Letter from Berkeley City Council Strongly Urges President Bush to Specifically Raise the Issue of Human Rights Abuses of Falun Gong Practitioners

(Clearwisdom.net)

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 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.