US Senator Richard Lugar: The United States Should Not Remain Silent about the Issue of Human and Religious Rights in China

(Clearwisdom.net)

United States Senate
Washington, DC

November 25, 2003

Dear Dr. (Name omitted):

Thank you for your correspondence regarding Falun Dafa and the persecution of its practitioners in China. I appreciate this opportunity to respond.

I have been deeply troubled by China's human and religious rights record for some time, and have communicated my concerns over human and religious rights abuses directly to the Chinese government on a number of occasions. The United States should not remain silent about the issue of human and religious rights in China, and as a U.S. Senator, I have made clear on many occasions my concerns about repressive Chinese practices.

In September I held a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which I chair, regarding the different facets of our relationship with China. At that hearing I said: "Finally, China's development has given million of Chinese citizens new personal space to choose their jobs, start businesses, make money, travel, and communicate with one another and the outside world. These developments have produced more questions about democracy in China, transparency in government, and observance of human rights. According to Amnesty International's latest report, the human rights situation in China has worsened. The "strike hard" campaign, the handling of the SARS epidemic, actions against Falun Gong, moves against ethnic minorities in the name of counter-terrorism, and continuing repression in Tibet, all raised important questions." I will continue to monitor China's human rights record as we consider our on-going relationship with that country.

Thank you, again, for taking the time to write to me.

Sincerely,

Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator