On the 23rd Anniversary, U.S. Government Agencies and Officials Stand in Solidarity with Falun Gong

July 20, 2022 marks the 23^rd anniversary of Falun Dafa practitioners’ peaceful resistance against the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of their faith. On this anniversary, many officials and government agencies in the United States published statements in support of Falun Gong practitioners and applauded their efforts to expose these crimes against humanity. They also condemned the CCP’s persecution and the CCP’s organ harvesting from living practitioners.

On July 20, 2022, the 23rd anniversary of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, the U.S. State Department condemned the persecution and called on the Chinese Communist Party to end its “abuse, imprisonment and torture of peaceful practitioners.” U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Rashad Hussain also took a stand to contend that the CCP’s “unjust campaign must end.”

The U.S. senators who sent letters and videos to the Falun Dafa Association include: Senator Marco Rubio for Florida, Senator Ted Cruz for Texas, Senator Ron Johnson for Wisconsin, and Senator John Boozman for Arkansas.

U.S. Representatives

The representatives include: Representative Gus Bilirakis for the 12th District of Florida, Representative Scott Perry for the 10th District of Pennsylvania, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton for Washington, D.C., Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler for the 3rd District of Washington, Rep. Tom Emmer for the 6th District of Minnesota, Rep. Vicky Hartzler for the 4th District of Missouri, Rep. Tom Tiffany for the 7th District of Wisconsin, Rep. Stephen Lynch for the 8th District of Massachusetts, and Rep. Sam Graves for the 6th District of Missouri, Rep. Ron Kind for the 3rd District of Wisconsin, Rep. Glenn Grothman for the 6th District of Wisconsin, and Rep. Ken Buck for the 4th District of Colorado.

Senators and Representatives of the Texas State Legislature wrote letters to condemn the persecution and to show their support for practitioners’ freedom of belief and freedom of speech. 

The following members of the Texas State Senate sent letters of support: Senator Angela Paxton, Senator Beverly Powell, Senator Larry Taylor, and Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst; and Representative Jacey Jetton and Representative Matt Shaheen from the Texas House of Representatives.

Senator Angela Paxton wrote, “I was so honored last year during the legislative session to partner with State Representative Matt Shaheen to author Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, to stand against the practice (of organ harvesting) and bring awareness to the horrific practice of human organ harvesting.” 

State Senator Beverly Powell stated in her letter, “23 years ago the Chinese government launched a brutal campaign to eliminate Falun Gong and stand in the way of the free practice of religion. Please know that as a member of the Texas Senate, I stand [in] support to ending the use of torture and propaganda against people throughout China and efforts to undermine the free practice of religion.

The efforts to raise awareness by you all today will help shine the light on the continued oppression by the Chinese government and hopefully move us one step closer to bringing justice to Falun Gong practitioners. Please continue to raise awareness by organizing and contacting your public officials. Together, we can fight to protect the innocent being persecuted for religious reasons.” 

State Senator Larry Taylor stated, “Your dedication to exposing a multi-decade persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is to be commended. No government should have the authority or ability to prohibit a citizen from peacefully and earnestly professing the faith which guides their lives. Furthermore, there is no excuse for the imprisonment, maiming or killing of innocent life.

Your effort to educate the general public and bring greater awareness of the CCP’s atrocities against its own people, is an example of the freedom by which all Americans are entitled.”

State Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst wrote, “Last year, I was a Joint Author of SCR 3 condemning Communist China for the barbaric practice of harvesting organs of those whose beliefs stray from the party line. The regime will stop at nothing to exert total and complete control of people.”

Representative Jacey Jetton stated in his letter, “Please accept my gratitude for your efforts, and those of the Southern USA Falun Dafa Association, to raise awareness about the practices of Falun Gong and the persecution of its practitioners around the world. I am writing to express my support for these practitioners in Texas and to call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong. As a representative of Falun Gong practitioners, I must condemn the practice of organ harvesting, forced imprisonment, and other atrocities committed against this group and other minority groups in China.” 

Representative Matt Shaheen wrote, “The state of Texas has a very firm position of condemnation of the practice of organ harvesting and other actions targeting Falun Gong and other religious entities.

And this is both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate, but also the Governor. The state of Texas is behind you, and supports you, and appreciates all that you are doing. We stand with you. From the 150 members of the Texas House and the 31 members of the Texas Senate to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House.

It is our position that we fully condemn this practice. And it is our job, every leader here, to make sure that this never happens in the United States or any other country, and that it is strongly condemned and that it doesn’t spread and contracts until it finally goes away to make this horrific practice irrelevant around the globe.”