(Minghui.org) Nearly two thousand Falun Gong practitioners attended a public rally held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on July 16, 2021. Representatives of U.S. government agencies, non-profit organizations and religious institutions spoke at the event, calling to hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for the 22 years of persecution of Falun Gong. In addition to thanking Falun Gong practitioners’ courage to speak and uphold the truth, some speakers expressed their appreciation for practitioners’ contribution to America’s freedom.

Practitioners rallied at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on July 16, 2021, calling for an end to the 22-year persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP.

Faith McDonnell, Director of Advocacy at Katartismos Global, praised Falun Gong practitioners’ courage after 22 years of persecution. As the CCP’s tentacles reach out into the world, she said, “You have continued to stand for truth. And we’re at a point now where you stand for truth against the lies that are taking place in the West as well. So my thank you that you are spreading truth in America.”

The July 16 rally was the first since the outbreak of the CCP Virus (also known as the coronavirus) in early 2020. While speakers in past years often referred to “the Chinese government” when criticizing the perpetrators, this year’s speakers specifically called out the CCP for accountability.

Frank Gaffney, executive chairman of the Center for Security Policy, thanked Falun Gong practitioners for helping Americans know the “mortal threat” of the CCP.

“I want you to know, on behalf of millions of Americans who have probably never heard of the Falun Gong, how much we who love freedom appreciate what you do to try to protect it, to try to practice it, to try to make sure that the rest of us can continue to enjoy it and practice it, not least, by helping the rest of us understand the mortal threat that is posed to all of us, all of us who love freedom, the free world, by the Chinese Communist Party,” said Frank Gaffney, executive chairman of the Center for Security Policy and vice chairman of the Committee on the Present Danger: China.

Jürgen Braun, member of the German parliament (Bundestag)

“The Communist Party of China is a threat to the movement of human rights in the world. [Therefore,] every victim of the Communist Party of China deserves our total support,” said German Member of Parliament (Bundestag) Jürgen Braun, who spoke at the event after attending the International Religious Freedom Summit from July 13 to 15.

Evidence of Forced Organ Harvesting “Absolutely Irrefutable”

Dr. Kurt Werthmuller, supervisory policy analyst of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), strongly condemns the CCP’s forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners.

The rally also highlighted the CCP’s crime of forced organ harvesting from illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners. Dr. Kurt Werthmuller, the supervisory policy analyst of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), said that the USCIRF 2021 annual report highlighted the continued official harassment, detention, imprisonment, and torture of Falun Gong practitioners in 2020 in China.

In addition, Dr. Werthmuller said the United Nations Human Rights experts’ international reports expressed grave concerns about the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners. There is no place in the 21st century for forced organ harvesting, he asserted: “At this 100th anniversary of its founding, the CCP must come to terms with its reprehensible history of persecuting religious believers.”

Nina Shea, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said that the CCP’s forced organ harvesting is “absolutely irrefutable.”

Nina Shea, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, said the CCP has denied and covered up forced organ harvesting for the past 15 years, “but now it’s absolutely irrefutable.”

She cited a report by United Nations Human Rights experts on June 14 this year confirming forced organ harvesting: after blood samples and ultrasound checks, surgeons extracted detainees’ and believers’ hearts, kidneys, livers, and corneas. “This is essentially surgical execution without any due process for China’s live organ transplant business,” Shea said.

She added that the CCP also helped establish the anti-organ trafficking task force of the World Health Organization and manipulated it to cause forced organ harvesting reports to be dismissed as controversial, as Matthew Robertson of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation documented last year.

Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, president and the CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, also mentioned the “mounting evidence” of forced organ harvesting. “The [China] Tribunal explicitly names Falun Gong, stating ‘Forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale and that Falun Gong practitioners have been one and probably the main source of organ supply,’” said Bremberg.

On June 14, UN human rights experts called on China to “promptly respond to the allegations of ‘organ harvesting’ and to allow independent monitoring by international human rights mechanisms.”

Sanctioning Perpetrators

Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, president and the CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

According to Ambassador Bremberg, the U.S. Congress is now considering the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act, which “expands the US government’s powers to directly combat organ harvesting by imposing harsher penalties for purchasing organs, imposing sanctions on individuals and government officials in countries who support human organ trafficking and forced organ harvesting, and introducing mandatory reporting on human organ trafficking in foreign countries and on US institutions which train organ transplant surgeons.”

Annie Boyajian with Freedom House criticized the CCP for conducting “the most sophisticated global and comprehensive campaign of transnational repression in the world.”

Annie Boyajian, director of advocacy with Freedom House, criticized the CCP for conducting “the most sophisticated global and comprehensive campaign of transnational repression in the world.” She said, “We commend the US government for working with the UK, Canada, and the EU who has coordinated sanctions against CCP officials involved in violating human rights, including some who were involved in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

“Freedom House stands in solidarity today with Falun Gong practitioners and all those persecuted by the CCP. We thank you for your bravery, and we look forward to the day when all in time are able to freely exercise their fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of religion and belief,” added Boyajian.

Wendy Wright, president of Christian Freedom International

Wendy Wright, president of Christian Freedom International, said that she first got to know about the persecution of Falun Gong in 2006 after passing by a rally near Lafayette Park outside the White House. In her view, the burden of proof for forced organ harvesting should lie with the perpetrators, not the victims.

Dede Laugesen, executive director of Save the Persecuted Christians

Dede Laugesen, executive director of Save the Persecuted Christians, called the CCP an “evil transnational criminal organization.” As a “motivated American mom,” Laugesen said that Falun Gong is in her prayers.

The World Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

Faith McDonnell, director of advocacy at Katartismos Global and former director of the Religious Freedom Program at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, thanked Falun Gong practitioners for “standing by the truth.”

Faith McDonnell, director of advocacy at Katartismos Global, praised a banner at the rally once she began her speech: “The World Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” She said that truth is in short supply and that it takes courage to speak the truth.

“We’re at a point now where communism is using useful idiots in America to bring down America. And we need America to stay strong to support you and all of the vulnerable people around the world. So, I thank you, I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she said to Falun Gong practitioners at the rally.