Statement by U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom at the Washington DC July 23 Rally

July 23, 2002

Thank you for your invitation to address today's event. I am sorry that, due to other commitments, I will not be able to attend. I have asked a representative of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to read this letter at the event.

The Commission was established by the Congress to monitor religious freedom conditions worldwide and to advise the Congress and the Administration on the promotion of religious freedom in U.S. foreign policy. For the past three years, the Commission has reported on particularly severe violations of religious freedom in China, making several policy recommendations to the U.S. government.

In its 2002 report on China, the Commission stated the following:

"Despite the Chinese government's signature on and/or ratification of several international human rights treaties, and its stated adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it has continued to commit severe violations of freedom of religion and belief and to discriminate against individuals on the basis of their religion or belief. In October 2001, the Secretary of State concluded for the third straight year that the Chinese government severely and systematically violates freedom of religion and belief, and named China as a 'country of particular concern' (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA).

"The Chinese government's crackdown on freedom of religion and belief targets several groups, including ...Falun Gong, [...] It has resulted in torture and scores of deaths at the hands of police and other security officials, as well as surveillance, detention, imprisonment, and other abuses in confinement. As part of its violent repression of the Falun Gong, the government has pressured individuals to condemn Falun Gong adherents and renounce that group's beliefs. The U.S. government should continue strengthening its efforts to oppose these and other abusive practices that constitute the Chinese government's crackdown on religious and spiritual believers."

Sincerely yours,

Felice Gaer
Chair