(Minghui.org) In a statement issued on July 20, 2021, Robert Menendez, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the 22-year persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and urged the CCP to immediately release all imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners.
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez
Senator Menendez said in the statement, “Twenty-two years ago today, the People’s Republic of China undertook a ruthless and brutal crackdown against the followers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement that continues to this day. In the more than two decades since, tens of thousands of Chinese citizens have been persecuted for their religious beliefs, imprisoned, tortured, subjected to forced labor, and credible allegations of organ harvesting.”
He continued “I join the international community in calling on Beijing to respect the religious beliefs and practices of all its citizens, including its Falun Gong practitioners. No one should have to face prison, torture, or worse simply for how they choose to practice their religion. China should immediately release all Falun Gong practitioners it has detained, and allow them to practice their faith with dignity and respect.”
For many years, Senator Menendez has been committed to supporting Falun Gong in its peaceful resistance against the persecution. In July 2011, he and Senator Tom Coburn introduced Senate Resolution 232, calling on the CCP to immediately end the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. It was the first resolution to be introduced in the U.S. Senate in direct support of Falun Gong practitioners, and the first to support the movement of Chinese people quitting the CCP.
On the occasion of the 13th “World Falun Dafa Day” and the 20th anniversary of Falun Gong’s public introduction in 2012, Senator Menendez also issued a proclamation to recognize the anniversary and expressed his best wishes to the practice.
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