in labor camps, mental institutions, and detention centers where they are beaten and tortured. Amnesty International awarded President Jiang the title "human rights scoundrel of the year" in 2000.

The House of Representatives on July 24, 2002 unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 188, which condemns the persecution of Falun Gong and urges your administration to investigate allegations of Chinese government interference with the lives of Falun Gong adherents on American soil.

Before you visited China earlier this year, you received a letter signed by 94 members of Congress asking you to raise the issue of Falun Gong with the President of China. During your speech there, while you did mention human rights, a creditable inclusion, you did not mention Falun Gong by name.

Your invitation to President Jiang in the context of continued Chinese human rights violations is troubling. Should you go forward with this meeting, we strongly urge you to specifically raise the issue of human rights abuses of Falun Gong members during your discussions with President Jiang.