Congress of the United States
House of Representatives

November 26, 2001

xx
address

Dear [name withheld] family:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the continued persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. I strongly agree with you that these human rights abuses must stop. As a member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, this issue is extremely important to me.

Not since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown has the Chinese government displayed such blatant disregard for civil and religious freedom. Despite agreeing to sign the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in March of 1998 along with the U.N. Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in October of 1997, China continues to violate human rights, detain political prisoners, restrict religious expression, and unjustly persecute innocent citizens, particularly practitioners of the Falun Gong movement.

In July of 1999, the Chinese government detained and questioned over 30,000 practitioners. Soon after, the state began to arrest and punish Falun Gong practitioners at an unprecedented rate. As many as 10,000 Falun Gong followers are currently under detention, while nearly five hundred others have been tried and sentenced in China to prison terms of up to eighteen years. Not only has the government continued to arrest leaders and impose harsh prison sentences, but it has also closed Falun Gong facilities and confiscated and destroyed the group's religious literature.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of H. Con. Res.188, introduced by Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). This important legislation calls for the U.S.government to urge the Chinese government to release all Falun Gong practitioners, end all cruel treatment of these prisoners of conscience, and abide by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so that all Falun Gong members are free to pursue their personal beliefs. I am encouraged by the strong, bipartisan support that this legislation has received in recent months.

China is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. It should live up to the commitments it has made to that document. As a nation that prides itself on religious freedom, the United States must not stand idle while this intolerance takes place, nor should the international community. No faith warrants persecution, and I find the Chinese government's actions inexcusable. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that religious freedom is respected throughout the world.

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns. Please feel free to contact me again should any other issues of importance to you come before Congress.

Sincerely,
(signature)

Mark Steven Kirk
Member of Congress