Washington, DC: Congressmen Propose Beijing Olympic Boycott at Press Conference on Human Rights Torch Relay (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) The Coalition to Investigate Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) held a press conference in the Longworth Building of the U.S. House of Representatives at noon on Aug. 2, 2007. The theme of the press conference was, "The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Crimes against Humanity in China Cannot Co-exist."
Both Republican and Democratic Congressmen supported a call for a boycott of the Olympic Games unless fundamental reforms occur in Beijing, and the tyranny of CCP is brought to an end. California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher made a proposal to boycott the Olympic Games.
 Dr. Torsten Trey, one of the initiators of the group Doctors Against Organ Harvesting |
 Congressman Dana Rohrabacher |
 Congressman Donald M. Payne |
Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 and Crimes against Humanity Cannot Co-exist.
Dr. Torsten Trey, one of the initiators of Doctors Against Organ Harvesting and member of CIPFG, demanded that the CCP regime take the following actions:
Stop the persecution of Falun Gong and release all practitioners imprisoned for their faith.
Stop the persecution of supporters, friends and defense lawyers of Falun Gong practitioners.
Open up labor camps, detention centers, hospitals, and related facilities to inspection by CIPFG investigators.
Dr. Trey said if the CCP doesn't give a satisfactory response to these demands by Aug. 8, 2007, the CIPFG would unite with the global force of justice to boycott the Olympic Games in 2008.
Congressman Submits Proposal to Boycott the Olympic Games in China
California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said the Olympic Games are a symbol of good in the world. It is totally unacceptable if such a symbol is associated with the most evil power on earth. He submitted a proposal for the U.S. to boycott the Olympic Games in Beijing unless a huge reform happened in Beijing.
The Tyranny in Beijing Could Disappear Within a Blink of an Eye.
"We never believed that the Soviet government in Russia would collapse and the people over there would be free to elect their own government. We never thought it would happen in our lifetime. A lot of people don't believe that the government that is so strong in Beijing will ever change and that the people living in various parts of China will ever be able to worship their god, and to select their leaders, and to live without fear and to settle their disputes honestly and justly among one another rather than having a corrupt system come in and force their concept on the local people. But that things that don't seem to be possible now may just happen within a blink of an eye. Just like the Berlin Wall went down within a blink of an eye, the tyranny in Beijing could disappear within a blink of an eye."
He said, "I would encourage all of you to hold on to this torch of freedom and to make sure that the people in China understand they are not alone, and to make sure that we draw attention to the people of the western world that we must stand true to a standard. We will not permit this torch of freedom to be held by tyrants, who with their other hand butcher and suppress their own people."
Suppression of Its Own People Must Be Stopped for China To Be Respected.
New Jersey Congressman Donald M. Payne said at the press conference that he was very happy to stand together with those who fight for basic human rights. For years he had been against the suppression of the people by the Chinese government and against the conduct of organ-harvesting from the imprisoned. He is concerned with many conducts of the Chinese government.
Congressman Payne said we would boycott the Olympic Games unless the Chinese government made major changes immediately.
Payne suggested some effective ways to boycott the Olympic Games, including calling for Americans to send emails and faxes to their representatives opposing the conduct of the Chinese regime and calling for different countries to pressure Beijing through their Olympic Games Committees and the international Olympic Games Committees.
Payne called for CCP leaders to respect the rights of the Chinese people. He said if China wanted to become a giant in the world, it must stop suppression of its own people and respect the rights of its own people.
Human Rights Torch Relay
A representative of the CIPFG announced that the kick-off ceremony for the Human Rights Torch Relay (initiated by the CIPFG and supported by many human right groups) would be held in Athens on August 9. The torch relay would pass through more than one hundred cities in dozens of countries within the year leading up to the scheduled opening day of the Beijing Olympics. Through the Human Rights Torch Relay, the CIPFG calls for the international community to face the CCP's violation of the spirit of the Olympic Games and its notorious human rights conditions and to stop the organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners.
Several congressmen including Payne and Rohrabacher said they would like to light the Human Rights Torch in person when it was comes to Washington D.C.