(Minghui.org) July 20, 2023 marks 24 years since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong. Renowned constitutional lawyer Jonathan Emord, who is running for U.S. Senate in Virginia, condemned the CCP’s persecution and praised the practitioners’ courage.

Veteran constitutional lawyer Jonathan Emord

Mr. Jonathan Emord is one of the nation’s foremost experts on constitutional and administrative law, and has practiced in federal courts and agencies for 35 years.

He said, “In many ways this is a tragic day because we are witnessing one of the worst atrocities in the history of the world. People are being brutally persecuted in China simply because of their religious beliefs.”

He pointed out that if anyone needed evidence to prove that communism and communist China were the enemy of all free people around the world, the persecution was proof positive. He commended Falun Gong practitioners because he said they have courage on this anniversary, stand up for freedom of belief, and protest the CCP’s authoritarianism and other brutal atrocities.

Another candidate, Kristin Hoffman, who is running for state representative in Virginia’s District 6, was invited to Northern Virginia before July 20 to do the exercises with Falun Gong practitioners and personally experience the practice.

Kristin Hoffman (first from left, second row) does the Falun Gong exercises with practitioners.

She was grateful to the practitioners for telling her about the terrible persecution that is happening in China and said that the persecution of Falun Gong was heartbreaking. She said she would help practitioners by raising awareness of the CCP’s brutality.