(Minghui.org) The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently arrested 39 fugitives who are documented human rights violators and now live in the U.S. This operation, known as No Safe Haven, was conducted in collaboration with 12 local ICE offices, including New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles and others. All 39 individuals, including four from China involved in forced abortions and sterilizations against victims, will be repatriated to their countries of origin.
A Minghui.org editorial published earlier this year called for submission of information on perpetrators involved in the persecution of Falun Gong so as to bar their entry to the U.S. In response to the call for action, we, a group of Falun Gong practitioners in the U.S., submitted a list of perpetrators to the U.S. Department of State in July.
Given the latest ICE No Safe Haven operation, we hereby ask those with knowledge of the persecution of Falun Gong to collect information on individuals now living in the U.S. who have either directly abused or collaborated in violating the human rights of Falun Gong practitioners both inside and outside of China. These individuals may include legal and illegal immigrants, as well as those on visitors' visas.
We hope that our fellow practitioners and non-practitioners who may know anything about these perpetrators will report them. We will then submit a list of names to ICE for the agency to take appropriate action.
For a long time, the U.S. government has issued many types of sanctions, including deportation, against human rights violators who have committed crimes against humanity. Concentration camp guards and other Nazi criminals have been deported even decades after World War II ended.
According to the U.S. founding principles, any human rights violator who has committed crimes against humanity, anywhere in the world, and who attempts to escape punishment by staying in the U.S. will not escape responsibility for their crimes. The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) was created in 2008 to investigate such individuals living in the U.S., to prevent the United States from becoming a safe haven for human rights violators.
According to the ICE website, HRVWCC carries out investigations focused on human rights violations in the following areas:
PersecutionWar crimesGenocideTortureExtrajudicial killingsSevere violations of religious freedomand others
When explaining the function of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the mission of the No Safe Haven Initiative, the ICE website states, “They [these individuals] may be former officials of regimes that are or were potentially hostile to our nation and its interests, making them not only human-rights violators, but also national security threats. HSI's No Safe Haven Initiative targets these individuals.”
The first No Safe Haven operation took place in 2014, and the recent arrests of the 39 fugitives mentioned above was the fifth operation, also referred to as Operation No Safe Haven V. The operation includes arrest, conviction, and deportation of war criminals and human rights abusers.
Sanctions against human rights violators, including those from China, have been intensified in recent years, from legislation to law enforcement. HRVWCC has also been collaborating with international courts, foreign law enforcement agencies, and Interpol to identify and locate perpetrators. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a critical role in finding witnesses. When explaining how to pursue human rights violators with legal measures, a U.S. government officer told a number of persecuted groups, including Falun Gong practitioners, that their help is needed – especially in providing investigation leads.
We are calling for information on individuals who currently live in the U.S. and have participated in the persecution of Falun Gong, regardless of whether the acts of aggression were in China or other countries (especially in the U.S.). Our focus is on perpetrators who have caused severe consequences. A list of names will be submitted to the U.S. Immigration Services, which may then take appropriate action as required by law.
For those currently residing in the U.S. who have committed human rights violations in China, the information to be gathered includes (but is not limited to):
The nature of the crime, whether torture, beating, electric shocking, and killing (both issuing and executing orders) of Falun Gong practitioners.
The agency they operated within: Justice System (Police, Procuratorate), including the courts involved in practitioners’ imprisonment and labor camp detentions that resulted in torture and death.
Information on individuals who provided information to Chinese officials that caused the practitioners’ arrest, torture, and death. This can be practitioners’ workplace officials, coworkers, classmates, neighbors, and members of the public.
For those who currently reside in the U.S. with crimes committed outside China (including the U.S.), requested information includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Acts of humiliation, including verbal abuse, striking Falun Gong practitioners, or seizing or damaging personal belongings at places such as tourist sites.
Acts of humiliation and verbal abuse of Falun Gong practitioners at venues where Shen Yun was performing.
Information can be emailed to ReportFugitive@minghui.org or ERenBang@minghui.org with the subject listed as “No Safe Haven.” Alternatively, it can be reported through the ICE website at: https://www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form
Personal information of the perpetrators should include, as much as possible, the following:
Name (Chinese name and pinyin, as well as English name on passport if available)GenderBirthdate (or approximate age)Recent photoFormer workplace and title in ChinaCity and State of residence in the U.S.Description of human rights violations
Falun Gong Practitioners Submit a List of Human Rights Violators to the U.S. State Department