U.S. Congressman John Linder Responds to Georgia Practitioner Regarding Charles Li and other Victims of Persecution in China

On February 25, 2003, Congressman John Linder wrote to a Georgia practitioner. Following is an excerpt from his letter:

"Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns with China's restrictive religious laws and human rights abuses. I shared your concern in this matter."

"Under Chinese law all venues for religious activities must be registered with the Chinese government. When registering with the Religious Affairs Bureau of the State Council, all churches, mosques, temples, monasteries, and other religious venues must submit the names and addresses of all of their members and details about their activities and finances. Moreover, the National People's Congress passed a resolution outlawing religious sects and cults. As this resolution failed to thoroughly define sects and cults, local authorities have applied it arbitrarily with some using it to arrest members of unregistered religious organizations such as Falun Gong. "

"Last year, Chinese President Jiang came to the United States and met with President Bush. During this visit, I am pleased to report that the Bush Administration articulated the concerns of the House of Representatives and the American public about the persecution of religious practitioners and other human rights violations. As a matter of fact, I sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Stated Colin Powell requesting that the Secretary and President pursue a dialogue about human rights with Presidents Jiang."

"I hope that consistent diplomatic pressures will continue to shape China's future policies."

"In the meantime, I will keep Dr. Charles Li, and the many other victims of Chinese religious persecution, in my thought and prayers."